T66
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| posted on 4/11/11 at 08:35 AM |
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Caravan solar panel advice please?
Advice required please- need a suitable size panel to live permanently on tje caravan roof
It's to charge a car battery only used for interior lighting, nothing else.
How big a panel / wattage?
And where best to buy one please.
Thank you in advance.
Ivan
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Benzine
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| posted on 4/11/11 at 08:50 AM |
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LED lights or Incandescent? I have 5 LED lights in our motorhome, 3 use 0.1a (each)and 2 use 0.2a (each), I could leave all of them on year round
with 2x170W panels and 3x125aH batteries, but i wouldn't be able to with normal bulbs. I know someone that lives in a van with a single smallish
80w panel and he manages okay but struggles in winter (he runs a laptop too)
[Edited on 4-11-2011 by Benzine]
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 4/11/11 at 09:27 AM |
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^^ as above depends on load but 60W+ if using LED lights.. Also don't use a car battery use a proper deep discharge leisure battery, and keep an
eye on the voltage (a DVM or cheap ebay digital panel meter is a good idea), one deep discharge and you are most likely going to kill the battery; a
good charge controller will take care of this (stops over and under charging, and some stop over discharging as well). Don't think it's a
cheap option, it is not, using mains hookup if you have it is probably cheaper, but for places without mains it's a great idea.
You can get semi flexible panels (used on boats, you can walk on them!) they may be ideal, as you can glue them to the curved roof...
I have used the company alternative energy store limited (http://www.alternativeenergystore.co.uk/) for deep cycle batteries; they would be good to
talk to and point you in the right direction in terms of panel size ect. They (used to) stock elecsol batteries and these are very good as they
don't mind the occasional deep discharge unlike conventional batteries. Having checked there site not sure if they will be interested now though
as they have focused on the government solar "feed in" gold rush, might be worth a phone call though.,
Dan
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T66
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| posted on 4/11/11 at 10:39 AM |
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As always locost comes up with the goods.
Thanks folks.
Will give them a ring see how we get on.
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