It’s been about five years since I last wrote about Flexible Solar Panels and my views still haven’t changed, people (end users and RV dealerships) haven’t stopped mounting them on RV roofs, and the technology hasn’t really advanced. It’s still a bad idea to mount flexible panels directly to the roof of your RV, but RV dealers, manufacturers, and owners still do it, and our installation crew frequently gets tasked with removing them.
Boondocking, or going off-grid, is not something normally associated with Prevost ownership. These motorhomes are designed for RV parks, and their outdated factory power systems aren’t able to supply more than just a few basic systems without a shore power connection. But, there are options. The AM Solar modernization package can give you energy independence and more freedom.
AM Solar recently had the opportunity to build up a dream rig for a client. This 2021 Mercedes Sprinter Freightliner 2500 is the long and tall version with no windows. The client wanted solar charging, inverter/charging, alternator charging, and a small DC distribution kit. AM Solar’s experience with empty van installations led them to installing the batteries and inverter system over the wheel well, which can be built around nicely once you are ready to install cabinets, a bed, and other furniture.
Intro to the Family with Camping in its DNA
Recently, AM Solar had the pleasure of meeting up with Beth Mowll and her husband for their 4th van build. The Mowlls recently purchased another Sprinter to convert to a camper. Besides the one the Mowlls use themselves, they wanted to gift these other three converted vans to their children. This way, the Mowlls and their adult children can adventure to the same places they’ve always enjoyed as a family. Getting off-grid to the middle of nowhere is in their nature.
This is the first solar power system we have installed in a horse trailer. This client is an avid outdoor enthusiast who spends a lot of his time on horseback riding trails throughout the United States. His website is devoted to providing accurate, detailed information about the trails he rides, so that other riders know what to expect when tackling a new trail. He came to us to have solar power installed so that he could charge the equipment he uses to document his journeys without draining his batteries. The solar power system we installed will allow him to record and share his adventures without having to worry about his batteries dying at an inopportune moment. Check out his website at www.trailmeister.com
This client came to us equipped with a Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station, a Zamp 100W solar panel, and a 30A Zamp charge controller. Her primary use for the Yeti 400 Power Station was to power her CPAP machine, which she was able to do for about 2 nights before it needed to be recharged. She used the Zamp solar system to power her refrigerator, but 100W wasn’t enough to keep up with the refrigerator’s power needs. We upgraded her solar system to 260W using a Zamp 170W panel, and a Zamp 90W panel, which we bolted together using two angle aluminum bars. We installed a conveniently placed outlet for her CPAP machine, which is now powered directly from her house batteries, along with her refrigerator. Now she has a solar power system that meets her energy usage needs without the worry of charging the Yeti 400, or her food getting warm.
We installed a Blue Sky system for this client several years ago, and they recently came back to have a new solar power system installed in their new coach. Their primary need for a solar power system is to offset the energy used by their residential refrigerator. We installed 680W of solar power on their roof, about three-fourths of which will go towards powering their refrigerator. In ideal conditions (lots of sun) the excess solar power can be used to charge their batteries faster. Sometimes conditions are less than ideal though (not enough sun), which is why no one complains about having too much solar power.
These clients like to travel around the country with the goal of avoiding hot weather. They are headed for Alaska for the next several months, and on their way, they stopped by to have solar power installed to offset some of their electrical usage. We installed 400W of solar power on their roof, and the majority of their system control components were installed under their bed. This Airstream came with a Zamp portable solar panel plug, which they wanted to be integrated into the solar system we installed. We set up this system with expansion in mind, so if they find that 400W isn’t enough to offset their light DC loads, they have the option of using a portable panel, and/or they could choose to install up to another 200W on their roof.
This client asked us to install as much solar power as possible on the roof of their Winnebago View. The space was pretty limited, but we managed to install three Zamp Solar 170W solar panels, providing a total of 510W of solar power. Ideally, we would recommend a 400Ah battery bank with this system to provide enough power to manage their frequent microwave and hair dryer use. Due to space constraints there was only enough room for a 300Ah battery bank, which we placed underneath their top step. Due to the height of the LifeLine AGM batteries we had to modify the lid to the compartment housing the batteries so that the battery terminals were not going to be touching a metal lid. With this accomplished, they are able to use their microwave and hair dryer, they will just want to monitor their power usage to ensure they are not draining their batteries more quickly than they would like.
This client has had solar power installed on many rigs in the past. Some of the solar systems he installed himself, but he had us do the installation on his last rig, and he recently came back to us to install solar power on his brand-new Bay Star. In addition to installing a MS2012 Magnum inverter to invert solar generated power from DC to AC, he asked us to separately install his Iota 45A converter. When necessary, he plans to plug this converter into a small, relatively quiet 2000W portable generator to charge his batteries when his power usage exceeds the power available from solar. This way he won’t have to run his larger, much noisier generator. He says the reduction in noise will go a long way towards keeping his wife happy.
We rarely work on boats because we are so busy with RVs, but a friend needed some power before a fishing trip and we were able to squeeze him in last week. Prior to coming to AM Solar we had directed him to a 30W panel on Amazon.com since we didn’t have anything small enough in our inventory at the time. The client also supplied the rings to attach the bar across the top of his boat. After connecting the panel we notice that the voltage differential between the panel and the battery was too low for conventional charge controllers and the system would only have worked on very cold days when the battery was extremely low. To solve this, we used a Genasun GV-Boost charge controller that can take any input from 5V-63V and feed current onto a 12V battery bank. The controller worked perfectly and quickly brought his battery bank up to a full charge.
This is one of the coolest campers we have worked on. The client used to live in a Tiny Home. Now he has moved into a camper that is about the same size. We installed 540 Watts of solar power and substantially upgraded his battery bank. This camper is designed to be very energy (and space) efficient, so the solar power we installed should go a long way towards powering his light DC loads.
This is another client of ours that made the decision to move out of their traditional home and live the RV lifestyle full-time. This client actually had their brand-new Escape trailer delivered to our facility by the manufacturer. They are planning on working full-time out of their trailer while traveling around the country. The 360W solar power system we installed will help keep their batteries charged, and allow them to run some light DC loads while they journey throughout the country.
This client’s rig came to us equipped with both a residential fridge, and an AC/DC freezer. They also had a 3000W Xantrex inverter (previously installed), and a battery bank consisting of eight 6V Discover AGM batteries providing 414Ah of usable battery capacity. We installed 1400W of solar power on their roof, mixing five SF180W solar power kits with 5 SP100W solar power kits. On average, the solar power generated by this system will restore about 350Ah a day to their batteries. We also installed a Victron 150/100 charge controller with built-in Bluetooth capability, a Victron BMV-702 battery monitor, and a VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart Dongle so they can easily and accurately monitor their battery bank’s state of charge.
This premium system contains some of the best components money can buy. These clients had us install a 960W solar charging system with a 600Ah lithium battery bank, and a 3000VA inverter. They live full time in their RV, and now they can enjoy some of the same comforts of a grid connected home while on the road. Living off-grid is much easier with a powerful system like this.
This client was looking for something small and relatively inexpensive to keep his batteries charged and in good health. To accomplish his goal, we installed 360W of solar charging power along with a 25A Blue Sky charge controller. He’ll also be able to use the added solar power to help run some light DC loads.
One decision our clients have to make when setting up their RVs with solar power is what kind of battery bank they want. Lifeline AGM batteries are very popular for this type of application, but we also offer Lithium batteries, which are the latest and greatest battery technology. For this client we installed an 800Ah 12V Lifeline AGM battery bank. A comparable lithium system would have cost over $6000, while this client paid around $2200 for their AGMs. This is a very powerful system for someone who doesn’t want to spend the additional money on a Lithium system.
This client was already familiar with BlueSky solar products, so he chose to go with a BlueSky 3024iL charge controller. Along with the BlueSky charge controller we installed a 2000VA Victron Inverter kit, and a 300Ah AGM battery bank to complete the system. The mid-sized solar power kits provide enough power to keep his batteries healthy, and run some electronic devices when disconnected from shore power.
This client elected to go with a Refrigerator Vent Combiner Box instead of our usual Roof Combiner Box because they didn’t want to have another hole drilled into their roof. The Refer Vent Box utilizes the existing hole that is used to vent the refrigerator, but it can only accommodate up to four solar inputs. It’s not a bad option if you’re definitely not going to expand, but it is obviously limited. The Roof Combiner Box we manufacture allows for eight solar inputs, doubling the possible capacity.
