Portable solar panel
Hi we are off in June to a festival which has a field for caravans but no EHU so I'm trying to set myself up for solar power but in searching the web,ebay,etc finding the right one seems hard we dont want to splash out on expensive ones has we don't know
how many times we would use it through the year. We've been recommended the get a 40w monocrystalline type to start with then bigger if planning to go full non EHU any adive grateful thanks only 4 weeks left so got to move quick.
Comments
-
There is a thread on this forum called something like How to survive without an ehu.. It will tell you all you need to know but it is now a zillion pages long so if you can be more specific about what you are thinking of powering someone will be along with
the answer.0 -
We've talked about this for a while and the obvious things would by lights which we are in progress changing to LED and water pump. Other things like kettle,fridge and water heater can run off gas. If we was going longer than a week or so then I would consider
power inverters for a little home comfort (tv) or the generator which must people don't like cos of noise.0 -
For the demand you describe at this time of year you can probably manage a week just on the battery. A 40w panel will probably more than keep up with demand even on a somewhat overcast day.
We use a 40w monocrystalline. Our battery never dropped below 85% even over 2 weeks of very average weather in March on no-facillity sites. Usually I leave the panel flat on the roof, but if I feel we need to maximise charge and we are around I will
set the panel up on the ground at optimal angle.With the bright sun we have had just recently, even with just a 40w panel you need to consider a regulator of some sort ...unless you are happy to keep an eye on the charge level/voltage and manage it manually. (The cheap PWM controllers - about £5 - £10
on ebay - are fine).0 -
Sorry to jump in on Petangail's thread but what would be a good method of securing the solar panel temporarily?( Obviously risk of theft needs to be considered) and should it be connected directly to the battery terminals?
0 -
We secure ours with a padlock to the caravan, via a thin yacht rigging cable with eyes swaged on at both ends. One being permanently bolted to the panel, which is rated at 90W hence valued at £300. We have permanently connected to the battery circuit, a
fused connector to couple the panel. The connector hangs down next to the EHU inlet in the battery box, hence no need for insecure clips onto the battery. On a bright day the panel will deliver 4Amps (actually measured) which is slightly less than the rating
plate gives as its maximum. So you could estimate maybe 25AH input/ day, which will keep you going indefinitely as long as you are very sparing with your TV.0
