Solar power/battery charging system

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ColoradoLC

ColoradoLC

Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Threads
77
Messages
638
Location
Centennial, CO
I'm going to be spending a week in the Winds in Wyoming next summer and I'd like to put together a power and battery charging system for use while I am out there.

I'm hoping someone has some experience with these as I have none, and have been doing lots of research on this.

I'm hoping to have my dual battery setup in place by then, and want to be able to power electronics with this system as well as keep both the Optima Red and Yellow top batteries charged.

Here's what I am thinking:

Solar panel - 50w flexible panel that I'll use some of those strong neodymium magnets to attach to the hood:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Semi-Flexib...wer-/141025054484?pt=CPUs&hash=item20d5bf8f14

Battery minder - http://batteryminders.com/details.php?prod=SCC-180

Alternatively, I have also been looking at this battery charger recommended by the guy at 4xforum.com - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riMTgFHr7GY

If you haven't seen this guy, he's quite the repository of knowledge and built a great FJ78 Troopy camper.

I've got 6 12v receptacles in my FZJ80 so powering those is part of my intent.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
 
50W isn't much, but all depends on your actual needs. IF you have fridge I'd say you want to be looking in the 80W+ range. I personally prefer the folding style panels - 120W or more are common for a decent price (at least in oz). Monocrystaline panels are the best efficiency (at this point in time).

I like the folding panels since they can easily be stored and then deployed and aimed where the sun is, IMPORTANT especially if the sun is not overhead (common in the US and even more so if you are in higher latitudes).

The charger you linked to would be fine, though it's only a PWM style (common type).

cheers,
george.
 
Thanks George! Hey, I have one of your dome lights!

I'd prefer 120W, but haven't found many of the flexible versions that will allow me to attach to the hood with magnets. Here's one, but it raises the cost pretty significantly - eBay Link

I recently started hunting and found my need to charge things (and dry things) made me intimately aware of when the sun was out, where I parked, etc., so I'm interested in charging FRS radios, iPads, phones, etc. I can probably get by with a low-tech cooler with ice for most of my needs, but may be looking for a relatively inexpensive powered cooler like what Koolatron makes, if the need arises.
 
I suggest doing a complete inventory of what you need to charge, how many amps each will demand, and what the average or expected duration of the demand will be. From there you'll need to allow for non-ideal panel placement due to it being flat on the hood. Only then will you know if a 50W panel will be enough.

From going thru this for our pop-top camper I suspect that 50W won't cover it. In our case 100W will usually cover it, but not always.

I also prefer to buy products from well established companies within their field. Not to say that new companies are a bad thing, but I'll let others experiment, I want stuff that is known to work for projects like this. I have a Morningstar PWM solar panel controller for our camper. I considered an MPPT controller, but for our use I don't see much ROI. The difference in price is substantial. On a bigger or more dedicated system I think the ROI is there.
 
titanpat57 said:
This is the one I just got for Christmas...saw it over in Corey's thread and really liked it...one, because it folds, and two, because it is an all inclusive deal (cables, wires, charge control)with a case. It is NOT high end stuff...but I wanted a starter kit to get going and this fit the bill perfect.

http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Pane...oldable-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html

and the thread... https://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/767788-new-arkpak-power-supply.html
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the kind of folding panel I'm talking about. A LOT of them available in Oz (oz ebay) and prices are cheap for 120W or higher. All assembled in China, though they do have excellent monocrystaline cells and work reliably and to spec or better. Well assembled with tempered glass and come with padded covers etc. They come with a PWM charge controller and cables etc. I ran a panel for 2 week trips into the bush a couple of times now and they work great to keep the aux battery topped up while running an Engel and sundry electronics.

I'm not a fan of the flexible/semi-flexible panels since they offer no real advantage for vehicle use and you can't aim them easily. Mounting a flex panel on the hood or roof will not provide anywhere near the full rated output (unless you are at lower latitudes, in the tropics). With a solar panel that you pay $$ for every rated watt, it would seem one would want to be able to extract all those watts as much as possible and that means aiming the panel to be perpendicular to the sun and requires several re-orientations per day.

cheers,
george.
 
ohh..

and the best selling point...




and it was george-tlc approved!! (the Guru of all things electronic, LED and solar)

if george said it, I believe it...and that's final!

:beer:
 
you may want to look carefully at the specs of those thermoelectric coolers -if this is what this Koolatron is-. Those are nowhere close to a compressor fridge in performance and are surprisingly power thirsty for what they give in cooling (which is typically limited by the max temp diff they can achieve -40F or so from memory- which if correct, would mean you'd have 100F in the truck (easy in the desert) and you can only cool to 60F or so, not great for mayo or for your intestinal flora for that matter...) And yes, with a real fridge and some electronics, it seems like 80W -or better 100W- would be more like it.

But you could always start with a smaller panel and then add another one later on if need be, assuming you have a big enough charge controller. The MPPT ones will get you something like 20% more charging than the PWM for the same insolation, IIRC.
 
Great ideas and thanks for the links to topics I hadn't found on my search. I knew someone had done something similar, and wanted to tap into that. I've no doubt that the non-flexible panels are better, I just don't have any place to mount them, so that's the main issue.
 
Just because they're rigid panels doesn't mean that they have to be mounted somewhere.
 
In fact for vehicle use having the rigid panels NOT mounted is a benefit. You will be giving up a LOT of your panels' potential power output by having them fix mounted (to roof or hood or whatever). The panels REALLY need to be facing the sun (as perpendicular as possible). Having the panels on 20 to 30' of cable means you can locate them more optimally versus having to park the vehicle in a certain area/direction etc.

Do you plan to move the vehicle or tip it on it's side to aim the panels at the sun several times a day? :)

Lots of folk in oz run solar panels (it's a natural with the amount of sun there and large areas of relative low/non-existent trees) and having the ability to move/tilt/relocate the panels is a major plus.

Trip in the oz bush ~nov 2012, near dusk. All the panels were later rotated to face the direction of the rising sun in the morning.

spanels.jpg


cheers,
george.
 
George, a ground stand is not something I had considered, but seeing your picture above, I think that's a great solution! Did you make those stands yourself or do you have a place you sourced them from?

Cheers,
Winston
 
Winston,
the folding panels come complete, including the fold out stand. They really address all the issues and all you need to do is connect the output to your battery (since they come with a built on PWM charge controller). That's why they are so popular in oz :)

cheers,
george.
 
I'm using an 85 watt panel for my 3rd. batt. fridge only, on a set of drawer slides under my roof rack. Can remove the panel from slides and hook up on an extension cable. Using a Blue Sea controller for charging duties. The fridge has run for 6 months continuously without a drop in batt. voltage.
 
george_tlc said:
Winston,
the folding panels come complete, including the fold out stand. They really address all the issues and all you need to do is connect the output to your battery (since they come with a built on PWM charge controller). That's why they are so popular in oz :)

cheers,
george.
Click to expand...

I still am puzzled that you sound like they are 1/2 or 1/3 of the cost here. Considering that they are probably all coming from China now, that is odd indeed...
 
Just visit www.ebay.com.au and search for folding solar panels. Lots and lots for sale. I assume the combination of lots of competition and lots of 4wd folk buying them has pushed the price down.

cheers,
george.
 
So george,
I've been wanting about 150watts of power for my cabover for a long while. However, the pricing of the panels has always killed the idea

This set http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160W-FOL.../281162804550?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item41769bed46

Looks very promising and certainly in the reasonably priced range. I have a generator, but really just want to not have to worry about the 12v fan in the heater running my batteries down over night and during the rest of the day. Additional power draws include a propane fridge, and some random lighting.

From what I have read, a 150 watt set of panels should do well keeping my batteries topped off. Hopefully, these would work out well. And I'd be able to use them to charge the batteries in my F350 when dry camping without the cabover and running the ARB.
 
Yeah, the standard 'controller' is a PWM based design and will float the batteries. I'd want to measure the voltages to make sure the float is good for long term use (if you plan to leave the panel connected for weeks at a time with minimal load on the battery).

A 150W panel and reasonable sunshine will easily push 10A into your battery (if it is discharged down some). That should easily keep up with a ARB/Engel/etc type fridge that is running 24 hours on the fridge settings and also provide power for other accessories you may use during the day.

Isn't the propane fridge running on propane? :)

I would assume (measure it) that the fan for a heater unit would draw well under 1/2A continuous.

For 120W (folding panel), the previous link: http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Pane...oldable-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html

is a good price for the US.

cheers,
george.
 
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