Feedback Sought - Solar Install Companies - Comparison Of 3 Options

[roadsideresident]

Hi. I’m seeking feedback on the 3 seeming best companies I’ve found to install solar in my van. Please let me know which one you would pick. I have medical conditions so I cannot do it myself. I am not very knowledgeable about solar so your help is appreciated. Please note many recommend install companies in Quartzsite, Arizona but those places are closed most of the year and thus are not a viable option for me.

The 3 companies are:

• OPTION 1 Solarizing - St. George UT
• OPTION 3 La Mesa RV Center - Tucson, AZ
• OPTION 2 Solar Advantage - Tucson, AZ

----- OPTION 1 -----
Solarizing - St. George Utah
$2000 for parts & labor

Panels Info:
Flexible = Renogy, HQST. Ridged = Rec, Jinko. Affixed by Epoxy Flexible Panels or Rack Ridged Panels. Wiring through the back-up camera into the van. This will achieve range 1 Kilowatt to 12 kilowatts

Battery Info:
LG or Panasonic battery

Inverter Info:
Atlas, Pure Sine. Good Value and in stock

Other needs:
Breaker Panel and Fuse

Warranty:
Parts: Depends on the part 2-25 years. Labor: 1 year

----- OPTION 2 -----
La Mesa RV Center - Tucson, AZ
$5,000 2 solar panels, 2 batteries and 1 inverter - for parts & labor

Panels Info:
‘Go Power’ affixed by Lag Screws. Open to other ways. This will achieve range 380 wattage.

Battery Info:
‘Interstate’ in a battery box with a vent to the outside. Some batteries use water some don’t

Inverter Info:
‘Inverter’ and ‘Go Power’

Warranty:
90 days labor. 1-year parts.

----- OPTION 3 -----
Solar Advantage - Tucson, AZ
Estimate $1,500 for low energy to run laptop, fan etc- for parts & labor
Estimate $3,767.00 for high energy to run microwave - for parts & labor

Panels Info:
...either Merlin Solar or Global Solar panels. A few of the benefits of either of these panels are:
• 80% lighter than conventional panels.
• No holes drilled to install the panels (self-adhesive).
• No added aerodynamic force or wind noise.
• Flexible so they won’t crack going down the road.
• Walkable and hail/road debris proof – objects bounce off of them.
• Literally bullet “proof” – if penetrated, the panels continue to produce energy around the wound.
• weatherproof
...panels are thin film, flexible panels that are self-adhesive. They adhere directly to the roof (or rack) surface… wiring through the back-up camera into the van… or using a roof jack, only one hole is placed in the roof. The roof jack assures a waterproof entrance point, whereas through the camera/third brake light assembly can be messy and difficult

Battery Info:
We carry three different manufacturers’ batteries – Battle Born, KiloVault, and Lion Energy. All are LiFePO4 Lithium batteries, which are the safest Lithium products in the industry. Benefits include:
• 1/3 the weight of conventional batteries.
• Zero maintenance – no liquids, no out-gassing or toxicity.
• Can be mounted anywhere, including sideways/upside down.
• Hold greater energy – 14.8V versus 12V of conventional batteries.

Inverter Info:
We carry inverters from Aims and Victron. These are of the highest value, meaning quality versus performance versus cost.

Other needs:
A charge controller, to regulate the power coming from the solar panels for optimum battery charging and control, and an installation kit – we provide a “No trips to the hardware store!” installation kit that is built specifically for your project. In
addition, options may include a battery shunt, monitoring gauge or display panel, dual-charging capabilities so that your engine battery and “house” batteries both charge off of solar, an ATS switch that allows you to charge everything off of “shore” power, and many other options.

Warranty:
…the panels, which are virtually indestructible and have no moving or active electrical parts, are warranted from 5-7 years (but projected to produce 90% of rated power at 25 years), and labor is warranted for 5 years.

END

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Those systems aren't the same in terms of capacity (solar charging & battery storage), so can't just compare costs. It's impossible for us to advise what is best because you gave no information on what your power needs are, i.e. what device and appliances you need to power, for how long between re-charging, and whether the solar is an adjunct to other sources (shore power or generator) or you sole source of electrical power. Solar panels don't help much on a rainy day or parked under a tree. Further, if you are only powering a couple lights and charging a phone or laptop, you may not need a lot of battery or solar panel.

Technically the "best" system of the three is option 3B (high energy), but whether that is best for your wants & needs is anybody's guess.

 

[solarman]

Hi. I’m seeking feedback on the 3 seeming best companies I’ve found to install solar in my van. Please let me know which one you would pick. I have medical conditions so I cannot do it myself. I am not very knowledgeable about solar so your help is appreciated. Please note many recommend install companies in Quartzsite, Arizona but those places are closed most of the year and thus are not a viable option for me.

The 3 companies are:

• OPTION 1 Solarizing - St. George UT
• OPTION 3 La Mesa RV Center - Tucson, AZ
• OPTION 2 Solar Advantage - Tucson, AZ

----- OPTION 1 -----
Solarizing - St. George Utah
$2000 for parts & labor

Panels Info:
Flexible = Renogy, HQST. Ridged = Rec, Jinko. Affixed by Epoxy Flexible Panels or Rack Ridged Panels. Wiring through the back-up camera into the van. This will achieve range 1 Kilowatt to 12 kilowatts

Battery Info:
LG or Panasonic battery

Inverter Info:
Atlas, Pure Sine. Good Value and in stock

Other needs:
Breaker Panel and Fuse

Warranty:
Parts: Depends on the part 2-25 years. Labor: 1 year

----- OPTION 2 -----
La Mesa RV Center - Tucson, AZ
$5,000 2 solar panels, 2 batteries and 1 inverter - for parts & labor

Panels Info:
‘Go Power’ affixed by Lag Screws. Open to other ways. This will achieve range 380 wattage.

Battery Info:
‘Interstate’ in a battery box with a vent to the outside. Some batteries use water some don’t

Inverter Info:
‘Inverter’ and ‘Go Power’

Warranty:
90 days labor. 1-year parts.

----- OPTION 3 -----
Solar Advantage - Tucson, AZ
Estimate $1,500 for low energy to run laptop, fan etc- for parts & labor
Estimate $3,767.00 for high energy to run microwave - for parts & labor

Panels Info:
...either Merlin Solar or Global Solar panels. A few of the benefits of either of these panels are:
• 80% lighter than conventional panels.
• No holes drilled to install the panels (self-adhesive).
• No added aerodynamic force or wind noise.
• Flexible so they won’t crack going down the road.
• Walkable and hail/road debris proof – objects bounce off of them.
• Literally bullet “proof” – if penetrated, the panels continue to produce energy around the wound.
• weatherproof
...panels are thin film, flexible panels that are self-adhesive. They adhere directly to the roof (or rack) surface… wiring through the back-up camera into the van… or using a roof jack, only one hole is placed in the roof. The roof jack assures a waterproof entrance point, whereas through the camera/third brake light assembly can be messy and difficult

Battery Info:
We carry three different manufacturers’ batteries – Battle Born, KiloVault, and Lion Energy. All are LiFePO4 Lithium batteries, which are the safest Lithium products in the industry. Benefits include:
• 1/3 the weight of conventional batteries.
• Zero maintenance – no liquids, no out-gassing or toxicity.
• Can be mounted anywhere, including sideways/upside down.
• Hold greater energy – 14.8V versus 12V of conventional batteries.

Inverter Info:
We carry inverters from Aims and Victron. These are of the highest value, meaning quality versus performance versus cost.

Other needs:
A charge controller, to regulate the power coming from the solar panels for optimum battery charging and control, and an installation kit – we provide a “No trips to the hardware store!” installation kit that is built specifically for your project. In
addition, options may include a battery shunt, monitoring gauge or display panel, dual-charging capabilities so that your engine battery and “house” batteries both charge off of solar, an ATS switch that allows you to charge everything off of “shore” power, and many other options.

Warranty:
…the panels, which are virtually indestructible and have no moving or active electrical parts, are warranted from 5-7 years (but projected to produce 90% of rated power at 25 years), and labor is warranted for 5 years.

END

one thing you should do is to avoid flexible panels, I don't care what BS they give you but take a pro's advice and stay away from them. flexible, thin film avoid at all cost.

 

[roadsideresident]

r us to advise what is best because you gave no information on what your power needs are, i.e. what device and appliances you need to power, for how long between re-charging, and whether the

Those systems aren't the same in terms of capacity (solar charging & battery storage), so can't just compare costs. It's impossible for us to advise what is best because you gave no information on what your power needs are, i.e. what device and appliances you need to power, for how long between re-charging, and whether the solar is an adjunct to other sources (shore power or generator) or you sole source of electrical power. Solar panels don't help much on a rainy day or parked under a tree. Further, if you are only powering a couple lights and charging a phone or laptop, you may not need a lot of battery or solar panel.

Technically the "best" system of the three is option 3B (high energy), but whether that is best for your wants & needs is anybody's guess.

Hi Gary. My goal is to have enough power for my gaming laptop (to edit video) and have a fan/heater running while working and maybe a modem/router.

 

[roadsideresident]

one thing you should do is to avoid flexible panels, I don't care what BS they give you but take a pro's advice and stay away from them. flexible, thin film avoid at all cost.

What's the alternative?

 

[solarman]

What's the alternative?

standard rigid panels. for RV I would suggest standard "12Volt" panels or if you have the room, residential panels. despite the "residential" label, they are more than strong enough to withstand the small movement of an RV roof. secondly there is a much better choice available, hundreds to choose from.
thirdly, for a given space, rigid panels give a higher output. the promise of thin film was just a pipe dream. ironically, the materials used to construct thin film panels break down over a shorter time from UV radiation and shortens their life considerably compared to normal panels, they also produce much less power so you need more area, something you don't have on an RV roof.

also, before you purchase anything, it is normal practice to establish a power budget.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

and have a fan/heater running

"heater" sounds alarms in my ears. A typical electric space heater is a huge power draw, usually 1500 watts. Heating electrically is a major power hog, no matter what the heater size is. 1500 watts draws over 125 amps from batteries continuously when it is providing heat. That would require several 12v batteries to provide the power plus a roof full of solar panels to recharge them.

 

[Kevin Means]

Hi Roadsideresident. I completely agree with Solarman. We've dealt with literally thousands of customers, and I have never spoken with anyone who was happy with their thin film flexible panels after just one or two years of use. I know a lot of progress has been made, but I have yet to see long term successes with thin film panels.

It's VERY easy to let a solar installer sell you a packaged deal. The problem is, a one-size-fits-all solution is often not the best way to go.

When we're working with customers who are trying to figure out how much solar they need, and what equipment to buy, we always recommend that they buy a battery monitor first. We tell them to go camping and use all their appliances and toys as they normally would, then let the battery monitor tell them how much power they actually used over a 24 hour average. All that can be done in your driveway.

Once you know how much power you use, then you can size your solar array to meet your needs and budget. It's easy to make an expensive mistake and end up piecemealing a system together.

Kev

 

[Smokey613]

Hi Roadsideresident. I completely agree with Solarman. We've dealt with literally thousands of customers, and I have never spoken with anyone who was happy with their thin film flexible panels after just one or two years of use. I know a lot of progress has been made, but I have yet to see long term successes with thin film panels.

It's VERY easy to let a solar installer sell you a packaged deal. The problem is, a one-size-fits-all solution is often not the best way to go.

When we're working with customers who are trying to figure out how much solar they need, and what equipment to buy, we always recommend that they buy a battery monitor first. We tell them to go camping and use all their appliances and toys as they normally would, then let the battery monitor tell them how much power they actually used over a 24 hour average. All that can be done in your driveway.

Once you know how much power you use, then you can size your solar array to meet your needs and budget. It's easy to make an expensive mistake and end up piecemealing a system together.

Kev

Do you have a recommendation on a battery monitor, preferably one that doesn’t break the bank?

 

[FunSteak]

Victron seems to be the one everyone talks about. I have a BMV-700 with a Bluetooth connection to their app, and it is wonderful! I know now, down to the watt, how much power we use and what my accurate state of charge is. Due to its sensitivity, it's also very helpful measuring the precise power draw of individual components. Turn something on, the app instantly shows the increase both in watts and amps.

Highly recommended. Amazon Link

Do you have a recommendation on a battery monitor, preferably one that doesn’t break the bank?

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Don't even think of using an inverter to run a microwave for more than 30 seconds.>>>Dan

 

[UTTransplant]

Don't even think of using an inverter to run a microwave for more than 30 seconds.>>>Dan

Dan, we have a 2000 watt inverter, and we run the microwave for 5-6 minutes occasionally. Most of the time it is for 2-3 minutes, but the longer times do work with the right system. It is obviously a power draw, but we did fine with our lead acid batteries. Looking forward to seeing how the lithiums behave.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

My inverter is 3500 and will soak my batteries ( 4X gulf car ) to below 50% in a heartbeat..>>>Dan

 

[Frank B]

My inverter is 3500 and will soak my batteries ( 4X gulf car ) to below 50% in a heartbeat..>>>Dan

Yeah, that is a big inverter for 4 GC-2's. We use a cheapie 2500 watt pure sine with 6 GC-2's. We can run ours several minutes at a time, but we also have a big solar array.