The function of solar panels is to charge 12 volt batteries for RV lighting, and other 12 volt
appliances. Solar panels generate a predictable amount of power each day. A typical 80 watt (4+
amp) panel on a sunny day can produce over 30 Amp Hour (AH) of power daily-- that is about 1/3 of a
full RV battery. To overcome battery resistance and line loss you should produce about 10% more
power that you actually use. A good solar system (solar panels, charge controller, battery banks, and
inverter.
A well designed system can provide many benefits to the RV:
1. Higher performance from the RV's battery system and an extended battery life due to a more
controlled charging environment.
2. Less wear and tear on the RV's main engine and or generator system when the house battery's
charging is supplemented by a solar or wind powered charging system.
3. The ability to run regular household appliances without having to listen to the constant drone of a
generator or having to stay at a RV park that provides power.
4. A tremendous savings in fuel costs from not having to run the RV's main engine or generator
system when the house batteries are in need of a charge.
5. Cleaner power that is free of spikes and brownouts that can damage or shorten the life of
appliances.
DC Only System.
1. A solar module or modules
2. A mounting kit which permits the solar module to be mounted to the roof of the RV. Solar modules
are typically mounted flat on the RV roof's surface. Solar modules can be mounted on a rack that can
be tilted which would provide some additional performance but would require the RV to be parked in a
specific direction and would require the RV operator to climb onto the roof of the RV to adjust the tilt
angle. For this reason most RV owners opt to mount their solar modules flat.
3. Sunlight resistant wire, which is specially designed wire, typically 10 gauge stranded wire which has
a protective sheath that is designed to withstand many years of exposure to the elements without
deteriorating.
4. In the case of a solar module, a charge controller is needed to prevent the over charging of the
RV's batteries and to prevent the batteries from draining back into the modules at night. (In most
cases a charge controller is built into most small wind generators, so that an external charge
controller is not necessary. In most installations, a wind generator is connected through a 50 to 60
amp fuse directly to the positive terminal of the batteries.)
5. A protective fuse and fuse holder, typically rated at 10 to 50 amps depending on the number of
modules that are mounted on the RV. The fuse should be mounted as close as possible to the battery
bank and connected to the positive battery post.
DC/AC System Without AC Powered Charger.
This type of system is exactly the same as the the DC Only System except that an extra component
known as an Inverter has been added.
There are of course 12 volt DC rated appliances available but they are typically much more expensive
and much harder to locate than standard 120V AC household appliances.
In addition to the components listed above, there are three key components involved in installing an
inverter in a DC/AC System Without AC Powered Charger.
1. A DC to AC inverter capable of producing enough continuous power to run all of the appliances
that you might have running simultaneously. And a high enough surge capacity to start your largest
inductive load such as a motor, microwave or other load that contains a large transformer or coil.
2. Inverter DC cables (positive and negative) appropriately sized both in diameter and length. It is
recommend that an inverter rated at 12 Volts @ 1500 watts or greater use a 4/0 (pronounced "4 Ot")
cable no longer than 10 feet in length.
3. An appropriately rated DC fuse or disconnect. Again the DC fuse or disconnect should be mounted
as close as possible to the positive terminal of the battery as possible. Please note: Never use a fuse
or disconnect in a DC application that is not specifically rated for DC use. Doing so can result in
damage to your equipment as well as having the potential for starting a fire !
4. An AC circuit breaker to protect both the inverter's AC output as well as the loads that are attached
to the inverter. This standard AC type circuit breaker should be mounted in between the inverters
output and the loads that are connected to the inverter.
A modified sine wave looks more like a square wave that has been time shifted and wave shaped in
order to produce the energy content which is found in power produced by the utility company. It's
frequency and voltage is rock solid which prevents the brownouts and spikes typically seen with utility
company power. Most appliances such as TVs, Lighting, stereos, computers, inkjet printers and power
tools run find on modified sine wave power.
The second type of inverter is known as a pure sine wave inverter and you guessed it, it produces
power that is exactly like the power which is produced by the utility company without the spikes and
brownouts of course. This type of inverter produces pure sine waves, but at the cost of some
efficiency loss and at a much higher price. In fact most pure sine wave inverters are typically priced at
least 75% higher than their modified sine wave counterpart and in some cases do not have as high of
a surge power capability than modified sine wave units. Click here to learn more about inverters.
DC/AC System With AC Powered Charger.
This type of system is exactly the same as the DC/AC System Without AC Powered Charger except
that an extra component known as an AC Charger Circuit with transfer switch has been added. This
type of system includes either solar modules or a wind generator or both and their associated
components and it will include a DC to AC inverter as described above.
Only this type of system has the capability of also charging your RV's batteries from a generator or
RV park AC power. It also has the capability of passing the generator or RV park's power through the
inverter allowing you to operate your appliances while the batteries are being charged ! The inverter
that is used in this type of system is known as a DC to AC inverter charger with transfer switch.
In addition to the components listed above, there is one other key component involved in installing an
inverter in a DC/AC System With AC Powered Charger with transfer switch.
1. An AC circuit breaker to protect the inverters AC input from the generator's or RV park power
output. This standard AC type circuit breaker should be wired in between the generator or RV park
power's output and the inverter's AC input.
Important Never wire the generator's AC output directly to the same point as the RV park's AC output
without using an external transfer switch. Doing so will result in back-feeding and severely damaging
the generator with utility power or visa versa. Secondly never wire the generator or RV park's power
directly to the AC output of any inverter. Doing so will result in damage to your inverter and or your
generator. Always wire the generator or park power's output to the inverters AC input though an
external AC transfer switch.
You may be asking, "Why would I need an inverter that works with a generator or park power when I
just bought solar modules or a wind generator ?" Well, in one word "Weather". If your out on the road
and there's been no sun all week or there's no wind, then it would be nice to have the backup option
of running your generator or plugging into park power for a few hours so that you can run your
appliances the rest of the day in peace and quiet wherever you would like to go.
Solar module brands that are recommended for RV use: Really any brand module is fine for RV use.
All of the brands that Solatron carries come with sturdy aluminum frames and include with 25 year
warranties. Years ago monocrystalline cells were preferred because they were slightly higher in
efficiency but nowadays due to technological advances there are polycrystalline cells on the market
that surpass the efficiency of their polycrystalline cousins. For more of an explanation of the
difference between Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline solar cells click here.
Inverter brands that recommended for RV use: You can never go wrong with the Xantrex line of
products which include Trace Engineering, Heart Interface and Statpower branded products. Trace
Engineering and Statpower manufacture excellent sine wave products and Trace Engineering and
Heart Interface both manufacture the preferred line of modified sine wave products.
Charge controller brands that are recommended for RV use: Again Xantrex makes an excellent line of
charge controllers. Other preferred brands are BZ products and RV power products both of whom
manufacture maximum power point tracking charge controllers which have the capability of delivering
up to 30% more power to the batteries than is fed into the charge controller by the solar modules.
Click here to learn more about maximum power point tracking charge controllers.
Another item that is popular is the Hydrocap which replaces the regular cell cap. When the cell is
producing gas, the hydrogen and oxygen gases are vented into the Hydrocap. Inside the Hydrocap, a
catalyst of platinum and other group metals reconstitute the gases into pure water which is then
deposited back into the cell.
The most important piece in a solar conversion of an RV is the batteries. The subject of batteries
could take up many pages. So............FAQ on batteries
Using an inverter is optional. An inverter allows you to operate 120 volt appliances like blender,
toaster, satellite, VCR, microwave oven or items that draw up to about 2000 watts of energy from the
RV battery. Air conditioners and electric refrigerators are best run from propane or generator when
utility hook-ups are not available.
| Solio™, the Universal "Hybrid" Charger is powerful enough to charge all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun. |
Imagine pulling into your remote camp or parking your rv in the middle of the desert or some
remote mountain. You are far away from the power grid, but still having the power you need to run
a radio, satellite phone or laptop computer. It’s possible! All you need is the sun. Solar panels and
wind turbines are now used by families, companies and countries to supply power for houses,
buildings and even entire cities.
Photovoltaics, or PV, is a process through which sunlight is transformed into electricity. "Photo"
refers to light and "voltaic" to voltage. Essentially, sunlight hits the solar cell’s surface, which excites
some electrons and creates an electric current.
A thin silicon cell, four inches across, can produce about one watt of direct current electrical power
in full sunlight. Solar powered homes, water pumps, calculators and battery chargers are a few
common examples of how PV is used today.
Use of PV is relatively simple. Solar panels an be as simple as a rollup type panel, they can be
attached to your rv's roof, or they can be free floating where you position the panel once you are
parked. The free energy derived from your panel is stored in batteries, and using an inverter, you
are powered and ready to power up. A/C is the exception due to it's high demand, but most other
equipment is available for short time periods. The more batteries, the more power to use.
Solar water heating technologies have high efficiencies relative to other solar technologies.
Performance will depend upon the site of deployment, but flat-plate and evacuated-tube collectors
can be expected to have efficiencies above 60 percent during normal operating conditions, but
simple applications, such as coiling a dark colored garden hose will help preheat your cold water
that supplies your water heater, and helps lower the cost of operating your hot water tank.
Solar cookers use sunlight for cooking, drying and pasteurization. Solar cookers offset fuel costs,
reduce demand for fuel or firewood, and improve air quality by reducing or removing a source of
smoke.
The simplest class of solar cooker is the box cooker. Horace de Saussure built the first box cooker
in 1767 after observing: "It is a known fact, and a fact that has probably been known for a long
time, that a room, a carriage, or any other place is hotter when the rays of the sun pass through
glass." A basic box cooker consists of an insulated container with a transparent lid. These cookers
can be used effectively with partially overcast skies and will typically reach temperatures of 50-100
°C. The economy, simplicity and performance of box cookers contribute to the popularity of this
design.
Concentrating solar cookers use reflectors to concentrate light on a cooking container. The most
common reflector geometries are flat plate, disc and parabolic trough type. These designs cook
faster and at higher temperatures (up to 315 °C). As with other concentrating technologies, these
cookers require direct light and must be repositioned to "track" the sun.
remote mountain. You are far away from the power grid, but still having the power you need to run
a radio, satellite phone or laptop computer. It’s possible! All you need is the sun. Solar panels and
wind turbines are now used by families, companies and countries to supply power for houses,
buildings and even entire cities.
Photovoltaics, or PV, is a process through which sunlight is transformed into electricity. "Photo"
refers to light and "voltaic" to voltage. Essentially, sunlight hits the solar cell’s surface, which excites
some electrons and creates an electric current.
A thin silicon cell, four inches across, can produce about one watt of direct current electrical power
in full sunlight. Solar powered homes, water pumps, calculators and battery chargers are a few
common examples of how PV is used today.
Use of PV is relatively simple. Solar panels an be as simple as a rollup type panel, they can be
attached to your rv's roof, or they can be free floating where you position the panel once you are
parked. The free energy derived from your panel is stored in batteries, and using an inverter, you
are powered and ready to power up. A/C is the exception due to it's high demand, but most other
equipment is available for short time periods. The more batteries, the more power to use.
Solar water heating technologies have high efficiencies relative to other solar technologies.
Performance will depend upon the site of deployment, but flat-plate and evacuated-tube collectors
can be expected to have efficiencies above 60 percent during normal operating conditions, but
simple applications, such as coiling a dark colored garden hose will help preheat your cold water
that supplies your water heater, and helps lower the cost of operating your hot water tank.
Solar cookers use sunlight for cooking, drying and pasteurization. Solar cookers offset fuel costs,
reduce demand for fuel or firewood, and improve air quality by reducing or removing a source of
smoke.
The simplest class of solar cooker is the box cooker. Horace de Saussure built the first box cooker
in 1767 after observing: "It is a known fact, and a fact that has probably been known for a long
time, that a room, a carriage, or any other place is hotter when the rays of the sun pass through
glass." A basic box cooker consists of an insulated container with a transparent lid. These cookers
can be used effectively with partially overcast skies and will typically reach temperatures of 50-100
°C. The economy, simplicity and performance of box cookers contribute to the popularity of this
design.
Concentrating solar cookers use reflectors to concentrate light on a cooking container. The most
common reflector geometries are flat plate, disc and parabolic trough type. These designs cook
faster and at higher temperatures (up to 315 °C). As with other concentrating technologies, these
cookers require direct light and must be repositioned to "track" the sun.
Solar Tools
Additional reading
1 Calculate power consumption.
2 Multiply the consumption rate of the individual
appliance by the hours per day that it will be used.
3 Divide the derived figure by the total output of your
solar panels.
4 Determine your battery's storage capabilities.
5 Determine the average number of sunny days in the
area in which you will be traveling using an almanac
or the Internet.
6 Install another battery if required
7 Position the solar panels flat against the roof of the RV.
Solio Hybrid 1000
Solio features a fan-blade design
that allows it to achieve maximum
solar area when in use. Just
spread out the blades, expose
them to direct sunlight either out of
doors or affixed to a window, and
get ready to take your power on
the road.
Just the facts
Charging Solio’s internal battery takes 8-10
hours of direct sunlight.
Solio will charge your device at the same rate
as your conventional charger.
Using the included wall adapter, solio will fully
charge in approximately 4 hours.
A fully charged Solio will completely charge
an average cell phone at least twice.
When charging a cell phone directly from the
sun, 60 minutes of sunlight will provide
approximately 25 minutes of talk time and ten
hours of standby time.
When charging an iPod directly from the sun,
one hour of sunlight will provide about one
hour of play time.
Solio can store energy for up to one year.
that allows it to achieve maximum
solar area when in use. Just
spread out the blades, expose
them to direct sunlight either out of
doors or affixed to a window, and
get ready to take your power on
the road.
Just the facts
Charging Solio’s internal battery takes 8-10
hours of direct sunlight.
Solio will charge your device at the same rate
as your conventional charger.
Using the included wall adapter, solio will fully
charge in approximately 4 hours.
A fully charged Solio will completely charge
an average cell phone at least twice.
When charging a cell phone directly from the
sun, 60 minutes of sunlight will provide
approximately 25 minutes of talk time and ten
hours of standby time.
When charging an iPod directly from the sun,
one hour of sunlight will provide about one
hour of play time.
Solio can store energy for up to one year.
| Solar & Wind Power Information |