solar panel

[benno77gu]

hi fellas, i was wondering what size your solar panels are, and what you run off them, are you happy with them cheers

[megatexture]

I've got a 120w kit from enerdrive and find it do be a good kit, the mppt regulator comes separate to the panel so I've mounted mine in a water proof case to protect it when were camping at the beach.i also have an 80w ( bare no regulator) that can also connect to the 120w regulator or depending where or what were doing I can connect it to my ctek 250 dual on the car to top up the dual batt in the car and run the 50l Waeco.
The 120w is usually connected to the camper with two 100 ah batts and a 80 ltr Waeco running off that.
Both panels plug in and out via Anderson plugs and I was impressed with the quality of the wires that came with the kit.

[threedogs]

I dont run anything off my solar panel, I recharge my deep cycle battery with my 80watt BP solar panel, For general camping a fold up 100-120 panel and reg should be heaps.
An 80 watt panel will put back 4.5 amps an hour on a good day, no clouds. They wont work if raining, with LED lighting the norm anypanel up to 120 would be heaps anymore is overkill as you dont get the AH return for the size of the panel. Make sure you get a good reg. I have never ran out of battery yet, my panel is only 80 watt, and dont set it up much as led is saving my power usage
Fridge is a 40 ltr Engle used for food only.

Check warranty on panels , and efficiency period
Conclusion 80 to 120 watt foldable panel more than enough to suit your needs M2Cw

[DX grunt]

I have 2 x 125w BP solar panels mounted on the roof of my DX ute (ex Telstra) at a slight angle to allow for rain run off and a bit of a wind deflector.

The panels charge my dual batteries.

One panel is allocated to my 95lt Evakool Fridge/freezer, and the other panel is for my 'toys'

I've had everything that can be turned on, turned on, and have still maintained 100% battery during peak sun.

By full load, I've had on:
95lt Evakool fridge/freezer
Hot water system
Codan HF radio in scan mode
UHF CB
Car radio

I still have a few toys to add (1,000w inverter and a small DVD player) and some LED lighting, but I can't see a major battery drainage problem. I've got these ready to go, but don't have the knowledge to install them. Just saving up a bit of coin ATM. lol

I'm more than happy with my set up.

I know it means parking out in the sun, but I also have a 3 metre annex that I set up on the left hand side of my truck and a 5m awning that goes across the back, covering the length of the awning and the width of the truck. Shade isn't a problem! lol

When I take some pics, I'll post them up, here. I'm more than happy with my set up and don't believe I'll run out of 'power' any time soon.

Rossco

[megatexture]

A mate bought a 120 w from eBay and it puts out half the amps mine will side by side so like 3d said do your research but at the end of the day your just going off the stats they give you not hard to fudge the figures .

[wildgu6]

Nice read guys; While we're on the subject, what are your thoughts on this system for the camper, to charge deep cycle batt 70Ah, LED lighting and boogie box.... and around an 80 lt fridge in the future ?????

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-120W-Folding-Kit-Solar-Panels-Monocrystalline-Module-12V-Camping-Caravan-/130669029765?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item1e6c7b2985

[macca]

BP was the leading panel to buy years ago, seems by what Threedogs and DX are saying not much has changed

[Cuppa]

Conclusion 80 to 120 watt foldable panel more than enough to suit your needs M2Cw

TD, I do wish you wouldn't make such statements without first knowing what a person's needs are!
We are all different & thus have different needs.
Our usage patterns vary according to whether we are weekend or full time campers.
There is no right or wrong amount of solar/batteries to have other than what meets the individual's needs.

I consider firstly, without taking into account the short term vs long term users that the correct amount of power generation capability is that which will bring your battery(ies) back to full charge each day, whilst allowing you to meet your power needs. Some leeway can be allowed if the plan is for short term camping, as the partially depleted batter(ies) can be put on charge once back home. Not so for longer term travellers, unless willing to pay for caravan parks where 240v is available for recharging. For me such planned usage patterns defeats the purpose of having solar, which I see as as allowing for bush camping without the need for CP's.

The amount of battery storage required depends upon how much of a 'buffer' against poor solar weather you want/need. The more storage, the longer you can manage for in bad weather, but you do need to be able to 'put more in than you use' once the sun starts shining again.

We run two fridge freezers, one as a fridge, one as a freezer. We also have led lighting, computer charging, camera & phone battery charging, & 18v cordless tool battery charging. Music & videos. Our planned useage is for long term travel, so need to be able to recharge our 360ah batteries on a daily basis, without need to resorting to 240v. This we can do easily in summer anywhere in the country with our 425w of panels, but in the winter months when the number of available sun hours is 1/3rd of what it is in summer, we would need to be frugal with our power usage.

On average I believe what we have would give us about a weeks buffer against bad weather. At that point we would need to break camp & drive to allow our dc to dc battery charger to feed our batteries to prevent their early demise from remaining undercharged for too long. (ie. below 50% capacity).

Our single fixed panel (125w) in combination with arriving at a camp spot with well charged batteries from driving, is more than adequate to keep us going for a couple of nights. Longer stays are when the other 300w of portable panels are needed.

Over the past 5 sunny days we have been camped out in the bush, with all panels out. The freezer was set on minus 17 degrees & running for much of the very hot (guessing high 30’s) daylight hours, & cycling intermittently throughout the cooler night. The fridge was set on minus 2 degrees, & cycled on & off throughout. I used the computer a fair bit as we had a reasonable Telstra signal, and also used my Makita reciprocal saw several times for cutting firewood, & recharged it's battery.
Our 'house' batteries were fully charged & floating by between midday & 1pm each day.

I am not suggesting anyone needs my set up, & possibly if starting again may might consider one less 120ah battery, but I bet if I did, there would be weather sooner or later which would see me regret this....... But it would save 35kg weight.

Cuppa

[Cuppa]

A mate bought a 120 w from eBay and it puts out half the amps mine will side by side

There have been some dodgy eBay dealers, but some good ones too. Checking out the physical size of the panels advertised is worth doing. If the sizes aren't given, look elsewhere. If two panels of the same physical dimensions show a great variance in their output, it could be that there is a problem with one of the panels, but is just as likely a result of the connecting cabling used. If too thin much will be lost as heat & the battery never sees what the panels are outputting.
Most, if not all eBay sellers of cheap panels, supply cables which need throwing out & replacing with much heavier. When looking at the sort of wattage we are talking about with individual solar panels, any cable loss is significant. My 300w of portable solar panels are connected to the regulator with 9 metres of 6b&s cable. (13mm2 copper in both negative & positive). Although low voltage & current, this is required to ensure that the regulator receives pretty much what the panels output.

One eBay seller I know that provides panels that meet the claims (because I & others I know have bought from them) are Bit Deals (Rich Solar brand). There are other good ones too, but I can't vouch from personal experience in buying their stuff.
It is not uncommon for folk to pay much higher prices than they need to, in the belief that doing so will be a guarantee of better quality, when in reality what they are getting is no different to the cheapies.
Beware of solar sellers who are closely related to used car salesmen & politicians - telling the punter what they want to hear.

Cuppa

[megatexture]

Yea no doubt cuppa there is a definite difference in gauge of wires used, we are yet to do a full comparison but plan on testing every component to see where it is lacking.
I'm familiar with bit deals also as my wife's uncle has purchased from them many times as he lives in remote qld and relies on solar only and creek/rain water. Good value for dollar on there pannels

[Cuppa]

Nice read guys; While we're on the subject, what are your thoughts on this system for the camper, to charge deep cycle batt 70Ah, LED lighting and boogie box.... and around an 80 lt fridge in the future ?????


First work out what the daily current requirement is to run those things. Eg. For the boogie box - how many amps does it use when running? And how many hours would you expect to use it for. Multiply one by the other, & you will have your daily requirement in amp hours (ah). Do the same for the other items you wish to run. Bear in mind your fully charged 70ah battery will give you around 35ah to use (if you want your battery to last). If you don't care about killing it off prematurely you can run it until it is 'flat'.


FWIW ...... A 70ah battery will extend how long you can run an 80 litre fridge for a bit, but no way will it be sufficient if you care about battery life & use a 120ah panel. An 80 litre fridge, on average, will use between 70 & 90 ah per day. From a fully charged battery, on day one you have 35ah available. Your panel will supply around 7amps x say 6 hours per day = 42ah per day. Trouble is not all this goes into your battery, as the battery will only accept it when partially discharged. the fuller it is the less it accepts. Lets say your 80 litre fridge uses your available 35ah overnight, on the first night. Next day all of the panel's output is running the fridge directly, & by nightfall your battery still only has the 35ah it started the day with, maybe 40ah. By next morning the battery is flat as at tack, you fridge spits the dummy, & your frozen chicken starts to go green. Worst of all your beers are warm. All that without night time lighting or musical entertainment.

Cuppa

[macca]

Awesome Cuppa, I am fairly sure after seeing you Patrol and hearing you experience with the bus you have scratched your head a fair bit about all of this.

Good chance you have it right for you at least, I knew your system was huge compared to my requirements but reading this I understand why, good write up mate.

I'd like a flexible panel to attach to the top shell of my RTT but I think cost will prohibit that mod for a few years, they are still small wattage compared to rigid panels.

And you are correct about limiting discharging a battery to 50% of its capacity to get some life out of it.

[DX grunt]

I have 2 x 125w BP solar panels mounted on the roof of my DX ute (ex Telstra) at a slight angle to allow for rain run off and a bit of a wind deflector.

The panels charge my dual batteries.

One panel is allocated to my 95lt Evakool Fridge/freezer, and the other panel is for my 'toys'

I've had everything that can be turned on, turned on, and have still maintained 100% battery during peak sun.

By full load, I've had on:
95lt Evakool fridge/freezer
Hot water system
Codan HF radio in scan mode
UHF CB
Car radio

I still have a few toys to add (1,000w inverter and a small DVD player) and some LED lighting, but I can't see a major battery drainage problem. I've got these ready to go, but don't have the knowledge to install them. Just saving up a bit of coin ATM. lol

I'm more than happy with my set up.

I know it means parking out in the sun, but I also have a 3 metre annex that I set up on the left hand side of my truck and a 5m awning that goes across the back, covering the length of the awning and the width of the truck. Shade isn't a problem! lol

When I take some pics, I'll post them up, here. I'm more than happy with my set up and don't believe I'll run out of 'power' any time soon.

Rossco

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/DXgrunt/DX%20grunt/Camp%20set%20up/DSCF2951.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/DXgrunt/DX%20grunt/Solar/Whatsnew003.jpg
The only difference with this pic is that the solar panels are fitted at the back. I need the room on the front of the pod for the aerials, and possibly a light bar. lol

[benno77gu]

i have 2 100ah batteries in the camper running 70ltr evakool fridge freezer, tv/dvd, led lights, phone charging

[Cuppa]

i have 2 100ah batteries in the camper running 70ltr evakool fridge freezer, tv/dvd, led lights, phone charging

How do you charge them?

[benno77gu]

240v charger before i go any where lasts 5 days

[Cuppa]

No other form of charging?

How old are the batteries?

Your Evakool fridge has the same Danfoss BD35 compressor as my 60 litre ARB fridge, but looks like it probably has thicker insulation. At an average of 5amps current draw when running, & an average 50% duty cycle, mine would use around 60ah per day, possibly 50ah if the duty cycle is a little better, eg. In cooler weather and with the thermostat set at warmer temperature. (i set ours at minus 2 degrees to take into account the fridge being warmer at the top than the bottom, ensuring it all stays within the food safe minimum of 4 degrees.C). It is quite possible the better insulation on your fridge gives it a better duty cycle & that in cooler weather 40ah per day can be achievable.

I would imagine that if you 'manage' your power usage by, for example' switching off the fridge overnight when it's cooler, and/or using the fridge unpowered as a coolbox on day 5 what you are able to achieve is understandable. This may be the most convenient method for you. The cost of course is shortened lifespan of the batteries, probably by up to 80%+ less than batteries treated with greater 'kindness'.

The batteries in my bus which have never been discharged below 12.3v & always recharged to 100% within a 24 hour cycle are now approaching 8 years old & as good as ever, & I expect at least another 2 years from them. If used until 'flat' on a regular basis I would not expect to have got more than 18 months, 2 years if lucky, out of them

In a 4wd space is more limited than in a bus, weight is also at a greater premium. These factors have to be taken into account when deciding how each of us chooses to utilise the batteries we buy. My view is if intending to 'flog' batteries until flat it is not worth buying expensive deep cycle batteries, but rather to use cheaper crank type batteries & expect to change them more frequently.


Cuppa

[oncedisturbed]

currently looking at panels as well and just as confuddled on what to look for. I am guessing an 80-100w panel set up with a 10A+ controller would suffice as space is an issue for us.

only running an 80AH battery with fridge (50L Ironman)