Signal boosting for a friend:
He's working with Hurricane Relief looking at #solar power options for RVs and pop-up villages with tiny homes for winter in #ETN & #WNC. Any thoughts or suggestions regarding #renewable energy for RVs and sheds appreciated.
They're looking at this:
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-200-Watt-Volt-Monocrystalline/dp/B06VYJ8JXH/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa
and wondering if anyone has opinions on it. Open to any recommendations / brands that are effective!
Wil Prowse diysolarforum.com has a bunch of starter advice and suggestions for offgrid (and grid-interactive) solar.
Also check BougeRV.com for 100w/200w panels, charge controllers, etc. Hobotech has discount codes.
I have 4x 100W Renogy panels, MPPT charge controllers & 2kW inverter from 2020. They store in a 24v battery bank (4 100AH 12V AGM batteries). Intent was running freezer and gas furnace blower during electric outages. The #marshalfire taking out both gas & electric (for those who didn't burn down...) meant using space heaters to keep pipes from freezing; so I fired up gasoline-powered generator to supplement.
400W panels and Li batteries in 48V config now being purchased...
For mobile (truck shell camper) I'm building out 3 100W BougeRV CIGS lightweight flexible panels (most I can fit up top, by weight and area) in parallel for best durability & partial shade performance. With a 230AHr LiTime 12V house battery in a Pelican case with heating mat, I have 2-3 days cloudy runtime for 12V fridge, laptop, phones, Insty.online cell uplink (almost no 120V AC inverter use) managed w/ Victron controller
For a tiny house/shed or RV (weight and space concerns not as tight), 200W or surplus solar farm 400W rigid panels are probably the sweet spot. Everyday Solar on Youtube has some panel comparison tests between brands like BougeRV, Renogy...
Then for tiny house or RV controller+ inverter+batteries, the all-in-one "solgen" units are simpler to build/use than systems built from parts, and are getting closer to price parity. Might be worth considering if their remaining price premium makes the system happen when it otherwise would roadblock.
@tab2space thank you! Your mobile build and home setup sound really neat, and I appreciate you sharing your experience and suggestions.
I'm envious - @mbroome and I have looked at solar for running freezer and well pump in electric outages, but our house & lot just don't support it. (Roofline oriented almost exactly wrong + lots of trees and very little open yard...)
Lisa Lorenzin KR4LFE (she/her)
Richard Johnson