Solar Panel performance

[Go Poly]

We recently purchased a 25G that has solar panels. How do I assess their performance? I.e., if I don’t have connected to shore power or the generator is not on, the solar panels are the sole energy source for maintaining the batteries. Is the monitor the only measure of status? It is a very course scale. 3 levels.

Maintenance for the panels?

Thoughts?

[jkwilson]

If you are talking about only the single factory panel, temper your expectations. If it keeps your refrigerator running all day when on the road, it’s doing the job it was designed for.

If your system or battery is more than the standard factory setup, let us know what you have.

[Go Poly]

Thanks. Factory setup. Thinking of adding a battery monitor. Something that has finer gradation of status than factory panel.

[Second Chance]

Thread moved to Solar Systems and Generators.
@SolarPoweredRV might have some advice for you, too.

Rob

[Soundsailor]

Thanks. Factory setup. Thinking of adding a battery monitor. Something that has finer gradation of status than factory panel.

Look for a monitor with a shunt. The shunt measures the actual flow into and out of your battery. The stock monitor just measures voltage.

[SolarPoweredRV]

We recently purchased a 25G that has solar panels. How do I assess their performance? I.e., if I don’t have connected to shore power or the generator is not on, the solar panels are the sole energy source for maintaining the batteries. Is the monitor the only measure of status? It is a very course scale. 3 levels.

Maintenance for the panels?

Thoughts?

There is a chance that your Solar Charge Controller has a BlueTooth connection, slim chance, but a chance none the less. If you can connect to your Solar Charge Controller via BlueTooth, that should give you all the info you need about how your Solar panels are performing. If you don't have a BlueTooth connection, there might be an LED panel on the front of the Solar Charge Controller that will give you some basic information.

If you install a battery monitor that will not tell you how well your Solar panels are functioning, just how well they are keeping your batteries charged.

To assess how well your Solar panels are performing you need to be able to view information about the incoming wattage, amperage, and voltage. This can be accomplished either through a BlueTooth connection or from the LED panel on the Controller (if the unit provides that information). You would also need to have your batteries in a low State of Charge (SOC) to allow your Solar panels a place to put the energy they are generating. You also need a bright Sunny day and perform the test close to the Solar Noon (when the Sun is actually highest in the sky, not what the clock says is noon).

You can also use a Volt Meter to test the SOC of your batteries.

If I just wanted to know if my Solar panels are functioning properly, I would run the batteries down to a low SOC and disconnect them (remove a cable from the terminal). I would then go to the camper around 10:00 am on a bright Sunny day, check the battery voltage, connect the battery cable and let the Solar panels charge up the batteries. I would also periodically check the voltage at the battery terminals to give me a sense of how the Solar panels are operating. Depending on the type of batteries you have, the Solar panels should be able to charge a pair of 12v Lead Acid batteries up to 80% SOC in about 4 hours, and a single Lithium battery to almost full in that same amount of time.