Hi,
I am a newbie to solar power. Have been RVing for almost three years and would like to be able to boondock. I would like to install some solar equipment on my RV for use when boondocking. I am technically educated (35 year software engineer), but know absolutely nothing about solar power except that it comes from the sun. I would like to avoid wasting a lot of money and time. Where should I start to educate myself? Can you guys please recommend a good book to get me started?
Comments
Hi AL_,
I believe you can find all types of information on the internet. Feel free to post questions to Greentech Renewables Forum where your questions would be answered by great number of solar PV installers and professionals. It's an open discussion platform for all levels of solar PV enthusiasts. Also Greentech Renewables Tech-Help/ Resources section would address some of the important issues in solar PV design and installation
If you are looking for a book where you can study systematically, I'd recommend "Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual". This is a book that I know of, but of course there are dozens of really good books available in the market.
As a starting point, you can look at the products in the RV and Marine section of this website. There are also pre-packaged RV systems that you might be interested. Such pre-packaged systems would be a good starting point in order to understand the basics of RV systems.
Please feel free to ask further information.
There are four main components of an RV system. You can narrow down your research according to the following:
1- Batteries: You can use your existing batteries, or expand the battery system. You need to know how much energy you'd consume -let's say at night, when there is no sun. If you know the number of days of autonomy, you'd figure a battery size.
2- DC-AC inverter: RVs usually have inverters. But if you are dedicating a new battery-bank to your RV that would be powered with solar, you might need to get an inverter. Usually a 500W or 1000W inverter with a car plug would suffice.
3- Charge controller: This is necessary to safely charge your batteries through the power generated from solar panels.
4- PV Panels: This is the easiest part. Mostly dependent on the available area on your roof. Also, I wouldn't recommend a 40V commercial size solar panel. Be sure to pick one that has a Vmpp of less than 30V since most available charge controllers wouldn't allow you do that.