Thinking about going solar
Hi all, I hope someone can explain, very simply, regarding solar panels. I would like to be able to run TV & fridge, lights, charging phones. I don't understand the solar thing. We have been thinking 200w maybe enough? How do we go about it. Please start from the very beginning.
Many thanks
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We don’t use solar for everything, but our roof panel charges up our Leisure battery, and when that is full it trickle charges our vehicle battery. The Leisure battery runs anything 12v, so that is habitation lights, water pump, (so we can shower and wash pots, wash hands fine) and when on the move, our small fridge. We charge up our phones, iPads via the cigarette lighter outlet, using a simple and cheap plug in device. (We also carry either small charged up battery packs, or use our ebike batteries to charge devices.) Tend to do this mainly when on the move, but occasionally when on site as well. We don’t take a TV, as we use our iPads and generous data to watch things like films, go online, catch up on a bit. It saves on space and weight, and to be honest we don’t watch much TV anyway. Our little MH runs on gas as well, so if off grid, we can heat the van, heat water, and use for cooking. Plus run our small fridge. We love going off grid in Summer, and with just the above, can easily do at least four, five nights, a week at a push without hook up. Cold weather though, we tend to hook up if it’s more than a couple of nights.
Hopefully, others will be along soon and give more information about setting up for living totally via solar, it might be helpful to say what kind of outfit you have, as some are heavily reliant upon technology and therefore might need a lot more oomph to keep a fridge freezer, TV, computerised this and that operating. Ours is a simple outfit, and it can cope easily without much modification.
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Sorry there is nothing simple about the subject. Can I suggest you use the seach facility of the site, there are plenty of posts on the subject. A couple that come up for you to make a start are:
If you do a Google search you will also find plenty of information and both the C&CC and the C&MC have produced guide papers on the subject.
peedee
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PD is correct. It is a very involved subject and there’s far too much to cover from scratch in a simple reply. I don’t think you can expect to totally replicate your usage on EHU with solar and you need to anticipate increased gas usage.
You could check out the Tips for cheaper vanning section in the Welcome & Hobby Talk category for threads similar to the ones PD has given.
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Solar panels would only be the start if you were thinking of a serious off grid set up. You would probably have to think about batteries. I also wonder whether a solar set up and conventional fridge could be run. Compressor fridges are becoming more popular because they can be run via a battery. The is a YouTube Channel called "Life is Too Short". The couple have a small PVC which they use off grid for several days at a time via the solar panels and engine charging as they move around.
David
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@Sharktale you don't say what sort of LV you have, as a lot depends on the amount of space you have, the amount of money you are willing to expend on equipment and what is already installed on your unit. Our current caravan had a 120w solar panel as standard and we have been able to do numerous 4 night off grid nights using it and gas for cooking and running our large fridge.
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You will need to do a lot of research into this, as others have said. It also depends how you wish to use your van. Just to give you a real life example. Our 2021 van came with a 90ah lead acid battery, 120w of solar, and a compressor, NOT three way, fridge. Arrived at an aire (Canterbury P & R actually), so no hook up. Battery would be fully charged because of driving. Demand on the battery was fridge, lights, pump, phone charging, i pad charging. No TV. Following day we went into the city and it rained, so virtually no solar to charge the leisure battery. Stayed a second night. By the following morning battery was at below 12v, which as anyone will tell you, is not good. Battery charged up quickly enough once driving but obviously not something to be repeated on a regular basis. More solar would not have made much difference in this case because of the rain. On another day with sun we could have lasted longer. With more solar, and sun, we could have lasted longer. What we had was the solar panel charging the battery via a not very good solar controller. Compressor fridge is also power hungry. If we had had a three way fridge we could have run it on gas, in which case battery would have lasted a lot longer.
We wanted to do longer periods without hook up and without driving. Our solution was to swap the battery for lithium - immediately more power, and to get a better solar controller which "captures" more of the solar into the battery. This installation was done professionally because we dont have the skills to do that sort of thing. No issues now.
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Unless she’s changed it since last year, Nellie, it’s a Trigano 310 pop top caravan.
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So it would not have a solar panel as standard, so the choice then is for a professionally fit roof panel or a stand alone panel(s). Then there are the controller, possible upgrade to lithium battery etc.
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I applaud the idea but this is possibly one for the experts to set up where they know the limitations of the idea.
Without a good battery back up system I doubt you could run the fridge, it is simply too power hungry. I think you could manage most other things provided you were careful with a battery and possibly did not mind missing the odd programme. Solar panels are very dependent on the weather, so probably the idea will work in Summer but could be a problem in Winter. Snow would almost certainly rule it out. I think it might need the gas system left in place as a back up.
Do watch the weight if you add batteries, as many LV and caravan models are very tight on the load allowance and you could easily end up with a problem there. Check the weight of everything you wish to add and see what is left.
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