hi what do you known about solar panals ? the reson is i was offerd a large slide in truck camper from
a canidian man who drove down to costa rica his trip is done and he has someone to buy the truck so
told me i could have the camper for $1300 or best offer it has he says a very good solar panal that allways
works even if overcast its conected to a inverter and 2 deep cell batterys the camper has a lot of good parts
i could use fantastic vents roof air plus all the camping gear extra stuff new water hoses 100 ft power cords
ect he came down to $1000 deliverd to my home is the solar stuff worth that ? all i known is the panal is
about 2ft x 3ft thanks john
you need to know the wattage/voltage of the panel, and what controller it has to make any kind of intelligent guess. The panel will not put out any appreciable amount of power when not in direct sunlight. That means if it's overcast it will do you no good.
In my opinion (and it's just my opinion), if the deal for the parts would be a good one NOT COUNTING the solar equipment, then buy it. The solar items may be very useful to you but I wouldn't put a lot of value on them. If the guy says that a panel system that small makes significant power in overcast conditions, he's either not very knowledgeable or a liar. Especially if you plan to use them in Central America, that might make the solar items more attractive.
(Of course, if you have a way to use the solar to assure perfect 100% house battery charge between bus uses, and only need small supplemental increases in house power when you're out in the bus, that might be another personal situation that would make the solar stuff more attractive.)
This is one of those judgment calls. BH NC USA
hi how can i find out the votage & watts of solor set up ? the guy bought the truck and camper in canada
and does not known much about it ? all he knows is he has been on the road for 6 months mostly boondocking
said he had power for the 12v lights and 12v fan and would recarge his laptop
so is solar worth 100 500 ect my thought are i can remove solar inverter and gel battery replace fantastic vent
with plain one and still resell for same money thanks john
Modern panels can generate around 100 watts per square meter. Full power is only available in full sunlight perpendicular to the panel, and only if the controller and battery voltage are compatible with the panel. This means that a 4" X 4" panel will produce a maximum of around 1 watt.
There are quite a few details to get it right.
Keep digging and good luck.
Tom Caffrey
Quote from: pvcces on August 26, 2012, 10:48:17 PMModern panels can generate around 100 watts per square meter. Full power is only available in full sunlight perpendicular to the panel, and only if the controller and battery voltage are compatible with the panel. This means that a 4" X 4" panel will produce a maximum of around 1 watt.
There are quite a few details to get it right.
Wouldn't that be about 150 watts (or .15 Kw) per panel?
A panel that is about 2' by 3' would be limited to about 54 watts.
In a day, that could amount to 1/3 of a KWH, which could be a big help with battery charging IF your power consumption was low enough. Just imagine, a nickel of solar power replacing a dollar of generator power.
To me, the real issue is the cost of shore or generator power. If it is high enough, then solar makes sense. If you heat or cool with electricity, then you probably won't have enough room on your bus for the needed solar panels.
Good luck!
Tom Caffrey
up date owner is bringing camper to my place on wendsday to look at it will one panal keep my batterys
up while its not in use ? will post move imfo after i see camper thanks john
Quote from: crown on August 28, 2012, 10:52:58 AM(snip) will one panal keep my batterys up while its not in use ?
John, it *probably* will, but -- like most things with buses -- the real answer is 'it depends'. If you don't have a huge battery bank, and if you can give it enough time, and you don't have 'phantom loads' while you're parking, the answer is "most likely, yes".