Simple, portable solar setup?

[Rbertalotto]

This article I wrote might help...

Adding More Solar to Existing System (Portable Panels) | RVB Precision

A few years ago I added three 140 watt solar panels to the roof of my Forest River 19RR Toy Hauler These panels are controlled by a Bogart Engineering Charge Controller and monitored via a Bogart Engineering TriMetric Solar Monitor. For storage I’m using two Group 31, 110 amp, AGM batteries that...

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[BigSwede]

Heh, well the word "flexible" doesn't appear anywhere in the ad... but they also don't have rigid frames so I suppose they must be at least somewhat flexible.

Can "monocrystalline" solar cells be flexible? It has been a lot of years since my crystallography class but I don't remember flexibility as being one of the parameters of a crystalline mineral... other than perhaps mica sheets. But I digress.

Really do like the ability to fold into the small package, I truly don't have a place for a rigid solar suitcase folder. My camper is basically a bed with a phone-booth size (not even that big, really) space between the sink and stove.

 

[dreadlocks]

yeah w/out a rigid frame the cells risk flexing, and no they shouldn't be flexed.. it breaks down and destroys the cells.. even the so called flexible ones advertised as it can be flexed very few times.. like once to glue it to a curved surface, but not regularly or they will short out internally and its dead jim.

If thats all you can do then thats all you can do.. just take very good care of em, id find a hardcase for transport and understand that they wont last as long as rigids.. the only foldable ones of your style I seen that can stand up to some abuse/neglect and time are MilSpec, and cost about 3-4x as much as that panel you found on amazon... price per watt those ones are some of the worst I've ever seen.. hence my original comment about needing a military budget.

 

[rayra]

I'm using a folding panel kit as a roof-mounted install but I retained the ability to easily dismount the panel and deploy it away from the vehicle in direct sunlight, if I'm able to shade the vehicle.
My kit might as well have been the protoype of the Goal Zero 100watt folding panel kit. I get about 5A from it here in SoCal, even mounted flat.
details of the folding kit and my rooftop mount are pages 7-10 in my build topic, link in my sig

 

[DaveInDenver]

yeah w/out a rigid frame the cells risk flexing, and no they shouldn't be flexed.. it breaks down and destroys the cells.. even the so called flexible ones advertised as it can be flexed very few times.. like once to glue it to a curved surface, but not regularly or they will short out internally and its dead jim.

Generally when speaking about flexible in electronics such as thin film solar panels is more like moldable. The various thin films do flex but how much they can flex isn't infinite like a flag and when they are molded maybe just once to an irregular surface they'll last fine. But for the most part I wouldn't worry much about flexing them a few times, there's a lot of accumulated industry knowledge about how to make thin film semiconductors and flexible printed wire boards that I'd think solar panel manufacturers leverage.

 

[dreadlocks]

Moldable is a much better term than flexible for solar panels.

When we were dispersed outside Grand Canyon we pissed off a Kaibab Squirrel by camping under his food tree.. that lil ******** was throwing giant pine cones at my solar panels from about 80ft+ up... We'd just be chilling there then everyone would jump from the bang... We went out and spent a full day wheeling and when we got back to camp there was a pile of pinecones at the downhill slope of my solar panel.

I'm glad I had some sturdy rigid ones.. but even then I was questioning whether or not a lil rodent was gonna take out a 4ft wide piece of tempered glass if he could get his hands on something with a bit more weight.

 

[rayra]

"no warranty expressed or implied for rodent hazards" (TM)

 

[ConcordCarlos]

I run a folding 100w Renogy , with a Victon 75/15 mounted under the hood. I use a trolling motor socket mounted to a tab welded in my front bumper. Works great keeping my house battery charged, and Bloody Mary mix cold.

 

[john61ct]

For just one 75/15 would be plenty.

75/15 can handle 2, even 3 when insolation conditions are reduced

 

[WSS]

My son and I built this a few years ago, going to upgrade to lifepo4 45ah soon. Using 2 12ah sla batts now. 2 40 watt panels. The panels mount to a camera tripod via velcro. Works great.

 

[SBSYNCRO]

My son and I built this a few years ago, going to upgrade to lifepo4 45ah soon. Using 2 12ah sla batts now. 2 40 watt panels. The panels mount to a camera tripod via velcro. Works great.

While that looks very impressive, it probably does not look "simple" to the OP.

View attachment 562086+solar panel

I use this portable unit plus one other similar unit to power my refrigerator, lights, etc. Most of my panels are on the roof of my GFC but I reserve one to move around the campsite for the best sunlight. I simply move one battery with the panel to avoid long a long wiring run. My entire camper electrical system is totally isolated from the truck system albeit the air compressor will be connected directly to the truck battery.

This is exactly what I'm doing. The Suaoki G500 can be had for $389 on Amazon. Add a 100w panel from HQST for $80 and some wiring and you have a complete stand-alone system to power your fridge and charge things like camping lights, phones, GoPro cameras, drones, whatever.

If you go down the route of using your car battery you will need to add a charge controller that does two things: manages the output of the solar panel (MPPT controller) and you'll also need a battery charger designed to charge lead acid batteries. By the time you put that together you'll have spent nearly as much, but have less redundancy (and less portability) than the system Rajacat and I are using. Yes, adding the Victron controller definitely gives you more flexibility down the road to add additional batteries, panels, etc. But if you want a great combination of low cost + easy setup + flexibility + redundancy & portability, its hard to beat the portable battery + solar panel. I personally like the Suaoki unit for two very specific reasons: (1) it has a regulated 13v output so you won't have problems with the fridge shutting down and (2) it will take up to 150w input at >99% efficiency with its built-in MPPT controller. This combination is unavailable in ANY of the other 500 watt hour portable batteries that I've looked at (they usually have one or the other but not both).

I'm able to run my Dometic CFX50 for two+ days in 80º ambient temps (no insulation cover yet) from the Suaoki without charging and still have 2/5 bars left. Plugged into the solar panel if there is good sun and I pull the panel off the roof and orient it, I can get 85 to 95 watts of input for most of the day. Usually 2 to 3 hours is enough to completely recharge it each morning after running all night and charging up some stuff or powering a camp light. With the panel mounted flat to the roof, even with the sun at a low angle in cloudy conditions, I'm still seeing an input of 15 to 30 watts and better than 50 watts in sunny conditions.

 

[moose545]

Moldable is a much better term than flexible for solar panels.

When we were dispersed outside Grand Canyon we pissed off a Kaibab Squirrel by camping under his food tree.. that lil **** was throwing giant pine cones at my solar panels from about 80ft+ up... We'd just be chilling there then everyone would jump from the bang... We went out and spent a full day wheeling and when we got back to camp there was a pile of pinecones at the downhill slope of my solar panel.

I'm glad I had some sturdy rigid ones.. but even then I was questioning whether or not a lil rodent was gonna take out a 4ft wide piece of tempered glass if he could get his hands on something with a bit more weight.

That’s hilarious, damn tree rats! I worked my way over here cause I’m new to solar and need to figure out a setup similar to this but no rigid panel, was leaning towards flexible/mold able or folding blanket types, but want it scalable so I can double it up later should I choose to. I need to first get a dual battery setup to power my fridge and accessories like camp lights and whatever else I find and deem essential. I also have a single crossbar left of space from my RTT on my GX460 so another reason why a fixed panel isnt the answer. I’m slowly learning but want to charge both batteries when the truck is running, but have a switch to cut over when parked and setup that isolates the primary from any use besides starting the truck when it’s time to head out again. So I need at least 100W or more of panels, controller, second battery, DC to DC charger, and inverter to have in some sort of panel or box I make to have a readout of sorts to monitor everything. Sorry for my rambling about, houseboundness is getting to me!

 

[rayra]

That’s hilarious, damn tree rats! I worked my way over here cause I’m new to solar and need to figure out a setup similar to this but no rigid panel, was leaning towards flexible/mold able or folding blanket types, but want it scalable so I can double it up later should I choose to. I need to first get a dual battery setup to power my fridge and accessories like camp lights and whatever else I find and deem essential. I also have a single crossbar left of space from my RTT on my GX460 so another reason why a fixed panel isnt the answer. I’m slowly learning but want to charge both batteries when the truck is running, but have a switch to cut over when parked and setup that isolates the primary from any use besides starting the truck when it’s time to head out again. So I need at least 100W or more of panels, controller, second battery, DC to DC charger, and inverter to have in some sort of panel or box I make to have a readout of sorts to monitor everything. Sorry for my rambling about, houseboundness is getting to me!

You dont need a DC to DC charger* and read the '$50 dual battery setup' topic.
I'm running a 200A solenoid as a dual battery combiner, solenoid triggered by a keyed-on accessory fuse circuit. Turn key on or start the car, solenoid triggers, batteries are combined. vehicle charges both batteries. Turn key off, batteries separated. And I don't have to remember to turn a switch off or on. Then I have the rear cargo power ports, accessories, various inverters from 5VDC USB to 12v cig sockets and also a 1000W inverter all powered off the Second / Aux battery, as 'house' functions. And I've also got a folding panel mounted on the roof but can be deployed on the ground, and it's PWM controller is connected to the main feed in the back that runs to the Aux battery, charging that Aux or feeding power to whatever else I have plugged in back there. I have a lot more going on that just that, but what I described seems to do everything you want and it didn't cost very much to piece it all together.


*get one if you'd like, I'm just saying it isn't required to do what you are describing

 

[Martinjmpr]

To the OP: What you are looking for is all over the market.

This is what we have for our trailer:

Amazon.com : HQST 100 Watt 12Volt Off Grid Monocrystalline Portable Foldable Solar Panel Suitcase with 10A Charge Controller : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : HQST 100 Watt 12Volt Off Grid Monocrystalline Portable Foldable Solar Panel Suitcase with 10A Charge Controller : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Under $200
Fits in it's own carry case and folds up for storage
Has a charge controller
Alligator clips to battery.

Now, I did make one change for ours: I didn't like the alligator clips so I replaced them with an SAE harness from a battery tender. This gives me the opportunity to just plug it in without having to expose the battery. Sets up in a couple of minutes and stores easily.

The charge controller is mounted to the back of the panel. This is not ideal for a couple of reasons: First of all, because the 12v power will lose some voltage between the controller and the battery (25' cable) and 2nd because the charge controller is not waterproof.

HOWEVER, in the spirit of "does it WORK?" the answer is a resounding "YES!" It works fine. Keeps the dual 6v batteries on our trailer charged up and if needed I can also plug it into my 12v aux battery (which also has an SAE plug for charging.)

You could put a simple SAE harness on your vehicle battery and plug it in that way too.

Simple & cheap. Yes, there are more expensive/complicated ways to get more power, but it comes down to what you NEED. A 100w panel will put close to 5a into your battery on a nice sunny day. Assuming your battery is in good shape that should be more than enough to keep the fridge running without killing your battery.

 

[john61ct]

A 100w panel will put close to 5a into your battery on a nice sunny day. Assuming your battery is in good shape that should be more than enough to keep the fridge running without killing your battery.

A 100W panel should put 25-30Ah into your bank in decent conditions.

And that is really marginal for all but the most efficient fridges, especially in hot ambients (can't park in the forest)

given that decent insolation conditions may be sporadic in many locations.

3-400W and a 200Ah bank is really what you need for a decent buffer IMO.