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  1. #11
    Site Sponsor Corky2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SolarPoweredRV View Post
    The answer is yes it can be done and it can be done affordably.

    Solar technology is very mature and the prices have come down dramatically over the years. For example: it was theorized that once Solar panels reached $1.00 per Watt, everybody could afford a Solar system on their rooftop, I purchased my Solar panels at $0.69 cents per Watt.

    I think the key to affordability is knowing exactly what you want to power with your Solar system and for how long. Additionally, being able to do the project your self can reduce the price substantially.

    In your situation, it sounds like a ground mounted Solar system would fit your needs best. You have a choice in whether you tie it into the Electrical Grid or not, however most people will install a Grid Tied system.

    Here is a video of a DIY install that compares the costs of DIY vs having the system installed:

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNTO83FvaL4

    By-the-way, the Install video is also a very informative:

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xA6qOwnYbM

    And a video I am sure you will want to watch; "Is Solar Worth it?":

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BatTeSq05rU

    Finally, with the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, there is a 30% tax credit available for both your Solar system and the batteries. This will go a long way toward making the System affordable.

    PS: with a ground mount system, I would plan for future expansion of the system, you never know how soon you will be buying that F-150 Lightning.
    Thanks for the reply and links.

    Unfortunately my state ended its solar credit programs in 2019 so not much incentive to tie to the grid. I also recently read that law makers in Florida tried to pass a bill to end solar power subsidies but fortunately Governor DeSantis vetoed a bill. Seems these credit and subsidy programs might not be permanent.

    If I invested in a solar system I would want that system to provide me electricity in a power outage.

    When I went to my local electric providers website to research solar credits I saw several warnings to be aware of solar company scammers, here and here are a few videos they posted from local news.
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  2. #12
    Site Sponsor Corky2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ynot4me2 View Post
    To add to what has been mentioned already, you first need to define what is your "normal RV usage" and then from there you can price out a system. Would you like to run the AC all day, use the microwave and everything else as if you were connected to shore power or simply run the fridge, some lights and water pump?
    I would want it priced out both ways, full operation (AC and microwave) and bare necessities (without AC and microwave). If I used the RV when my home has a power outage I would count on propane for heat, hot water and cooking.
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  3. #13
    Site Sponsor Corky2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dale B View Post
    I have an off grid recreational property with an RV, doing this approx. 12 years. The only time I run a generator is for the AC units.

    The solar keeps the batteries charged, 2ea 200ah lithium & 1ea 300 roof top panel. I'm usually away during the week so if I go deep into the batteries lots of time to recharge.

    There is also a 2000w inverter that will run any electrical demand except for the AC's.

    This is my first season with the new RV, factory solar & I added the smart batteries. I've been debugging the solar system & other issue's with the rig. Once I corrected the factory installed issue with the solar panel the solar system has worked very well.

    My back up generator which I would have even if we were connected to the grid(outages are frequent) is a 7kw fuel injected electric start Honda. It is dead quiet & will easily run both AC's with power to spare. This cost more than the the entire solar system & worth every dollar. I have a small 2kw Honda if we are travelling.

    Thinking for next season I will add a portable 300w panel. The roof top panel generates 200w @ best laying flat. Then the system would easily handle a DC fridge, my 30Lbs propane consumption per week is killing me. You talk about lack of technology, this Norcold 2118 is the definition!

    At some point I may build on this property & power is not that far away. Then I will have to do serious cost analysis. The technology especially with batteries has leaped & the costs have come down dramatically. I would have ruled out solar using AGM or LA batteries, short life cycles, charging & maintenance. Lithium changes all of that.
    Sounds like I have the same 7kw Honda that I use as my home backup system. I also have two older EU2000's that still run great.


    My RV has the factory installed system with one 165W panel and I my battery bank is two 6V AGM golf cart batteries. So far just being used to keep the DC fridge running when I travel.
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  4. #14
    Site Team Redapple63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corky2 View Post
    Thanks for the reply and links.

    Unfortunately my state ended its solar credit programs in 2019 so not much incentive to tie to the grid. I also recently read that law makers in Florida tried to pass a bill to end solar power subsidies but fortunately Governor DeSantis vetoed a bill. Seems these credit and subsidy programs might not be permanent.

    If I invested in a solar system I would want that system to provide me electricity in a power outage.

    When I went to my local electric providers website to research solar credits I saw several warnings to be aware of solar company scammers, here and here are a few videos they posted from local news.
    Hi Corky,

    Here is a link to hep navigate the federal solar tax credits.

    https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/fe...lar-tax-credit

    It looks like 30% for 2022 or 2023.
    You may also qualify for state tax credits.

    I think you could do a nice system for say 30k, which would present a tax credit of approx 7500. You could build a nice system for your rv for about 3, and one with inverter for say 5500.

    I am currently purchasing items for an 800 watt 3k inverter and 600ah Lifepo4 for my rig. I am about 3k into it so far and I have the panels, charge controller and the batteries.

    Last big item is the inverter and all the ancillaries (wire, lugs, pins, shrink sleeves, mc4 connectors etc).which I figure another 2-2.5k

    Bill
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  5. #15
    Site Sponsor Corky2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Redapple63 View Post
    Hi Corky,

    Here is a link to hep navigate the federal solar tax credits.

    https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/fe...lar-tax-credit

    It looks like 30% for 2022 or 2023.
    You may also qualify for state tax credits.

    I think you could do a nice system for say 30k, which would present a tax credit of approx 7500. You could build a nice system for your rv for about 3, and one with inverter for say 5500.

    I am currently purchasing items for an 800 watt 3k inverter and 600ah Lifepo4 for my rig. I am about 3k into it so far and I have the panels, charge controller and the batteries.

    Last big item is the inverter and all the ancillaries (wire, lugs, pins, shrink sleeves, mc4 connectors etc).which I figure another 2-2.5k

    Bill
    Thank you!

    Good info!
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  6. #16
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corky2 View Post
    I would want it priced out both ways, full operation (AC and microwave) and bare necessities (without AC and microwave). If I used the RV when my home has a power outage I would count on propane for heat, hot water and cooking.
    When it comes to operating A/C in an RV off of Solar, you are talking about a LOT of MONEY and a LOT of WEIGHT in the form of batteries. You also need a good bit of roof space to install Solar panels on. As an example: Battle Born suggests that it takes 100ah to run an RV A/C unit for one hour. Now let's extrapolate that out over a 24 hour period... That would take 24, 100ah, Lithium batteries (twice as many Lead Acid batteries) at a cost of $400 each (this is the cost of 100ah Lithium batteries from Amazon, if you want to use Battle Born the price is double) that is $10,000 for the batteries.

    You will need quite a few Solar panels to keep your batteries charged up, I would guess you would need at least 2,500 Watts of Solar panels to operate your A/C for 24 hours as well as keep your batteries charged up (2,500 Watts x $0.80 = $2,000). Plus $1,400 for a 3000 Watt Victron Inverter (you will need an inverter this large to run your A/C unit).

    Here is a video showing just such a Solar System installed on a Class A RV...

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFg-ZfNS4n8

    In reality; you could install a more modest Solar system which would allow you to run your Microwave and your Air Conditioner for a couple of hours.

    Note: one thing I want to point out, your furnace takes quite a bit of energy when it is running so you want to be sure to take that into consideration when sizing your system.

    A reasonably sized system would include 400ah of Lithium batteries and about 1000 Watts of Solar along with a 3000Watt Inverter. A system this size would allow you to operate one A/C unit for up to two hours and run the Microwave for a few minutes while still leaving enough energy to run your furnace at night and brew a pot of coffee in the morning.

    Pricing out this more reasonable system: 4, 100ah Lithium batteries @ $400 ea. = $1,600, 1000 Watts of Solar panels @ ~ $0.80 per Watt, = $800, Victron 3000 Watt Inverter $1,400, plus various other items like Solar Charge Controller, installation hardware and cabling. Total ~ $5,000. Of course, this number does not include labor, but, with some basic understanding of electrical systems and some good old fashioned DIY skills this system can be installed in a DIY fashion.

    The way I justified installing my system was by counting all the nights I would not have to stay at a campground.

    Good luck and let us know how you decide to proceed.
    David and Peggy
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    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
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  7. #17
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    I spent about $700 for a Eve 304ah DIY battery approach, this includes the BMS. Right now, I got about $2100 for +900Ah worth of batteries.

    I do not know what Battle Born is recommending, but I know I use about 125amps to run one A/C. I got this reading by looking at the smart shunt with the A/C running and pretty much nothing else. Obviously, there is something running since the 5th wheel is 'on' but there are no hair dryers, microwaves, etc. Just the normal stuff while camping [lights, etc]. I swear, there is no way an A/C uses only 100Ah, but who knows. I just know what I am using.

  8. #18
    Site Sponsor Corky2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SolarPoweredRV View Post
    When it comes to operating A/C in an RV off of Solar, you are talking about a LOT of MONEY and a LOT of WEIGHT in the form of batteries. You also need a good bit of roof space to install Solar panels on. As an example: Battle Born suggests that it takes 100ah to run an RV A/C unit for one hour. Now let's extrapolate that out over a 24 hour period... That would take 24, 100ah, Lithium batteries (twice as many Lead Acid batteries) at a cost of $400 each (this is the cost of 100ah Lithium batteries from Amazon, if you want to use Battle Born the price is double) that is $10,000 for the batteries.

    You will need quite a few Solar panels to keep your batteries charged up, I would guess you would need at least 2,500 Watts of Solar panels to operate your A/C for 24 hours as well as keep your batteries charged up (2,500 Watts x $0.80 = $2,000). Plus $1,400 for a 3000 Watt Victron Inverter (you will need an inverter this large to run your A/C unit).

    Here is a video showing just such a Solar System installed on a Class A RV...

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFg-ZfNS4n8

    In reality; you could install a more modest Solar system which would allow you to run your Microwave and your Air Conditioner for a couple of hours.

    Note: one thing I want to point out, your furnace takes quite a bit of energy when it is running so you want to be sure to take that into consideration when sizing your system.

    A reasonably sized system would include 400ah of Lithium batteries and about 1000 Watts of Solar along with a 3000Watt Inverter. A system this size would allow you to operate one A/C unit for up to two hours and run the Microwave for a few minutes while still leaving enough energy to run your furnace at night and brew a pot of coffee in the morning.

    Pricing out this more reasonable system: 4, 100ah Lithium batteries @ $400 ea. = $1,600, 1000 Watts of Solar panels @ ~ $0.80 per Watt, = $800, Victron 3000 Watt Inverter $1,400, plus various other items like Solar Charge Controller, installation hardware and cabling. Total ~ $5,000. Of course, this number does not include labor, but, with some basic understanding of electrical systems and some good old fashioned DIY skills this system can be installed in a DIY fashion.

    The way I justified installing my system was by counting all the nights I would not have to stay at a campground.

    Good luck and let us know how you decide to proceed.
    Wow, thank you for all that good information.
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  9. #19
    Site Sponsor ReiMan1776's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corky2 View Post
    I have looked into installing solar systems on my property over the years but my results always concluded that the technology was not at the maturity level and the cost point that made it worth the investment. Now I have a small travel trailer that came with a entry level system that can help keep the battery charged and the fridge running while I travel but that's about it.

    So I'm looking at solar again just for the trailer that I keep on my property so it could be a dual use situation where I use the system as intended for camping and possibly as a backup system on my property if power goes out for an extended period.

    My question is can a affordable/practical solar system be installed that would reliably keep the battery bank charged for an extended period (>2 weeks) where the DC fridge keeps working along with typical RV usage except for the A/C system?

    What is affordable/practical ... Well the alternative is to use a generator with enough gas to keep it running.
    OK I am going to offer another option to send you all down another rabbit hole. Solar has been referred to as a gateway drug LOL. I have a bumper pull currently living full time in it, am a certified RV technician, DIY person for 50 years, of Scottish decent so look for solutions that are money well spent.

    I have about $3000 spent on my own setup, a 200AH lithium battery, new converter necessary to charge the lithium battery, 30 amp Victron solar controller, Renogy DC-DC charger to get power from my vehicle alternator, Renogy battery monitor. Then add in bus bars, copper cable, fuses, etc and the costs really add up. Then there is the many hours I took to figure out how to put it all together, and uncomfortable space to install this in..... A lot of work, research, and money spent thus far.

    We love the National Park and forest campgrounds, do not like RV parks where we feel jammed in. And, some camping on beautiful BLM lands out here in Arizona.

    I also have a 2000 and 3400 watt champion generators. One place we love is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which has a beautiful campground with no hookups and you are limited to 2 hours in the morning and two in the afternoon / early evening to run your generator. I find that it takes my converter five hours to fully charge my 200AH lithium battery.

    I looked at different solar generators and found they all had the same limitation, that is taking a significant time to recharge. I am talking about on AC power not solar panels which have many limitations such as shade, clouds, etc,,,,

    I discovered a company called Ecoflow a year ago, bought a Delta 1300, charges up on my generator in under 2 hours from a fully discharged state. Small and portable, equal to about a 100AH battery. This helped me get through a week of camping under generator hour limitations but it was still a struggle.

    Fast forward to today and this company has been amazing in its product advances. They are releasing a new Delta - 2 greatly improved with even faster charging and longer lifespan with better battery technology and even a lower cost. Within the Delta family is a "Beast" called a Delta PRO, portable but heavy, 100lbs, however this thing will power just about anything, even has a 30amp receptacle you can hook your RV up to. Great for home, RV, dual use.

    They also have something called power kits. I am just pointing out that this company really has some great options. I am so impressed that I signed up to be a dealer here in Northern AZ to go along with my mobile RV technician business.

    I have portable Rock Pals 100 watt solar panels along with two HQST conventional panels. I use them but are really a pain,,,, between shade, chasing the sun all day, etc. So for me a gas generator is a must.

    Anyways, plenty of youtube videos on the Ecoflow products and a good Facebook group to join.

    Good Luck All
    Last edited by ReiMan1776; 09-10-2022 at 08:58 AM.

  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper chemist308's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corky2 View Post
    I have looked into installing solar systems on my property over the years but my results always concluded that the technology was not at the maturity level and the cost point that made it worth the investment. Now I have a small travel trailer that came with a entry level system that can help keep the battery charged and the fridge running while I travel but that's about it.

    So I'm looking at solar again just for the trailer that I keep on my property so it could be a dual use situation where I use the system as intended for camping and possibly as a backup system on my property if power goes out for an extended period.

    My question is can a affordable/practical solar system be installed that would reliably keep the battery bank charged for an extended period (>2 weeks) where the DC fridge keeps working along with typical RV usage except for the A/C system?

    What is affordable/practical ... Well the alternative is to use a generator with enough gas to keep it running.
    Since my solar install is currently in progress, I don't have enough experience with real panel outputs to provide a useful answer. However, my 600AH LiFePO4 battery bank is about 2 years old, so I will answer based on that. It was worth every penny and is more capable than I honestly thought it would be. I travelled 3 days in a row, lot docking in parking lots as I went. That system powered my AC fridge, AC chest freezer, and even my coffee grinder and water pot so I could have fresh french pressed coffee every morning. When I got there, the system still had a bit of juice left. That said I believe solar would have only improved my situation, but I admit I'm going a little overboard for my current use.
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