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Jun 11, 2011 · #1. Sorry it is a link and not cut and paste. I am looking to buy two solar panels to give me 300 watts, would these be ok or should i be looking at branded ones for more dollars? if so what would be the difference / benefits? Also which size Victron controller would be best? I have 210 amps of lead acid batteries, what else do I need?
- Before You Fit The Panel
- The Big Drains
- Selecting Your Solar Panel
- Which Size of Panel Is Best?
- Always Use A Regulator
- How to Wire Up Your Panel
- How Much Power Do You Get in Summer?
- What About in Winter?
- Angle of The Sun
- Verdict
Fitting a solar panel is not the first thing that you should do to extend your wild camping or off-grid ability. Fitting a second leisure battery (or two) should always be the first step. Ideally, you want to add an identical battery, so match the brand, capacity, age and size. Two leisure batteries will instantly double your off-grid capability. A...
Anything that heats, cools, pumps or contains a fan will be a large consumer of current. Most standard motorhome appliances, such as fridges and heaters, are matched to the charging system and leisure battery, so will often cope well when plugged into the hook-up. Few of these items need more than 10A, so they can last for quite a while off the hoo...
Which solar panel you pick depends entirely on your motorhome’s roof. Campers with a pop-up roof lend themselves to thin, semi-flexible panels, while larger motorhomes don’t need particularly flat panels and might suit a rigid design better. No two motorhome roofs are alike, and you’ll need to choose solar panels that can fit around your skylights,...
In the UK, bigger is always going to be better. Anything under 40W or that comes with a cigar lighter socket and sits on your dashboard will output so little current in winter that it’s not worth bothering with. Solar is cheap, so look for a minimum of 100W, but if you can fit more – 300W, 400W or 500W – do so. More is always better and, apart from...
All solar panels must be used with a suitably sized regulator. The regulator’s job is to protect the battery from too high a voltage, reverse current (wrongly wired connectors), and to manage the current so it won’t fry the battery. It’s dangerous not to use a regulator, so ensure you have one. The only exception is if your motorhome’s charging sys...
All solar panels are pretty easy to fit. If you can fit a fuse and know that the red wire is positive and the black wire is negative, you shouldn’t struggle to connect up a panel. Many freestanding models come with crocodile clips, so you don’t need to do any wiring at all: just clip the leads in place. Whenever you work on a solar panel, cover it ...
This is where everyone tends to overestimate the efficiency of solar panels. First, they’re not 100% efficient – their output varies with light intensity, angle of the sun, clouds, shadows and the number of daylight hours. A typical 100W solar panel outputs a maximum of about 5A in the peak of summer. That’s 5A per hour over daylight hours. So a 50...
In winter, the power output could fall to less than a tenth of the summer output. To give you an idea of the problem, I carried out some measurements on the 100W solar panel I have in my garden, which is used to recharge my lawnmower battery because there’s no mains socket nearby. In summer, I have measured its output at just under 2A, while in win...
One aspect of solar panels that affects use in your motorhome is the angle of the sun. For maximum efficiency, the panels need to be perpendicular to the midday sun. In winter, in the northern hemisphere, the sun sits lower down in the sky and to get the panel perpendicular at midday, you’d need to have it significantly angled. It’s reckoned that t...
Solar panels work really well during the summer months and are well worth having – they will definitely help to top up your batteries. Fitting the panels won’t spoil the look of your motorhome, they require no effort to set up and they will automatically boost your batteries at all times during the daylight hours. It’s like having magical free powe...
- Practical Motorhome
Open curtains and blinds to let sunlight in and consider using reflective window film to maximise the amount of light entering your motorhome. Using less electricity for lighting will help preserve your battery power and maximise the output of your solar panels. Maintaining and troubleshooting solar panels.
Nov 16, 2021 · Nov 16, 2021. 18. 5. Yorkshire UK. Dec 17, 2021. #1. Hi everyone, I recently took delivery of an M3 SR+ and am loving it so far. One aspect though that has got me thinking is the potential benefit of solar panels to help keep the charging costs down.
Aug 8, 2015 · Solar panels should be considered as an instant battery and would you mix and match different batteries? As such they can work against one another which is probably why they were wired individually for maximum efficiency.
Apr 30, 2024 · Solar panels. Solar panels, also known as photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity to use in your home. Installing solar panels lets you use free, renewable, low carbon electricity. You can sell surplus electricity to the grid or store it for later use. According to low-carbon certification organisation MCS ...
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Aug 1, 2018 · Updated 30 April 2024. Share this guide. As well as saving you money on your energy bills, solar panels can also earn you cash. And don't worry, panels can still generate some electricity on gloomy days, vital when the weather's as dull as dishwater.
