Off grid solar ideas

Been looking for land in the northeast (50 plus acres) with the idea of parking our camper on it from time to time in the summer months.
Several of them I like are off grid so I am looking at solar or ? to power the camper.
I won't put the solar on the camper, instead stand alone on the property. Would be nice if it could power a well, if not a generator could do that on an as needed basis.
So....what would I need to do that. I don't know much about solar, yet and want make sure what I can and can't do. Could I build a system that would power 2 or 3 campers? Thanks

what are your plans for air conditioning during the hot months ?

SMR said:

Been looking for land in the northeast (50 plus acres) with the idea of parking our camper on it from time to time in the summer months.
Several of them I like are off grid so I am looking at solar or ? to power the camper.
I won't put the solar on the camper, instead stand alone on the property. Would be nice if it could power a well, if not a generator could do that on an as needed basis.
So....what would I need to do that. I don't know much about solar, yet and want make sure what I can and can't do. Could I build a system that would power 2 or 3 campers? Thanks

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I had a couple friends over the years who did just that. They both returned after a couple month trip to find all of their equipment had been absconded with.

A/C is a must... so if a solar system is not capable of running them then it's not a solution. I will look for a property that is close to electric. I'm just not familiar with solar to know.

SMR said:

A/C is a must... so if a solar system is not capable of running them then it's not a solution. I will look for a property that is close to electric. I'm just not familiar with solar to know.

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You will never be able to run your A/C using solar alone. You will need shore power for that...and your microwave, and your water heater when not on propane, etc.

Well, there are lots of folks running A/C and everything else from solar at an off-grid location. There is an entire industry geared up just for set up and service of remote, off grid power.

Quite a few RVers doing the same thing, here is one example:

Here is a guy that installs off grid systems. He's a real pro

The best bang for the buck are lightly used panels removed from fixed installations when their tax credits expire. Check with places like Santan Solar for deals. Since you'll be fixed mounting them size isn't a concern. Couple them with a MPPT controller and you have the start of a capable system.

SMR said:

A/C is a must... so if a solar system is not capable of running them then it's not a solution.

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Not a question of if, but of how deep your pockets are. What's your budget? Running A/C 24/7 through cloudy days will require some stout storage ($).

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

SMR said:

Been looking for land in the northeast (50 plus acres) with the idea of parking our camper on it from time to time in the summer months.
Several of them I like are off grid so I am looking at solar or ? to power the camper.
I won't put the solar on the camper, instead stand alone on the property. Would be nice if it could power a well, if not a generator could do that on an as needed basis.
So....what would I need to do that. I don't know much about solar, yet and want make sure what I can and can't do. Could I build a system that would power 2 or 3 campers? Thanks

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you most certainly can, this is quite often done in off grid cabins/houses

To design such a system you will need the following in order to
start the design process and have a good estimate of system components.

1. a good estimate of your loads ( in watts ) over a 24hr period
2. location, this will better define your panel wattage
3. how long of a period you wish to power said loads without sun.
4. budget, be in for sticker shock, it's not going to be cheap.

you don't say how north eastern you are, so I'll estimate for conditions close to Ohio
using these assumptions below, we can get a ballpark figure.

1. 30 Amp RV 120V
2. Ground well is shallow ( < 200 ft ) and 120V
3. no A/C use
4. propane for heating
5. Residential fridge

so basically you need power for lighting, some cooking, and a water well, running a few TV's, radio, cell phone charging..

let me stress a point that estimating your wattage requirements is quite difficult without knowing your actual loads and duty cycles. and this is a very rough figure and not intended to be a final design or working advice.

based on the following..
1. Residential fridge 200W at 30% DC
2. Microwave 1400W for 15 mins a day
3. lights 100 W for 8 hours a day
4. well, 2000 W for 15 mins a day
5. TV's two at 4 hours a day 75 W each

we could add more loads, but i'll use these as a minimum starting point.

ignoring the math, your initial daily wattage is approx. 2500W/hr
panel watts for location approx. 1900 W
batteries for 5 days autonomy approx. 300Ah at 48 Volts
rough cost in USD
panels : 1600 ( best fit, six panels 350W ea )
Hybrid mppt/inverter : 1400
batteries :
1. Lead acid:
8 x Surrette Rolls S6-L16 = $2800

2. Lithium: for a laugh..
4x commodity "el cheapo's" = $3800

so an estimated total of : $5800 to $6800 per RV

cables, disconnect and mounting for panels with labor could be an additional
$2000 or more.. oh, and another $500 to 1000 for a generator !! yes, even with this you can
still overdraw or have 10 days without sufficient sun.. additionally, the cost could be reduced by
designing a single system for all the rv's..

Tulecreeper said:

You will never be able to run your A/C using solar alone. You will need shore power for that...and your microwave, and your water heater when not on propane, etc.

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I beg to differ.. it can and is done, the issue is budget.. how much would you spend
to achieve that goal.. ?

solarman said:

I beg to differ.. it can and is done, the issue is budget.. how much would you spend
to achieve that goal.. ?

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I personally wouldn't spend enough to be able to accomplish it. So let me rephrase...you will never be able to run your A/C, microwave, water heater, etc., on batteries alone, unless you spend enough to have a completely off-grid system, and the only person I know who has that kind of a system is a friend of mine who lives in the Belizean jungle.

We have a family friend that lives off grid here in NM. Has a whole-house solar system to include running A/C, refrigerators, well pump, anything you'd have in a typical residence. The benefit to NM is plentiful sun, and at altitude you generally don't need A/C at night so he can run A/C directly from panels during hot afternoons and not touch his battery bank. Per Solarman's post it comes down to quantifying your loads, figuring your insolation based on location, then throwing panels and batteries at it. Then the only question is if you have the money to cover all use contingencies, or decide when and what loads to shed when the sun's not out.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

add some wind power. lots of it. there are some really good wind turbines that can provide power around the clock. hydro is another form of power. a running stream can be turned into a power maker. shed the fridge to propane. microwave use is not a necessity and can be substituted for propane (stove) as needed. hot water can also be substituted with propane as needed.

air conditioning will always be a problem. too many variables to calculate that and is the biggest factor in any off grid system if it will be needed.

must have a back up source for power. whether it be a generator, grid or both.

large stand alone propane tank is very helpful.

solar alone is unrealistic unless geographics allow and even then, not 100% reliable

take advantage of all off grid power possibilities then design your plan around that and your budget.

Thank you for all the information, it is really helping me make a better decision on a property.
We are looking in Maine around the Calais area.
To run electric about 500 feet could be 10 to 12k. I think it would be best to just find something near electric and then confirm costs with the power company. At least when we were gone in the winter I could get the power shut off and when there in the summer it would be more cost effective to supply 3 50amp campers (another post down the road).
Our camper is 50amp and DW likes to run the ac at night having not to worry about power during cloudy or rain days....happy wife
I appreciate all the time you all spent helping me out with this.

SMR said:

Thank you for all the information, it is really helping me make a better decision on a property.
We are looking in Maine around the Calais area.
To run electric about 500 feet could be 10 to 12k. I think it would be best to just find something near electric and then confirm costs with the power company. At least when we were gone in the winter I could get the power shut off and when there in the summer it would be more cost effective to supply 3 50amp campers (another post down the road).
Our camper is 50amp and DW likes to run the ac at night having not to worry about power during cloudy or rain days....happy wife
I appreciate all the time you all spent helping me out with this.

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you are really north east !!.. LOL
forget solar, rent a trencher machine and do some of the grunt work, it will help reduce costs..
solar for your location will end up much more expensive than the poco install..

solarman said:

you are really north east !!.. LOL
forget solar, rent a trencher machine and do some of the grunt work, it will help reduce costs..
solar for your location will end up much more expensive than the poco install..

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What is the trencher for?

For the underground electric lines.

SMR said:

For the underground electric lines.

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Never gave that a thought. Everything in my geographical area is above ground.

A solar trailer is a possibility. I don't know about 3, 50 amp feeds though. But one RV is doable.
A little Google Acton will get you a lot of info.
If it's a cargo trailer the batteries and generator fit in side.
When you go home everything goes with you to prevent sticky fingers
Also Google DC Solar trailer sales. The was some sorta of Ponzi scam with the company. But there many completed units that are being auction off as part of the bankruptcy settlement. The trailer have 2.4kw of solar, fork lift batteries and some have an 11kw Kubota Diesel generator