Beyond noob

[Jump175]

My family and I live in a 32 ft 30 amp RV, and need to get solar set up sooner than later but we are totally confused about it all. We’re watching the videos and fishing through the website, kinda understand things here and there but generally feel like we don’t understand what we need to buy, feels like it’s all a lot of language and lingo that goes over our heads. All of you people who are fluent in this language are clearly elite individuals, lol. We’re like very basic in our understanding of electricity in general. Anyways, we can watch videos and learn about a system/figure out how to set it up after buying, but for now we really just need help getting pointed in the right direction for what to order. We want a system that can also work for a house, or can be upgraded eventually. The home will not have air conditioning, so will just need to be able to power some appliances really. We don’t have tons of money, but don’t want to go too cheap and get something that isn't efficient or you can only draw 50% power, doesn’t last long, etc. Anyone out there have a suggestion about which system to use? We would appreciate the insight greatly.

 

[pollenface]

Do you have an idea about your power requirements?

 

[Aridom82]

You need some solar panels, these are the ones that when exposed to sunlight generate electricity.
Then you need an inverter, this is the device that converts the electricity the solar panels are generating into electricity for your appliances.
You put the solar panels where they get sunlight, and then connect the solar panels to the inverter. Finally you connect the inverter to your RV electricity system. In this way you use solar energy to power your appliances.

Some inverters have also the option for batteries. If you want to accumulate the power the solar panels are generating and have electricity once the sun goes down, you can get some batteries and connect them to it too.

This is a very general overview and there are other options too.

 

[Aridom82]

Do you have an idea about your power requirements?

A 30 amp RV probably means in the US 30 amps at 120 volts or 3600 watts maximum. He/she doesnt want something that can only power 50 percent so probably the first step is to look to a system that can produce 3600 watts of power.

 

[Aridom82]

If you give an estimate of your budget the folks in this forum can make you a list of the things you need to buy and how to connect them.

 

[tucsonjwt]

I am almost as unschooled in solar as you, so I should probably not comment, But...

There are different types of systems now available:

1) Battery, inverter, solar charge controller all in one. These are essentially portable systems that you plug an array of solar panels into. There is very little in the way of set up required. (See Will Prowse's latest You Tube video on Hysolis as an example.

2) Big systems that have everything in one box except batteries, but you can get the same brand battery bank which just plugs into the wall unit, and, of course, you also plug in your solar array.

3) All In One (AIO) inverter, charge controller, battery charger and you provide the battery system of your choice, along with your solar panel array.

The battery/inverter combo units cost about twice as much as the DIY systems, but they are more easily portable and less hassle.

DIY solar (in my opinion) is still more or less the wild west. There are some long standing top brands (most expensive) and lots of other lesser companies selling products. As near as I can tell, every manufacturer is using 3.4 volt cells from China, just with different control systems and battery configurations.

I don't think you should expect to just buy a system, plug it in, and never think about it again. These systems use a lot of complicated electronics which will eventually fail. If you are not interested in or able to troubleshoot your system and correct problems that arise, then you will not have a good experience. Professionals will install your system for a hefty price, but who knows if they will still be around when you need service.

As was mentioned above, you need to calculate your power usage. You should have two or three times more battery capacity than one day's power consumption (on your worst power consumption day.) You will also need a backup generator for several days when you have little sunlight.

There are lots of calculators on the internet to help you estimate your power needs.

The best approach is to limit the amount of power you need. If you confine your cooking, water heating, and clothes washing/drying to times when the sun is shining you can reduce the size of your battery bank.

If you plan a house capable system you will need a 240 volt (split phase) system for air conditioners, dryers, etc.

You say you don't want to be limited to 50% battery capacity draw, but if you go much beyond that your will shorten the life of even lithium iron phosphate batteries. Everything is a trade off.

If you don't have tons of money you should not start down this path because you will need a ton of money to get a 240 volt house capable system with lots of solar panels. Even a small system is $10-$15K. And don't forget that even a packaged system will need to be fiddled with from time to time and will eventually fail. You will read posts here and elsewhere which describe a bulletproof system that never needs attention and never fails but I think they are in the minority.

On the other hand, if you can change your life to consume minimal electricity, then you can get by with a smaller system. Air conditioning is the one thing that is a necessity for most people, and that puts you into a big and costly system.

 

[Rednecktek]

Blurb time? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease be blurb time!

Blurb time!

Well, I'll start the default answer to these questions and we can work from there. Here's you To-Do list:

1: Power audit! This will give you some important information on how big your inverter needs to be as well as how much battery capacity you'll need. There is a link in the FAQ section (I think, or someone here will post it shortly) so fill in the blanks and see what it comes up with. You'll probably need some sort of Kill-A-Watt to get accurate measurements. Are you going to be running a 12v system? 24v system? 48v system? What are the specs on your solar panels? VoC? Vmp? Being as this is a new build, throw together a wish list of what you want and estimate on the high side.

1a: Where do you live? Speccing out a system for Scotland is a LOT different numbers than Arizona due to the amount of light you actually get. Someone here can post the link to the PVwatts.com or JCR Solar Uber-Sun-Hours calculator sites to help figure out how much you'll have to work with. That will be a box in the Power Audit form.

2: Parts list: You don't need a make & model list, just a parts list to start from for reference. You'll need an inverter, a MPPT charge controller, fuses, shunt, buck converter, batteries, wire, etc. Once you have a basic list it can be fine tuned to make & models after that. If you're looking at the All-In-Ones check for correct voltage outputs (120v or 240v Split Phase for North America, 220v Single Phase for European type areas) and make sure it has enough capacity for a little bit of growth and fudge factor.

3: Budget!: Steak is great but doesn't mean anything if your wallet says hamburger. Figure out what you're able to spend now vs what you'll have to cheap out on now and upgrade later.

4: Tape measure! Figure out where you're going to stick all the stuff you'll need. A dozen 3000AH batteries sounds great until you're sleeping on the floor because there's no room left for a bed. Is there a compartment that can house all this stuff? Will the server rack batteries fit? Are you going to have to make space? Physics can be pretty unforgiving.

5: Pencil out what you think you need and throw it at us so we can tell you what you've missed (because we ALL miss stuff the first go-round ) and help figure out which parts and pieces you're going to want to get.

Well that's the thing about solar systems, there is no 1-Size-Fits-All answer. Your system will need to be designed to fit YOUR needs. When you design and built the system, it's not going to be the perfect system for me, or Will or 12vInstall or anyone else, but it Will be the right system for You and that's the goal.

As for where to get started, let me throw my standard blurb in here to help point you in the right direction. There's going to be a lot of math and research involved, but that's going to be a LOT cheaper than just buying parts off of someone's list and finding out that it doesn't do what you need.

Don't panic on the Power Audit, you'll actually be doing that a few times. When you do the first pass put in ALL the Things that you might want. AirCon? Sure. Jacuzzi? Why not. MargaritaMaster-9000? Go for it.

The second pass will be the "I Absolutely Need This To Survive" list that isn't going to have much on there.

The third pass will be the "This is what is realistic" audit that you'll use to design the rest of the system.

The Power Audit is going to tell you 3 primary things: 1: How big does your inverter need to be to power your loads? 2: How much battery bank do you need to last $N number of days with krappy weather? and 3: How much solar panel will I need to install to refill those batteries in a 4 hour day (the average usable sun hours rule-of-thumb).

Once you know what you Want and what you Need and what your budget can Afford there will be somewhere in that Venn diagram where those three things meet.

After that, THEN you can start looking at parts.

Yes, it's a long drawn out process, but it's worth it in the end. Not every house has the exact same floorplan, not every vehicle is the same make & model, and not every solar system is designed the same.

 

[Rednecktek]

Although the FIRST thing you should do is head over to Will's Youtube Channel and hit the Videos tab. Keep scrolling down until it won't load any more videos and start watching his basics videos. You're going to learn a LOT right there in the comfort of your own home.

 

[tucsonjwt]

Just a thought, if you are living in an RV now you should be used to conserving resources. I assume that your RV is grid tied now, so get a Kill-A-Watt meter to determine your current daily usage. If you are OK with living at that level for several years in the future, then your solar installation will be easier. If you use propane for cooking and water heating that will help reduce your power load. If you have a 13,500 BTU RV rooftop air conditioner, then that will suck up more electricity than a mini split heat pump. Also, if your RV is poorly insulated (as almost all are) you will struggle to keep the RV cool on hot days regardless. Your main critical load aside from air conditioning is your refrigerator/freezer. You might consider getting a small separate system just for the fridge and lights, which will allow you to survive in the event that your main solar system is not generating power. You can then focus on getting a larger system for your future mini split. You did not mention how many people are in your family, but this solar step will likely require lifestyle changes for you and other family members. If your other family members are not willing to make some sacrifices to live with a solar system, then you should just forget the solar plan (unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money to preserve your current lifestyle.)