Let’s Talk Solar!

Solar seems to be a pretty popular option nowadays to maintain batteries off the grid.

Let’s talk about it!

How much solar is enough?

What kinda set up do you have?

What does it power?

Single battery? Dual battery?

What would you redo if you had to?

 

My current solar panel is used to supplement my dual battery set up.

I have a small 50w panel and 30a pwm controller.

My house battery is 115ah flooded deep cycle battery. It powers a diesel heater, a water pump, a buncha LED lighting, and a handful of 12v/usb sockets.

It works ok, but I’d like to get more charge out of it.

Looking for input and ideas.

I plan on adding a small inverter to charge 18v tool batteries at some point.

I wanna be able to maintain the house battery over 3-4 days without recharging it via the truck.

I have enough room for up to a 200w panel across the top of my camper shell.

What’s everyone else running panel and controller wise?

Let’s see your set ups and

 

You need to do the math. Convert needs into amp hours. Realize that you need to de-rate the advertised panel rating wattage to account for latitude, cloud cover angle etc. I'd de-rate 30% as a starting point. Then you need to consider batteries, lead acid vs AGM vs LiFe - huge differences in output. I run Renogy gear. I'd advise you to spend some time on their website. Look for the Solar FAQ section and study up. Not rocket science but there are some things to be aware of.

 

Right.

Im more interested in seeing what others are running at this point to just get some ideas.

I’d like to see a discussion started to bounce ideas around.

 

Copy that. I run a 175W flexible Renogy and power a good size fridge, led Lights, Diesel heater and misc 12v things. Can run for 4-5 days on an 100AH LiFe battery w/o solar input. Certainly not a heavy power user. I'm plenty happy with my setup, I would not go any smaller though. Too many cloudy PNW days so winter charging is sporty.

 

I have a Dometic CFX-40 fridge in my truck that is currently running off of my X2 AGM deep cycle starter battery. To keep my battery charged, I have a 20A MPPT controller and a 100W mono panel. Even on sunny days, I am only getting about 45-65 watts out of the panel, so you definitely need more than a 50w panel.

I am currently re-configuring my solar setup. The solar will now feed a 100AH LiFePO4 battery mounted in the bed. A DC-DC 30A charger will ensure the battery is full. The new battery will also power a 1500W pure sine wave inverter and a 4 circuit box w/Anderson connectors.

 

at first i assumed this was going to be about solar battery tenders added to trucks. it's something i've thought about for when i get a car as a daily driver and i won't be using the Tacoma as much.

 

Let’s see some more set ups with pictures!

 

What he said! Plus, if you're going to be using an inverter, you might want to calculate in watt hours, since watt hours takes into consideration voltage (Watt Hour = Volts X Amps X Hours).

If you'd rather watch videos, a resource for solar information I highly recommend is DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse. He has over 600,K subscribers since he's able to break down all aspects of solar in a way that newbies can understand. Plus he does unbiased review of components, either by themselves or in comparison with similar products.

 

Agree with the above recommendation for Will Prowse on YT. I have also enjoyed watching videos from “EXPLORIST life” who also has a blog. I’ve been doing a lot of research for when I have my GFC because I will be adding more solar and hopefully a LiFePo house battery.

Currently, I have a 85w on the hood and a Victron MPPT controller. It maybe outputs 5-7A to the odyssey AGM which is not a lot.

Someone mentioned to calculate a 30% loss in advertised panel wattage, which is true. Also, AGM batteries safely provide up to 50% of their advertised Ah capacity. Compared to LiFePo which you can drain to 100% safely.

I currently am powering a 65L IceCo fridge and plan to add lights and charging accessories to the bed upon install of GFC. Do your research.

 

here's my Prowse copy

 

Is that a battery charger next to the 12v panel/on the lid?
Post specs

 

I have solar on my house...but I guess 36 300w panels may be overkill.

I'd love a solar setup on my truck. Just can't justify the cost. Cool setup.

 

Once the government subsidizes my solar overland panels I’ll convert, until then it’s dual batteries and a trickle 110 charger. Otherwise just too many hands in the honey pot. Let’s keep camping simple.

 

I kept my system fairly simple with very few moving parts to accomplish my needs.

My needs:
-ARB 37qt fridge.
-Many USB rechargeable items.
That's it!

So, I have two 100W Rich polycrystaline rigid panels ran parallel into a Jackery 1000.

My whole system is portable. Panels, fridge, and Jackery are only installed on/in the truck when I plan to use them. Pretty quick to do. And can be moved to my off road trailer or anoher vehicle.

How it works:
-Fridge is plugged into the DC port of the Jackery.
-Two phones, two tablets, two camp lights, two fans, air mattress inflator, a lighter, a Zoleo, and a few other USB rechargeable items get cycled through the various USB ports on the Jackery.
-Jackery is fed power via the factory inverter, or the the solar panels.
-The Jackery auto switches between the inverter charge and the solar charge with the inverter being the default primary when both are plugged in.
-The Jackery has an MPPT solar controller built in to manage the solar input.
-The factory inverter is upgraded with the 400W anytime mod as well as have a 4Runner outlet mounted in the cab.

While driving, the Jackery is charged via the inverter unless I forget to hit the inverter button. At that point it charges via solar.

While parked/camping and in direct view of the sky, the Jackery is charged via the solar.

I have only really used this setup in the SE Oregon desert for 3 solid weeks in a row.
In that time, the Jackery never went below 81%.

So far this system fits my needs perfectly, and is not permanently installed.

At the time of purchase costs in early 2021:
-Jackery = $950
-Two 100W rigid solar panels = $186 total
-All the solar wires and connectors = $35

 

I'm running solar with a single deep cycle agm battery. A dual setup is overkill for my needs. I carry a Noco jumper in the cab if needed anyways.

The only things that require power consumption when the engine is off is my 56qt. fridge and maybe a small device or 2. (Plus the fridge has an internal cutoff when the voltage reaches a designated low level as no not drain the battery)

I have a Victron Energy MPPT 100|20 controller mounted next to the battery. There is a on/off solenoid that connects the charger to the battery with the switch located in the cab. The plug for the solar panels is located on my light bar in the front.







I opted for 100w Portable Folding Panels so that I could freely place them in the most optimal locations through out the day. I built a 40 foot cable to connect the panels to the truck port to do so. I also use magnetic clips that allow me to secure the panels to hood or even the roof as well as the ground stand the panels came with.

 

sorry, just saw this. i've noticed many battery chargers will accept both AC and 12V plugs (except DeWalt who charges $100+ for a 12V charger, wtf?) so i picked up a charger that can handle multiple cells (A, AAA, 18650 ect) and plugs right into the Blue Sea. i can store the charger, extra cells, USB cables, and other stuff in the battery box.

https://www.18650batterystore.com/products/efest-luc-v8

also, i just finished the box by adding 5 coats of varnish and attaching it to the bed rail so it's solidly mounted.

 

I ended up with a Renogy 175w panel.

Figured I use about 4-6ah of juice camping running lights and the diesel heater and some other stuff. I calculated to the total usage to be about 30 amp/day.

The panel should produce about 8 amps at peak performance, so even if it’s only 50% efficient, charging at 4ah should keep me pretty good.

The battery should recharge in roughly 8 hours.

This morning, when I checked the panel, it was overcast out and the panel was still putting out 3 amps.

I’m assuming my math is correct.

 

I just have to say that is one of the nicest cardboard aided design electrical layouts I have ever seen.