RVwiki for vanfolk and others who live in vehicles

User Tools

Site Tools

Trace:
electrical:solar:gentle_intro

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision 		Previous revision
electrical:solar:gentle_intro [2025/01/27 15:10]
frater_secessus [TLDR] 		electrical:solar:gentle_intro [2025/06/23 15:28] (current)
frater_secessus [solar ready]
Line 87: Line 87:
 Con Con
  
 +  * **they have to be deployed in order to work**.  This would seem to be obvious, but setting out portable takes time and effort that humans do not always expend
 +  * portables can be tilted.  
 +      * to seasonal optimal angles/azimuth. "Set it and forget it"
 +      * or turned to face the sun as it moves.  An overlooked downside is that panels that are set up to follow the sun **must follow the sun** throughout the day.  Human intervention required. 
   * panels made to be portable tend to be expensive per-watt.    * panels made to be portable tend to be expensive per-watt. 
-  * **they have to be deployed in order to work** 
  
-On the last point:  many people believe they will [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#believing_they_will_set_out_portable_panels|set out their portables any time they are stopped]];  far fewer actually do it.  And even if they set them out they are sometimes placed in shade or facing away from the sun.  We must pay attention;  solar is unforgiving. + 
 +On the first point:  many people believe they will [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#believing_they_will_set_out_portable_panels|set out their portables any time they are stopped]];  far fewer actually do it.  And even if they set them out they are sometimes placed in shade or facing away from the sun.  We must pay attention;  solar is unforgiving. 
  
  
 ===== What about flexible panels? ===== ===== What about flexible panels? =====
  
-Flex panels are very expensive by the watt.  They are a great fit for people who need to mount on a curved surface (boat hull, teardrop trailer, etc) or store/lift a portable.  +Good reasons to use flexible panels: 
 + 
 +  * you need to mount panel on a gently curved surface  (boat hull, teardrop trailer, etc)  
 +  * you need lightest weight for portability   
 +  * you are willing to tolerate higher costs and shorter life to get the above 
 + 
 +Bad reasons to use flexible panels: 
 + 
 +  * because they are "cool" 
 +  * because you saw an influencer use them on Insta/YT 
 +  * because you want to walk on them (you can't) 
  
-Otherwise framed panels are the standard for many good reasons. +Framed panels are the standard for many good reasons.  If you must use flex, consider one of the non-crystalline types (CIGS, amorphous, thin-film, etc).  It is not surprising that solid crystals a few inches wide don't like to flex.  
 ===== How much solar do I need? ==== ===== How much solar do I need? ====
  
Line 155: Line 170:
 ==== solar ready ==== ==== solar ready ====
  
-RVs that are sold as "solar ready" typically have a connector and wiring from Zamp.  It is more apt to call it "Zamp solar kit ready" as normal panels cannot be attached to the Zamp port. Here is [[https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f221/a-frame-solar-ready-71071.html#post740529|Zamp's description of Solar Ready]], which uses panels with built-in controllers. +The "solar ready" feature in RVs is often just an external [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_connector#SAE_connector|SAE]] port wired directly to the house battery bank (no solar charge controller controller).  In this scenario panels with built-in solar charge controllers are required.  Check polarity before attachment; some vendors (Zamp, infamously) wire them in reverse configuration from common usage.   
 + 
 +Example:   [[https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f221/a-frame-solar-ready-71071.html#post740529|Zamp's description of Solar Ready]], which uses panels with built-in controllers. 
  
 It is been judged harshly by some users: It is been judged harshly by some users:
Line 161: Line 178:
 > “Solar Ready” doesn’t mean sh*t.   It means there is a plug wired to your battery and oh by the way  IT IS WIRED EXACTLY BACKWARDS.  The polarity on the Zamp SAE style connector is reversed.  -- John's Tech Blog((https://www.hagensieker.com/wordpress/2020/01/12/rockwood-a122-two-year-review/)) > “Solar Ready” doesn’t mean sh*t.   It means there is a plug wired to your battery and oh by the way  IT IS WIRED EXACTLY BACKWARDS.  The polarity on the Zamp SAE style connector is reversed.  -- John's Tech Blog((https://www.hagensieker.com/wordpress/2020/01/12/rockwood-a122-two-year-review/))
  
 +Normal panels could be used if a solar charge controller were spliced in between the port and bank.
  
- +Higher-end "solar ready" setup might include MC4 connectors and entry gland on the roof with appropriate wiring leading to the battery tray area. Add panels and controller of your choice. 
- +
 ===== rack mounting ===== ===== rack mounting =====
  
electrical/solar/gentle_intro.1737990628.txt.gz · Last modified: 2025/01/27 15:10 by frater_secessus

Page Tools

affilliate disclosure | the RVwiki runs on a virtual server from NetCup

Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International
CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki