Has anyone done a build on their travel trailer to totally power a 50 amp set up with dual ACs? I already have solar for my 12v. But was wondering if this type of roof configuration would be too big for a 34 ft travel trailer. And what sort of undertaking this would be.
Solar to completely power a 50 amp RV with dual acs
- Thread starter Capnbny
- Start date
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Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
A pretty soundly beaten topic but the takeaway is how long you expect to run 2 A/C's. There's only so much solar input during the day so the batteries are carrying the load most of the time. The longer you want it to run, the thicker your wallet needs to be. How thick is your wallet?
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
HueyPilotVN
Well-known member
It is possible to build a 30 amp solar replacement power supply on a 30 foot RV.
However it is expensive and not very practical.
The main limiting factor is available roof area for the panels.
For a sustainable 50 amp system you will need more panels than is easily placed on a 34 foot Travel trailer.
Here is a rather long post on the system that I built as a project to see if it can be done.
Go back to the start of the post for all the details.
However it is expensive and not very practical.
The main limiting factor is available roof area for the panels.
For a sustainable 50 amp system you will need more panels than is easily placed on a 34 foot Travel trailer.
Here is a rather long post on the system that I built as a project to see if it can be done.
Go back to the start of the post for all the details.
New Project, Solar for Class C
I spent most of the night working on the Bubba Edison Version 2.0 replqcement AC power generating system. Years ago when I replaced the Norcold refer with a residential model in my DP, I saved the Stainless Steel door inserts thinking I might use them someday for something. Tonight I found a...
www.rvforum.net
SeilerBird
Well-known member
I live in a 33 foot 5er in central Florida. My single A/C keeps me comfortable.
DonTom
Well-known member
You can figure this out with some math.
Find out how many KW your ACs units draw. Say 15 amps each. 30 times 120 VAC=3,600 watts total.
Now figure the loss of the inverter. At least 10 percent. 3600 plus 360 =3, 900 watts. Call it 4 KW.
So if you have a 8,000 watt solar system, you can run the A/Cs for two hours.
See the problem? So how large is your roof as well as your pocketbook?
-Don- Reno, NV
A single 15k btu a/c ain’t keeping a 33’ anything tolerable in TX, OK, AZ summer.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
This is not likely to work, as there is only so much rooftop real estate to put solar panels on. Maybe enough to run 1, but unlikely to be able to run 2 conventional RV Air Conditioners.
WME
Well-known member
Soon to be released partial answer...New inverter airconditioner for rv.
Money isn't really an issue. But, my main reason for asking is that my electricity bill for half the year is usually like 200/month. So I am trying to figure out if I could do something to offset that and to make my rig more comfortable whenever I boondock.
Thank you for the information! Very helpful
that makes sense. Thank you!
HueyPilotVN
Well-known member
Money might be an issue when you see that I spent over $12,000 for a 30 amp system.
Not a good trade off to save $200 a month.
Not a good trade off to save $200 a month.
You’d probably break even in about 2060.
DonTom
Well-known member
Of course, if you start out with a very large charged up lith battery you can run it longer, but as you can see you will be draining it faster than you can recharge it unless you have room for a few thousand watts of solar.
IOW, there is no practical way to do such on an RV of any type.
-Don- Reno, NV
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
You don't really run directly off the solar. Better to think of it as running off the battery bank with solar assist & recovery (charging). You need a lot of battery capacity (space & weight) plus enough solar panels to regenerate the charge during daylight hours. And remember that you will be using the a/c at least part of the time when the solar isn't helping, e.g. evenings and cloudy weather.
There are inverters available now that can combine battery assist with shore power pass-thru. That could help keep you electric bill down but the equipment cost makes the break-even point a doubtful value.
I've read about Saudi princes who have desert-capable air conditioned rigs that run completely off-grid. Whether that is "practical" or not is subjective.
There are inverters available now that can combine battery assist with shore power pass-thru. That could help keep you electric bill down but the equipment cost makes the break-even point a doubtful value.
I've read about Saudi princes who have desert-capable air conditioned rigs that run completely off-grid. Whether that is "practical" or not is subjective.
How much shade do you have ?
A large undertaking.. the big issue is battery capacity.
for panels, you need approx 1800 Watts of solar to power one AC unit, you require double that so you are at 3600 Watts. Not a problem if you have the roof real estate.
Batteries on the other hand.. well assume you need to run both units over night for a period of 10 hours at a 100% duty cycle.. that's going to need storage of a minimum of 36,000 Watt/hrs
or put another way, a 48 Volt 750 A/hr or a 24 Volt 1500 A/h battery pack.
to save weight and size you would require lithium, using commodity batteries, your starting price
for that capacity is $10,400 and would only run the system for ONE night. you need to recharge these
and 3600 PV Watts is not going to do it. you will need closer to 7000 Watts to recharge in one day, assuming the sun is out..
Panel cost at $0.7 / Watt is approx $2520
MPPT controllers, Victron 150/45 @ $220 x 2 = $440
Inverter/charger Victron Multiplus 10000VA $3200
Victron autotransformer $475
Just the basic hardware excluding installation is in the order of $17,000
A generator is looking rather attractive right now.. LOL
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HueyPilotVN
Well-known member
That is similar to the system that I have.
1,600 watts solar.
1.500 Amp/hr Lithium
3,000 watt invertor/charger
At about the same cost for the hardware not counting installation
1,600 watts solar.
1.500 Amp/hr Lithium
3,000 watt invertor/charger
At about the same cost for the hardware not counting installation
