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We got the factory-installed solar setup on our new Airstream. The two panels are rated at 55 watts each and the batteries are the glassmatt type, which I believe are the only ones suitable for the charging characteristics of the solar cells and the device that controls recharging. I haven't made a study of the rate of recharge but was surprised to see over the weekend that I got readings as high as 6 amp hours just from sunlight passing intermittently through the trees in the Calaveras Big Trees Park. We're pretty efficient in our electricity use, I think, but it seems that with little effort we could go 5 or more days with normal California sunshine without seriously depleting the batteries.
Rich Luhr has what seems like double the capacity that we have: double the solar cells and double the batteries. Sounds like a serious boondocking setup, but probably overkill for your needs and mine.
The price you were quoted is just a bit more than we paid, but I suspect that our installation was easier because the newer models are already prewired for solar. I'm guessing that yours would require somewhat more work to retrofit.
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