Frank B
Well-known member
I have been fussing around with going solar for a while, as noted in the link below:
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,79028.msg733390.html#msg733390
I think I am finally ready to do a proper installation on our Arctic Fox 30U.
However....
In the two years I have been toying with this, technology and the industry have changed. Residential solar has gotten a big boost from various government subsidies, so the choices are much broader now, and prices are coming down.
It is my understanding from the thread listed above that MPPT controllers work well with higher voltage arrays, being able to convert the additional voltage to amps. The last time that I looked at this question, the recommendation was to put a pair of nominal 12v panels in series to get the additional voltage that the MPPT controllers can work with - somewhere between 30 and 50V IIRC.
Typical residential panels are about 31 Voc for a 250 to 280w mono panel, and with these panels now becoming commodity items, prices are getting quite reasonable. 31 V is, IIUC, a good voltage for an MPPT controller to work with - and a single panel should generate that. No need to series a pair of lower voltage panels.
https://www.solarwholesaler.ca/product/280w-monocrystalline-solar-panel/
I have room on the roof of my unit for 4 of these panels. 4 x 275 = 1100 watts. Nice!
I realize I can only hope for about half of that with various losses, and the flat non-tilt mounting that I intend to use, but that should still give me over 40 amps on a good day into a battery bank of 6 GC-2's.
Anything wrong with this picture so far?
Thanks.
Frank.
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,79028.msg733390.html#msg733390
I think I am finally ready to do a proper installation on our Arctic Fox 30U.
However....
In the two years I have been toying with this, technology and the industry have changed. Residential solar has gotten a big boost from various government subsidies, so the choices are much broader now, and prices are coming down.
It is my understanding from the thread listed above that MPPT controllers work well with higher voltage arrays, being able to convert the additional voltage to amps. The last time that I looked at this question, the recommendation was to put a pair of nominal 12v panels in series to get the additional voltage that the MPPT controllers can work with - somewhere between 30 and 50V IIRC.
Typical residential panels are about 31 Voc for a 250 to 280w mono panel, and with these panels now becoming commodity items, prices are getting quite reasonable. 31 V is, IIUC, a good voltage for an MPPT controller to work with - and a single panel should generate that. No need to series a pair of lower voltage panels.
https://www.solarwholesaler.ca/product/280w-monocrystalline-solar-panel/
I have room on the roof of my unit for 4 of these panels. 4 x 275 = 1100 watts. Nice!
I realize I can only hope for about half of that with various losses, and the flat non-tilt mounting that I intend to use, but that should still give me over 40 amps on a good day into a battery bank of 6 GC-2's.
Anything wrong with this picture so far?
Thanks.
Frank.