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Old 03-18-2023, 05:30 PM   #1
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Solar Powered Generator?

Anyone using one of these on their trips?
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Old 03-18-2023, 05:40 PM   #2
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Anyone using one of these on their trips?
Explain a little more about the device you are referring to.
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Old 03-18-2023, 07:13 PM   #3
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Anyone using one of these on their trips?
IMHO, a waste of money.
They don't generate anything, they are storage batteries.
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Old 03-18-2023, 07:39 PM   #4
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I built my own with a 300 ah LiFeP04 battery and 2200 watt inverter. Boondock with this setup and for our needs it's fine.
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Old 03-18-2023, 07:42 PM   #5
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For RV or Travel Trailer, I don't see a need. Your better off using the money to upgrade the capacity of your house batteries and install an inverter.

For tent camping I can see the need for one to have a few comforts off grid. But you still need some solar panels for it.
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Old 03-18-2023, 07:45 PM   #6
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IMHO, a waste of money.
They don't generate anything, they are storage batteries.
With an integral inverter.
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Old 03-19-2023, 05:40 AM   #7
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Explain a little more about the device you are referring to.
Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Gener...08P42QKWK&th=1

The solar setup on my trailer does not supply power to any outlets.
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Old 03-19-2023, 06:07 AM   #8
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How large is your battery and solar capacity on your RV now? You may have most of the components already and just need to add an inverter to provide 120V AC from your existing batteries.
An inverter will cost a lot less than a Jackery. Evaluate your existing 12V DC system on your RV and estimate how much power you want for 120V AC. Then you can make an informed decision on what would be best for you.



We have 200Ahr of battery capacity and 330W of solar panels. We use a Bestek 500W inverter to provide 120AC for an extra fan, charge a laptop, run the TV, etc. It is not large enough for a coffee pot, the microwave, AC or such. It is enough for us.
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Old 03-19-2023, 07:44 AM   #9
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I built my own solar generator (SG). I keep my batteries outside of the unit. I can put the SG anywhere I please from my house to the trailer. At the camp site it can be in the trailer cabin, in the storage bay, outside the trailer, in my pickup bed, or in the back seat area. All my connections are via large Anderson quick Connectors.

I can charge it with solar, alternator, 120 AC in the truck, 12v in the truck, or 120 at home. I use 2 lifepo4 batteries. One is always attached to the trailer doing its thing and the other is constantly being charged by the sun or the alternator while doing day trips in the pickup. While doing solar, I can move the truck to where (within reason) the sun path is free of trees.

Every Maine Winter when not in FL, I use it when the Nor'easters knock out the home power. I have done that twice this year so far.

Now I understand why people with the large, expensive 5th wheels and higher on the food chain aren't thrilled with the little additional work they would have to do to utilize a SG, but for the rest of us a SG is a viable solution for our RV electrical needs.

I like the new generation of SGs out there. I would buy one of those units for about 3000 dollars that has a lot of power and future potential for increased power. The only draw back (if that) is your ability to fix it if for some reason it breaks down.

Regarding cost comparisons, a 400 watt roof mounted system, including an inverter, batteries, and Victron equipment, installed on a trailer by professionals will cost you around 11,000 dollars.
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Old 03-19-2023, 07:56 AM   #10
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Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Gener...08P42QKWK&th=1

The solar setup on my trailer does not supply power to any outlets.
Since your trailer already has a solar system and a storage battery, all you need to add to get AC power at your outlets is an inverter. Why buy a whole solar generator set when you already have most of what you need?
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Old 03-19-2023, 08:51 AM   #11
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If I was to do this I am thinking I could put the inverter in my front compartment which is close to the battery. I would get another battery and an inverter. Would the 100 watt solar panel be enough?
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Old 03-19-2023, 09:08 AM   #12
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If I was to do this I am thinking I could put the inverter in my front compartment which is close to the battery. I would get another battery and an inverter. Would the 100 watt solar panel be enough?
Enough for what? It depends on what appliances or devices you want to run off the system.
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Old 03-19-2023, 10:48 AM   #13
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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Yeah. It's like asking, "I have $50. Is that enough?"

Well, yeah - - - if you want to buy some wieners and a couple of six packs.
A nice prime rib? Probably not.
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Old 03-19-2023, 11:02 AM   #14
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If I was to do this I am thinking I could put the inverter in my front compartment which is close to the battery. I would get another battery and an inverter. Would the 100 watt solar panel be enough?
Some points that will help answer your question re: 100 watt panel.

An RV 12 v system is a lot like a small town water system. The water source from a lake, river, creek, well etc has a limited capacity due to the size of the pump and pipes. The town will have demands that can exceed the capacity of the water system's ability to deliver at various times. In order to meet the daily demand the town will have a reservoir or water tank on a tower or nearby hill to store enough water to meet the peak demands.

In the RV, when using solar power, the "source" will be the Sun. We all know that the Sun is only going to be able to provide energy for a portion of the day and it's peak power will only be available for 25% of the day at best. Daylight hours vary and when Sun is lower in the sky it has to pass through more of the atmosphere so a good portion of it's energy isn't able to reach solar panels.

The solar panels now represent the pump and pipes of the water system analogy. Can only provide so much power based on the number of panels collecting it.

The batteries represent the reservoir, storing power while the solar panels can collect it.

When putting together a plan for sizing a solar system one needs to decide how many Kilowatt Hours will be needed. Many will suggest adding up "amps" consumed by appliance and then try to figure out how large a solar panel system is required. I prefer to use Watts and Watt Hours rather than go back and forth from watts (from panels) to Amp hours for batteries, etc.

If the item you need to run doesn't list it's power consumption in watts (most 120v devices do while DC items only show amps) it's just a matter of multiplying the number of amps by whatever voltage it's supposed to run on. AC appliances typically use 120v and DC will use 12.5 volts (typical).

Now that you have the number of Watts needed when devices are running that can be converted to Watt Hours by determining the amount of time the device will be running in minutes then divide by 60.

For battery sizing a typical 100 ah battery will have a rating of 1.2 KWh (the mfr will list in specs).

Now comes the fun part. You know how many Kwh's you will need to run your "appliances" but you will have to guess how much solar power you'll have available. Since solar can only be counted on to produce max power roughly 25% of the day you will need more solar panels so that the batteries can be recharged in order to run the appliances through the night and until the solar panels start to produce again.

If you run a residential refrigerator and a furnace overnight, it's not unreasonable to have a 100 amp hour battery (1200 watt hour) battery be mostly depleted by the next morning. If your 100w solar panel is in bright sun for the generally accepted Peak Solar Power period of 6 hrs +/-, you will only see 600 watt hours of power produced for battery charge leaving the battery at 50% SOC when the sun goes down. This also assumes that you will have NO DC power consumption during the this time.

I know you asked if a 100w panel would be adequate which was a lot like "asking what time it was and I built you a clock to answer". There really isn't a short answer or a one size fits all answer with solar. It all depends on how much power one needs but the above may help some understand how solar fits into their DC power needs and capabilities better.

For the short answer, if one depletes a 100ah battery after full day of use, they will need at least 300 watts of solar AND a perfect day for solar generation. BTW, Lead Acid batteries will require MORE time to recharge than LiFePo4 batteries increasing the need for more panels.
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Old 03-19-2023, 02:36 PM   #15
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I have both - my Motorhome has two Battleborn 100 amp-hour LiFePO4 batteries, a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter, a PD 60 amp lithium converter, a Renogy 20 amp dc-to-dc charger, and a Renogy solar panel/controller system. I also have an EcoFlo Delta 1300 Solar Generator with an EcoFlo solar panel.

While I rarely take the EcoFlo with me camping (somewhat redundant with my installed system), the EcoFlo has many very useful features which make it an attractive alternative.

I almost never charge the EcoFlo using Solar (too slow). It has an extremely fast internal 120 volt charger - will charge from 0 to 80% in about an hour. Allows recharge with a short generator run, if shore power not available. It also has internal electronics that allow it to be used as a very capable UPS - plug it in to 120 volts and plug, say, your modem and computer into it - if the 120 volt power source fails, the connected load keeps working uninterrupted (I often use the EcoFlo in this mode). It is fully contained (batteries, charger, MPPT controller, 1800 watt pure sine wave inverter, usb outputs, 12 volt dc output) in a lightweight (~30 lb), easy to carry container. If I need 120 volts in the yard, easier to grab this than to dig out a long extension cord.

I think there are newer models with other capabilities. Downsides on mine - inverter efficiency is somewhat low, it uses (lighter weight for capacity) Li ion batteries rather than LiFePO4 batteries resulting in lower rated battery cycle life.

While the term “Solar generator” is misleading, I very much like this device and use it frequently.
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Old 03-19-2023, 03:34 PM   #16
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While I rarely take the EcoFlo with me camping (somewhat redundant with my installed system), .

Kinda proves what most of us say here.
For camping .... spend the money on some good upgrades to the RV/trailer and get better usage for your $$$
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Old 03-19-2023, 04:13 PM   #17
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I’ll toss this in for debate. If you only boondock occasionally and perhaps only for weekends, then a portable “solar generator” may be a good option because you can use it at home or for other purposes. Obviously you’d have to figure out how you’ll recharge the “solar generator”. However, if you boondock regularly then it’s probably better to invest in a good permanent setup by upgrading your RV’s existing solar system. Either way, if you boondock in forested areas then a portable solar panel setup will be needed.

Here’s a new video discussing the EcoFlow Delta Pro which is like a larger Jackery. Note that in the video Jared suggests that the cost of the EcoFlow Delta Pro would be similar to a good solar setup so you’ll have to decide how to spend your money.

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Old 03-19-2023, 05:47 PM   #18
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Kinda proves what most of us say here.
For camping .... spend the money on some good upgrades to the RV/trailer and get better usage for your $$$
If I hadn’t already done the upgrade on my Motorhome I probably would bring and use the EcoFlo.
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Old 03-19-2023, 05:53 PM   #19
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[QUOTE=itat;2832191]I’ll toss this in for debate. If you only boondock occasionally and perhaps only for weekends, then a portable “solar generator” may be a good option because you can use it at home or for other purposes. Obviously you’d have to figure out how you’ll recharge the “solar generator”. However, if you boondock regularly then it’s probably better to invest in a good permanent setup by upgrading your RV’s existing solar system. Either way, if you boondock in forested areas then a portable solar panel setup will be needed.

Here’s a new video discussing the EcoFlow Delta Pro which is like a larger Jackery. Note that in the video Jared suggests that the cost of the EcoFlow Delta Pro would be similar to a good solar setup so you’ll have to decide how to spend your money.
But we have to compare apples to apples. A full size EcoFlow Delta or Bluetti are turnkey systems. The comparable RV installed system is only comparable if it is self installed. A professional installation will cost twice as much.
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Old 03-23-2023, 08:12 PM   #20
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I have a 1000 watt Jackery that I use as a short term backup if power goes out at home. Power has not gone out since I bought it so it is doing its job. I ran a 750 watt space heater off of it for 2 minutes just to see if it would handle the load. No problem.
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