How often do you use a external, portable solar panels?

[daleyocum]

Originally Posted by foobar

To add a little more background, we will shortly have 700 watts of solar on the roof of our GT 27 FB Twin, a very large lithium bank 800+ah and a pair of mppt solar controllers. One for the roof array and one that is dedicated to any future portable panels that we might add.

We have a separate solar controller for any portable panels that we might add so that we don't have to worry about matching the voltage or current characteristics of the current panels on the roof.

The reason for this thread is that I am trying to decide on how useful/important portable panels are in terms of augmenting the array on the roof. I was hoping to leverage the experience of others before we invested in anything portable.

We plan to boondock for 1 - 2 weeks at a time. We hope to be camping somewhat frequently now that I'm retired.

I'll probably start with the array we have on the roof and see how well this works for us given that we expect our energy usage to be on the higher side (we have starlink and enjoy streaming movies, etc, etc).

I have a FC25 with 500w on the roof and 500ah of lithium, victron Multiplus 3000 inverter, Cerbo, and two solar controllers-one for the roof array and one for our ground 100w Renogy suitcase.

We use a lot of electricity — for cooking with induction, coffee, hair driers, TV, toaster oven, etc. We don’t have an electric fridge. We typically use up about 30% of our battery bank between 5pm and 9am. If we are camping in the sun everything recharges by mid afternoon at the latest. We are glad to have the portable panel if we aren’t in full sun, however. I find a well-aimed portable panel to produce about twice the power as a roof panel. If we need to run the AC for a little while on battery to cool off at night we will almost certainly need to run the generator the next day to get back to 100% unless we are parked with full sun.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

We have 4 sets of portable panels. None of them have ever been used when camping, at least not yet. None have ever been needed, even when we are off grid for a week or three.

Bob

[field & stream]

We have very rarely used ours. But we have used it more than our spare tire or collision insurance.

[Mount'n Man]

We have a Renogy 200 suitcase that comes out when we boondock or rally off grid (eg Balloon Fiesta). Never had an issue with battery power and been very pleased. It is a little heavy but lives in the hall closet "just in case".

I also use it with my vintage Avion when it goes off grid and plan to use it on the little timber frame cabin I'm building on our property

Sent from my SM-A505U using Airstream Forums mobile app

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by field & stream

We have very rarely used ours. But we have used it more than our spare tire or collision insurance.

Hi

The (zero ) times we've used our panels also keeps us ahead of / same as the spare tire on the trailer ( but not on the van ....).

The more interesting factoid: We lug along a generator ( and have for 5 years ). So far that also is on the "zero times used" list.

What does get used?

1) The solar stuff on the roof

2) Shore power charging when we happen to have shore power

3) The DC/DC charging from the TV while we are in motion.

Given that it charges quietly in the background, number 1 is a bit hard to evaluate. I'd say that number 3 has been the champ over the last 6 months.

Bob

[Piggy Bank]

Does anyone use a portable solar panel solely at their storage facility to keep their battery topped off? My AS is a 2019 so came pre-wired for solar. We have the standard converter and basic "add-water" batteries currently.

We will need to replace our batteries at the end of this camping season. So I am starting to look at all of this stuff.

We do camp off grid from time to time, but own a Honda 2000 and don't really mind using it.

But our standard water batteries do lose charge in storage since we don't camp weekly during the season (we over-winter them at home on a trickle charger), and have managed to get 3 seasons out of them which is pretty good from our experience.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

[GOUSC]

I have 250 on the roof and carry 2, 100W Zamp portable’s. I carry them in case I am in shade and need them. I’ve only used them twice in 2 years. I will continue to carry them and would purchase them again. I never know if I will need them but have them if I do.

[Kanusport]

Hello
The solar suitcase is easy to operate, setup and otherwise use. Plug and play really. I pulled in 55a today with 200 watt renogy suitcase with solar controller.
Thanks
Sean

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by foobar

Thanks for all of the responses.



I understand that the answer to my question was likely "it depends", lol.



But, in the off chance that the majority of folks bought a portable panel and then realized they never used it, I wanted to ask the question as I could save a modest bundle of $$ if portable panels were not that useful for most folks.



Likewise, if everyone used portable panels routinely, then these would go onto my long term wish list to purchase at some point.



So far, it seems like the needle on the gauge is leaning towards most folks making at least intermittent use if not frequent use of portable panels.



I'd like to hear from more folks if there are any more people that wouldn't mind taking a minute to respond.

I bought a small 40 watt panel for $100 about 5 years ago. It still works perfectly, and I set it up whenever we are in a park without power - which is probably 80% of the time. It is adequate, and relatively easy to handle and set up.

It was not a waste of money at all. I did end up upgrading the charge controller.

[SVTRIDE]

Originally Posted by foobar

Thanks for all of the responses.

I'd like to hear from more folks if there are any more people that wouldn't mind taking a minute to respond.

I was given a Zamp 140w suitcase solar last year when I got my AS. Buddy had one that he never used. I have yet to bring it along whilst boon dock camping. Well made but big / heavy. Not needed for our power use habits. Perhaps in the future? Our AS does have a propane frig, configed w/ 360w total roof mounted solar, 2 AGM.

[DaveP]

We are off grid 90% of the time. Usually, a week at a time, two times per month. Have three 200-watt Renogy suitcases which we use every time. Keeps our 400 AHrs of lithium full except for in bad weather. We always carry a generator but use it infrequently (only in bad weather).

[zapper]

Originally Posted by foobar

Thanks for all of the responses.

I understand that the answer to my question was likely "it depends", lol.

But, in the off chance that the majority of folks bought a portable panel and then realized they never used it, I wanted to ask the question as I could save a modest bundle of $$ if portable panels were not that useful for most folks.

Likewise, if everyone used portable panels routinely, then these would go onto my long term wish list to purchase at some point.


So far, it seems like the needle on the gauge is leaning towards most folks making at least intermittent use if not frequent use of portable panels.

I'd like to hear from more folks if there are any more people that wouldn't mind taking a minute to respond.

Yes it depends. I have a Zamp 180 watt suitcase fold out panel. I use it mainly when the unit was stored and didn’t have access to AC to charge to batteries. It worked ok as long as you have acces to southern sky. I don’t use it for boon docking .

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One wrinkle in all this:

Most of the portable solar stuff is targeted at lead acid batteries. That's fine for 99% of the intended market. If you happen to be running lithiums, the controller on the panels either needs to come with a lithium setup (rare) or you replace it (the more common solution).

Is that a big deal? Not really. It is something that is worth looking into if you are shopping for some brand new ones.

Also worth considering: The input cabling on the typical AS is good for 10 to 20A. That comes out to 240W max into the normal input port. If you are going to rig something past a 200W setup, some amount of added wiring will be needed. Again, not a big deal and very much in the DIY range.

Bob

[foobar]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

One wrinkle in all this:

Most of the portable solar stuff is targeted at lead acid batteries. That's fine for 99% of the intended market. If you happen to be running lithiums, the controller on the panels either needs to come with a lithium setup (rare) or you replace it (the more common solution).

Is that a big deal? Not really. It is something that is worth looking into if you are shopping for some brand new ones.

Also worth considering: The input cabling on the typical AS is good for 10 to 20A. That comes out to 240W max into the normal input port. If you are going to rig something past a 200W setup, some amount of added wiring will be needed. Again, not a big deal and very much in the DIY range.

Bob

Thanks for that information in case I was not aware of this.

As part of my solar installation, I am adding a second victron smart solar controller (150/45 version) that is dedicated to any future external panels and is networked/synced with the controller for my rooftop panels. This is done so that I can use any arbitrary external panels without having to worry about matching the characteristics of the rooftop panels.

The factory zamp port is being replaced with 6 gauge wiring and an Anderson SB50 port that is mounted inside the now empty weatherproofed battery box (we sealed the holes in the box and added a gasket to the lid).

SB50 Anderson connectors are rated to 600v, 120A. Hot plug limit is lower and is 50amp.

As for external panels, I am currently looking closely at purchasing one of the lightweight, rugged, flexible panels from merlin. Specifically the panther 310 or the panther 610. The panther 310 is only 16lbs.

[Lab lover]

On our 26U we have 400 watts on the roof (AM Solar Springfield, OR) and a 160 watt portable. The portable has been good for us adding to our energy gathering capability, particularly in the northwest with short days, low sun angles, tall trees, and frequent cloud cover. If our sun “window “ is only 3 hrs or so the extra capacity is helpful. If we’re in Utah where sunshine is in generous supply, the portable stays in the truck. We are boondocked about half the time. We’re currently on our 56th trip (Yellowstone/Tetons) since purchase 5 1/2 yrs ago and I’ve never had to use a generator.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by Lab lover

On our 26U we have 400 watts on the roof (AM Solar Springfield, OR) and a 160 watt portable. The portable has been good for us adding to our energy gathering capability, particularly in the northwest with short days, low sun angles, tall trees, and frequent cloud cover. If our sun “window “ is only 3 hrs or so the extra capacity is helpful. If we’re in Utah where sunshine is in generous supply, the portable stays in the truck. We are boondocked about half the time. We’re currently on our 56th trip (Yellowstone/Tetons) since purchase 5 1/2 yrs ago and I’ve never had to use a generator.

Thanks Lab lover and everyone else who have responded.

Based on the feedback here, I decided to add a second solar controller for the external solar port and to upgrade the wiring and connector for the external port as I described in my response to Bob.

We will expect to spend a lot of time in northern and forested areas in the summer when it is less pleasant at our home in North Texas. Having the ability to make limited access to the sun more effective seems useful to me.

I might wait until next year to invest in the external panel or panels as the current round of trailer upgrades have consumed more than I expected, lol.

[Greg Lewis]

Renogy 100W panel here..it does a great job of keeping battery’s leveled up it’s lightweight and easy to set up. I did buy an extension cable to be able to move it around easier.

[gypsydad]

We have used the GoPower 80W suitcase for over 8 years now. We carry at foot of our twin beds, but in our 25' we stored under the dinette. We use it when we are boondocking and have sun access just to top off our batteries. If I was getting a new one, I would get 100+ watt model; charges faster, but ours works fine and does the job in about 3 hours assuming direct sunlight access. We do move it around as the sun moves when camping with trees. Portability gives you this option. Because it is all one folding unit, it is pretty easy to set up and take down/store. We leave the plug in connector cord attached to the battery terminals so set up is pretty easy.

[TikiRoom]

We use ours all the time. We have a 3000W goal zero that we use dry camping to power the RV. (CPAP, Lights, TV...). We go thru about 1000W a day with the setup. We have a 200W portable unit that we pull out to charge the goal zero during the day. Depending on conditions we get 20w - 185w input. Sunny days we can fully recharge the goal zero. Cloudy days I'm happy to get 500W. My end goal is to be able to sustain 4-5 days dry camping which tends to be our water limit.

As we are in the PNW much of our camping has tree cover. So I admit when I'm at the camp ground I'm a bit obsessive about maximizing the charge and tend to follow the sun to find the good sport avoiding tree cover. I have a 20' extension cord plus can move the goal zero around as needed to find a sunny spot. In open areas, this is not needed so much as it is open sky.

[foobar]

Speaking of cable length, what should I target for an extension cable for an external panel?

I've got cargo weight challenges with respect to trailer GVWR on my GT 27 FB Twin, so I have to be careful not to get cables longer (and therefore heavier) than I really need for 80 or 90% of the usage cases.