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Camper solar pannels

sjfoley · 2014-05-12 11:40:40

Hi all, I'm thinking of putting a solar pannel on my motorhome, and any info on them regarding cost , watage output ect ect would be much appreciated , Regards Simon

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12-05-2014 12:40pm

#1

sjfoley

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Hi all, I'm thinking of putting a solar pannel on my motorhome, and any info on them regarding cost , watage output ect ect would be much appreciated , Regards Simon

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#2 12-05-2014 10:37pm
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Cost is roughly €1.20 p/watt for the panel.
Solar controller I'd spend at least €50 on a PWM temperature compensating one that has a charge profile that exactly matches your battery manufacturer's charging spec.

4mm solar flex cable is standard for most camper rigs panel to controller, probably I'd go up to 6mm for a run over 10 metres or 150W.
You need to install the controller as close as possible to the batteries on stranded cable rated for < 0.3% voltage drop.

Average peak performance with a horizontal mount in Éire is about 66% rated on a bright Summer day.
33% in early Spring and late Autumn on a bright day.
Trickle in the Winter.

You can get a lot more if you incorporate tilts to enable orientation to the sun.
Don't install the panel anywhere it'll get even the smallest part shaded in Winter (lower sun)...this includes skylights in the open position, satellite extended etc.

Lot's of bits are much cheaper if you buy them in the Winter.
I'd highly recommend a good battery monitor if you need extended autonomy. At the very least I think an externally shunted digital ammeter and voltmeter are essential.

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#3 12-05-2014 11:05pm
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Circuit Protection

Another advantage of circuit breakers over fuses I forgot to mention is they have a much lower line resistance because they don't bottleneck the conductor (as much).

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