I'm a few weeks away from going mobile full time in a car and trailer.
I've been dabbling with solar for a bit, and have some things I'll take with me, but I'm going to take what I've learned and hope to buy the right setup the first time.
As for my lighting? I'm going to be driving around the country full time, so a bit of everything.
I'm doing this on a budget. I've already got a 100watt flex panel and basic pwm CC, and a source for almost new 20ah 12v AGM batteries CHEEP. Two of the batteries and my 100w panel, I'm thinking would work great for my phone/ecigarette charging/two computer fans for constant vehicle ventilation. No more than a 20-35w combined draw. I've got plenty of space for this on the top of and under the floor in my car.
I also need a larger bank, to run a small TV (30w) large fan (80-120w) Stereo (25w) lights (15w) water pump (35w) occasionally an inverter for power tools (1000w peak pure sine). This would mount on top of and inside my trailer. I'm not as smart as I used to be, and I have never lived on the road full time before, so I can only guestimate my usages. I've come to believe somewhere between 200-300 rated AH at 12v would sustain me without a charge source for at least two or three days. I had been thinking all along that a pair of Trojan 6v cart batteries would suffice(200ah the low end), but I'm thinking I might want to go larger to carry more of a reserve. I would run the larger panel (200-300w?) on a mppt charge controller, but am afraid I'll be undercharging possibly?
I'd rather spend the necessary money now to make sure I don't cook batteries. No point in spending money on a system that will kill itself just because I use it.
Here's where I can't get my mind around the math to make a decision.. ALL of my loads are 12v, I'll only really use A/C when I'm on shore power or need power tools without access to it. I know that if I get a 30v range panel, and a 24v capable charge controller, and build a 24v battery bank, all my charging runs that much more efficiently. If I went 24v, I'd get a 24-12 buck converter so I tap the batteries evenly. This would also let me run 24v and convert it to 12v right at the use source, which would minimize line loss.
My three questions.
Battery bank size, and the panels that go with. Bigger? Smaller? Opinions?
Using 24v for the charging efficiency, but losing ?5-15%? when I convert it down to 12v. Is that a crazy idea?
Am I just crazy?
I've been dabbling with solar for a bit, and have some things I'll take with me, but I'm going to take what I've learned and hope to buy the right setup the first time.
As for my lighting? I'm going to be driving around the country full time, so a bit of everything.
I'm doing this on a budget. I've already got a 100watt flex panel and basic pwm CC, and a source for almost new 20ah 12v AGM batteries CHEEP. Two of the batteries and my 100w panel, I'm thinking would work great for my phone/ecigarette charging/two computer fans for constant vehicle ventilation. No more than a 20-35w combined draw. I've got plenty of space for this on the top of and under the floor in my car.
I also need a larger bank, to run a small TV (30w) large fan (80-120w) Stereo (25w) lights (15w) water pump (35w) occasionally an inverter for power tools (1000w peak pure sine). This would mount on top of and inside my trailer. I'm not as smart as I used to be, and I have never lived on the road full time before, so I can only guestimate my usages. I've come to believe somewhere between 200-300 rated AH at 12v would sustain me without a charge source for at least two or three days. I had been thinking all along that a pair of Trojan 6v cart batteries would suffice(200ah the low end), but I'm thinking I might want to go larger to carry more of a reserve. I would run the larger panel (200-300w?) on a mppt charge controller, but am afraid I'll be undercharging possibly?
I'd rather spend the necessary money now to make sure I don't cook batteries. No point in spending money on a system that will kill itself just because I use it.
Here's where I can't get my mind around the math to make a decision.. ALL of my loads are 12v, I'll only really use A/C when I'm on shore power or need power tools without access to it. I know that if I get a 30v range panel, and a 24v capable charge controller, and build a 24v battery bank, all my charging runs that much more efficiently. If I went 24v, I'd get a 24-12 buck converter so I tap the batteries evenly. This would also let me run 24v and convert it to 12v right at the use source, which would minimize line loss.
My three questions.
Battery bank size, and the panels that go with. Bigger? Smaller? Opinions?
Using 24v for the charging efficiency, but losing ?5-15%? when I convert it down to 12v. Is that a crazy idea?
Am I just crazy?
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