Solar panel for off-grid camping
- Thread starter Wotan
- Start date
Member I
when I was building my overland trailer, I wanted the trailer 100% off grid, no electrical land line hook up's at all. I had to figure what I was going to use as of equipment, what battery will do the job along with the size of battery or batteries.
1st my Engel 12v. 22qt Fridg\Freez draws .07 to 2amp, my Propex H2000 thermostatic tent heater draws 1.9 amps these will be used in early spring & late fall camping season, the late spring hot summer camping season will be the Engel 22qt.fridg\freez & the Mighty Kool K2 12v. A\C unit which only draws 1.8 amp. I gave all this information of what equipment I will run & times they will be running to Renogy & they came up with a nice portable system for my overland trailer build. The system contains 30amp Renogy Wander Charge Controller with battery temperature sensor, 20ft. 10 awg solar panel cable, 1 30 amp fuse (located in between charge controller & solar panel) with 2 100 watt suit case portable panels connected together (only one shown in my photo). The battery I run is a VMax Tank 125amp hr solar battery with a 10 to 12 yr life span.
What people forget is peak time running, how many amps your equipment takes to run, when will your equipment be used (day or night or 24hrs.) & how long in time frame will it be in use while camping, amount of sun light available.
For me the Engel will be on fridg only & will run 24hr but remember the fridg runs only on demand, the H2000 Propex tent heater run during sleeping hours which is thermostatically controlled & is a demand only too, the Mighty Kool K2 A\C unit will run sleeping hours continuously.
1st my Engel 12v. 22qt Fridg\Freez draws .07 to 2amp, my Propex H2000 thermostatic tent heater draws 1.9 amps these will be used in early spring & late fall camping season, the late spring hot summer camping season will be the Engel 22qt.fridg\freez & the Mighty Kool K2 12v. A\C unit which only draws 1.8 amp. I gave all this information of what equipment I will run & times they will be running to Renogy & they came up with a nice portable system for my overland trailer build. The system contains 30amp Renogy Wander Charge Controller with battery temperature sensor, 20ft. 10 awg solar panel cable, 1 30 amp fuse (located in between charge controller & solar panel) with 2 100 watt suit case portable panels connected together (only one shown in my photo). The battery I run is a VMax Tank 125amp hr solar battery with a 10 to 12 yr life span.
What people forget is peak time running, how many amps your equipment takes to run, when will your equipment be used (day or night or 24hrs.) & how long in time frame will it be in use while camping, amount of sun light available.
For me the Engel will be on fridg only & will run 24hr but remember the fridg runs only on demand, the H2000 Propex tent heater run during sleeping hours which is thermostatically controlled & is a demand only too, the Mighty Kool K2 A\C unit will run sleeping hours continuously.
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Member II
Very nice, sounds great and gives me a few ideas too :)
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Thanks for sharing info: Helps me focus on how I need to think about this stuff.
Member I
I rather have plenty of power that doesn't drain off the battery under a percentage. Undercharging will cause shorter life span, once a battery is below 10v it is difficult to bring it back up to full charge. Another issue I was reading is excessive vibration from a inadequate faulty battery hold down without adequate shock absorption for the battery. This will weaken cells.
Member III
I went with a panel I could store in my RTT when traveling. Since I move daily on a trail, my needs were simple since the battery is sufficient for the fridge and plugs and of course the battery recharges when travelling. So when I do stop for a couple of days at a site on a trail, I'll bring out the panel to keep the battery up to snuff. I ended up with a 100w Mohoo panel and a SmartSolar MPPT controller (with Bluetooth).
i run 160 watt panel trace charge controller yellow deep cycle from walmart frig runs 24/7love this set up
Enthusiast III
Read through this post and as a noob I have to ask. Would it make more sense for a roof mounted panel or go portable?
As you can see in pic I have a controller already wired up (10ga as suggested) and now I’m just trying to decide If I want something I can move around or something attached to my roof rack.
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As you can see in pic I have a controller already wired up (10ga as suggested) and now I’m just trying to decide If I want something I can move around or something attached to my roof rack.
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Nice setup.
I can park the truck in the shade and place the panel in the sun.
Also, it allows me to correct the panels angle towards the sun during the day for best results.
I went for the portable option.
I can park the truck in the shade and place the panel in the sun.
Also, it allows me to correct the panels angle towards the sun during the day for best results.
Member I
I went with portable. I have 2 100 watt Renogy Monocrystalline folding suit case panel. I like the fact of 2 separate panels can be hooked up parallel if I need the extra wattage. Length of cable is your choice. I went with 20 ft of 10 AWG so I can have the distance to move my panels were ever needed. Both panels store in a hard case that comes with the panel when you purchase.
https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-12-volt-monocrystalline-foldable-solar-suitcase-w-o-controller/
https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-12-volt-monocrystalline-foldable-solar-suitcase-w-o-controller/
Advocate III
I agree with @DBs and @ArkansasDon. For the power needs most of us have for camping and backcountry travel, folding panels are wisest. Especially because you have your fridge in your vehicle, putting hard-mounted panels on your roof means you'll have to put your vehicle in the sun if you want solar gain while parked, which is usually when we need it most. It's only smart to keep your vehicle in the shade when you can while camping to keep it and its contents cooler.
Like @DBs and @ArkansasDon , I have folding panels I can move around. It came with about 15' lead and I made an additional 10awg lead about 30' long, so now I can put my trailer (where I have my charge controller, batteries, awning, RTT etc) in the shade and put my folding panel anywhere within about a 45' radius, which greatly extends my possibilities for open sun, even when most of my camping gear is under a tree canopy.
Larger RVs and big Earth Roamers usually have fixed panels, but often have to compensate for not being able to move them or tilt them by having more panels than they would otherwise.
You can read a more lengthy post on whether to go fixed or movable here, in the thread about On trail/camp Solar Power.
Don't underestimate the amount of extra power you can harvest if you can tilt and move your panels over leaving them flat. I experiment with it a lot and can watch the amperage increase dramatically simply by aiming my panels more efficiently.
Ideally you want the panel pointed directly at the sun so that any object placed on the front of the panel casts no shadow. I use my little Streamlight flashlight to do this, but they do make commercially available little sun-dial deals, too. It's impossible to keep your panels aimed correctly all day, as you'd be moving them constantly. If I know I'm going to be gone for a few hours, I aim my panels for about the middle of where I know the sun will be while I'm gone. If I'm in camp, I do the same, or go tweak their position every once in awhile.
Even when I get larger panels, more wattage, I plan on making them portable for the reasons stated above. I'm working on plans to make an actuator that will slowly move and tilt the panels as the earth turns so the panels are always pointed as directly at the sun as possible.
Having movable panels has a great side effect, too. You learn a lot about how the earth turns and of the sun's position in the sky at different times of the year, info that a lot of people have just never noticed or learned.
Plenty of detailed responses but I'll say "ditto." Fixed mount is convenient BUT you can't have your trailer or vehicle in the shade with the expectation your panel(s) will work efficiently. While I may add a panel to my trailer I still have a portable one with me. I have a rollup 60 watt and the Renogy suitcase. If/when I add a panel to the trailer I would maybe not bring the Renogy to save space but would always take the roll-up with me.
Lastly a portable setup is nice to share with others if you are group camping. If a friends battery is getting low I let them borrow my setup for a few hours.
Once lithium batteries become more affordable drain down will become less of an issue. The saying "My truck still started" doesn't really go along with battery longevity and health. Look at technical articles on battery voltage drop. It doesn't take long to get to below 50% and that is very bad for traditional AGM batteries.
Dang it this was more than ditto.... :)
Lastly a portable setup is nice to share with others if you are group camping. If a friends battery is getting low I let them borrow my setup for a few hours.
Once lithium batteries become more affordable drain down will become less of an issue. The saying "My truck still started" doesn't really go along with battery longevity and health. Look at technical articles on battery voltage drop. It doesn't take long to get to below 50% and that is very bad for traditional AGM batteries.
Dang it this was more than ditto.... :)
Real life test of my 120W panel with the new MPPT controller. Worked like a charm. Even in cloudy/overcast conditions.
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Member III
Interesting...my 100 watt double panel was pulling the same rates. Have you been able to pull more at times?Real life test of my 120W panel with the new MPPT controller. Worked like a charm. Even in cloudy/overcast conditions.
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Yes. The controller regulates the current as needed to charge the battery and run accessories, based upon the current solar conditions... if it needs 70W, it delivers just that. If more, it delivers more.
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Member III
Didn't know the MPPT regulated what the solar panel pulls. Hmmmmm!
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Member III
I got this one, https://amzn.to/2L574aE.
Went with the higher ratings, since it'll allow me to control two folding 120W panels in parallel, should I so choose. Has been working flawlessly.
