Cost of solar

[corn18]

I just went through my system diagram and put current prices on all the kit. $6550 plus tax. Add another $450 for mounting hardwire, wires and misc. and I'm at $7k for a 1200W solar, 400Ah, 3000VA system. Then I look at my little 2500W Champion inverter generator and wonder why I just didn't get it a friend and a couple of jugs of gas. Waaaaaayyyyyyyy cheaper. C'est la vie.

 

[RV8R]

In the right situation,,, I Like Solar .

My “Travel Van” is practically 100% DC2DC Alternator.

My “Off Grid Cabin” is 100% Solar with a gasoline generator if need be ( seldom it need be ).

The real trick for me in both van & cabin is Conservation & Propane.

A 20lb Propane tank holds as much energy as 116 LFP 100Ahr 12vdc “tanks”.

IMO, a battery is just a tank.

 

[MisterSandals]

 

[Brucey]

View attachment 209076View attachment 209077

 

[justinm001]

I just tell the wife all the blue stuff is free. And that the generator kills kittens.

 

[Q-Dog]

You could have gotten a smaller trailer too. C'est la Vie, indeed.

 

[chrisski]

I just went through my system diagram and put current prices on all the kit. $6550 plus tax. Add another $450 for mounting hardwire, wires and misc. and I'm at $7k for a 1200W solar, 400Ah, 3000VA system. Then I look at my little 2500W Champion inverter generator and wonder why I just didn't get it a friend and a couple of jugs of gas. Waaaaaayyyyyyyy cheaper. C'est la vie.
View attachment 209057

I have a feeling there will be more. THe mounting tape for the solar panels is no cheap. I use RV roofing tape, and each panel takes around 20’. I was not tooled up, so there were a lot of Milwaukee M12, M18, and tool purchases. Crumpets also. Much more.

That is a good kit. If you have a goal of running AC, you’ll need much more solar and batteries. Something like that would allow me to Glamp with no discomforts and never had to turn the generator on unless several days of rainy weather, but as soon as the AC ones on, perhaps two or three hours.

 

[Tulex]

You could have gotten a smaller trailer too. C'est la Vie, indeed.

Maybe that is the smaller trailer.

 

[wiseacre]

If I had $56K for a camper I wouldn't sweat the $7k for some peace and quiet, let alone lugging a generator and gas cans around.

 

[justinm001]

I was not tooled up, so there were a lot of Milwaukee M12, M18, and tool purchases. Crumpets also. Much more.

If it is not 100% solely used for solar it doesn't count against the addiction.

 

[OffGridForGood]

7,000 for the solar on a 56,000 RV (12%) seems like a nice quiet low cost feature!
More PV and ESS in the future may be a good plan if possible/fit in somewhere.

 

[corn18]

7,000 for the solar on a 56,000 RV (12%) seems like a nice quiet low cost feature!
More PV and ESS in the future may be a good plan if possible/fit in somewhere.

Already planning for more solar and battery. This system is now really easy to upgrade.

 

[hwy17]

$62500/120 = 520 nights you could have stayed at a holiday inn express.

 

[Tulex]

$62500/120 = 520 nights you could have stayed at a holiday inn express.

They frown on campfires. Though, have at the bed bugs. Take your black light to check for human fluids. And don't forget to check for cameras.

Add to that the cost of food and drink at restaurants. With an RV, you have your bathroom with you where ever you go, which is huge with kids and older people. Not much to do inside a motel room. With an RV, you have everything you need with you at all times, no need to drag things in and out.

 

[featherlite]

The comments in this thread are some of my all time favorites!

 

[fratermus]

I'm at $7k for a 1200W solar, 400Ah, 3000VA system.

I agree that solar is an expensive capital expense for the Wh delivered. In my case I encamp in 14d increments before relocating, so a passive form of power harvest is rather nice. I am also grateful when other campers within earshot have made similar choices about silent power generation.

I also have alternator charging set up but it only provides ~5% of my overall harvest since I drive so infrequently. The solar would have made that 5% up if I weren't driving but I want the alt to feel like it's a Big Helper.

They frown on campfires. Though, have at the bed bugs.

I collect the bedbugs and set them on fire in the bathtub. Win-win!

 

[0truck0]

They saw you coming at those prices...
The only thing you did not over-pay for by much is the panels, which you paid $1 per watt. 70 cents per watt is about the going rate on ebay.
Yes, you can buy the most expensive brand name components and be happy, but then you forfeit the right to complain about price. There are cheaper alternatives out there that do the same thing, argue quality comparison, but falls on deaf ears a lot of the time unless that is the specific topic of discussion.
I have 600 watts and 400 amp hrs.
panels $450 total
mounting hardware $0 (use scrap aluminum)
3M tape $15
Wires and connectors $50
Circuit breakers for DC $48
3x controllers $102 ($21, 21 then 60 for exact same item months apart)
400 a/h batteries $1300
DC-DC $100
Shunts $30
DC panel $7
Battery disconnect $17
Inverter $47
MT50 and dongle $30
3x Gland entry point $22

$2,218.
I might have missed some incidentals, but this is the bulk of what makes the system go. We are way apart on price, but you do have the name brand stuff. If we add another $450 to bring my solar up to your 1200 watts (SAME WATTS/SAME AMP HRS) then still Im under $3k. You have some luxury items on the list that is not needed to make a system run, but are nice to have. I also have a few small items that are not needed, but make life easier.

The answer is ease. Cranking a generator and putting gas in it is not what I want to be doing. Battery power is so much easier than generator power, battery power is always there and can be used as needed, one second at a time or all night long, or 24/7 since we have solar. You can have battery power with a gas generator just the same, run generator once per day to recharge the batteries ( a big chunk of your budget given the has-been name brand batts you have).
Yes, for me, it is worth the extra price.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

3x controllers $102 ($21, 21 then 60 for exact same item months apart)

At those prices, either you bought used hardware, or they're PWM controllers, which means you're losing 20% of your solar potential, and you can only use the proper nominal voltage panels in parallel.

Inverter $47

The only thing I would count on a $47 MSW inverter for is to charge a laptop or cell phone - UNLESS you lucked into a quality used inverter/charger.

$2,218.

Nothing wrong with a budget system, but for what you have, that feels over priced.

I might have missed some incidentals, but this is the bulk of what makes the system go. We are way apart on price, but you do have the name brand stuff. If we add another $450 to bring my solar up to your 1200 watts (SAME WATTS/SAME AMP HRS) then still Im under $3k. You have some luxury items on the list that is not needed to make a system run, but are nice to have. I also have a few small items that are not needed, but make life easier.

How does your system handle charging from shore power or switching between single phase 15/30A shore and split phase 50A shore?

 

[corn18]

I took a look at just the solar bits of my system and that is a more fair representation based on my title. So I pulled everything except the solar. I left the blue MPPTs because they aren't that much more than BrandX. $1000 for a kick butt 1200W system that is expandable and works with any setup, factory or upgraded. That's the cost of solar.

 

[corn18]

What started me down this nutty path of big blue shiny stuff was when I installed a Victron smart shunt and found this rat's nest:


My electrical OCD just couldn't handle that. So I redid the whole system. This is what I took out:


That rat's nest was replaced by about 10 ft of wire. Now I can look at my system and not get brain pain.