Semi-Permanent Off Grid RV solar charging

[ctd]

I have two 160w panels in parallel for reasons mentioned earlier & they are not on roof. Some reasons are I may be in the trees, panel angle, ability to chase the sun & others. Normally you are not moving them, but when you need maximum power...easy.

They are in a cart SxS, wheels on the back of the cart so when you tip it back you easily move it. Think of it like 360w panels that are easily positioned for best solar power when needed. There is a 20' 6 gauge extension so the panels can be 30' away from the fifth wheel if I'm shaded by tress or whatever. All the panel wiring is 6 gauge so no significant power loss.

In the basement or storage area of the rig I made a rack so you slide the panels in on edge. They do not take alot of room, secured & safe for travelling.

The portable rack for the panels I choose 45* for the sun angle, bit of a compromise regarding power. They are easy to clean when needed & the rain when we get it looks after them.

 

[crazy_wheeler]

There is a solar superstore in the south end of Edmonton with a decent selection of panels, charge controllers, inverters, batteries & supplies. As stated use a mppt controller to maximize the pv output in varying light conditions. In-laws & I are set up on a permanent rec property as well so I’ve been setting up a battery bank that supplies power to a 1500w inverter which we plug the trailers into just to keep those batteries charged. Mainly brew a pot or 2 of coffee & charge phones or iPads. Future plans are to upgrade to a 3000w inverter in the event of wanting to watch a movie on the tv.
Of the 4 panels 2 are wired in series & then parallel from there to the controller. It gives me 500w in prime sun conditions, 34.8v & 28.8a. The battery bank is 12 of those batteries pictured & 3 other mismatched batteries all hooked in parallel with the 12v/120 1500w inverter connected to them. Ideally I would like to go 24v/120 inverter to better utilize the batteries but this is what we have at the moment. I’ll try to get the fil to send me a pic of the battery bank while he’s out there this weekend. Not sure if it’s the best set-up but it works for us so far from a diy standpoint & research on the Internet.

 

[crazy_wheeler]

It’s still a work in progress. Build a cover over top of the batteries & a cabinet to house the inverter & charge controller

 

[TylerG]

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It’s still a work in progress. Build a cover over top of the batteries & a cabinet to house the inverter & charge controller

that is quite the setup you've got going on there Marty!