Solar Panel deal

[scrubjaysnest]

We got our solar panels from UL Solar on ebay. $429 including a morningstar sunsaver 10 controller. The only down side is 12awg wire. Shipping was free.
Communications wasn't very good.

[B_and_D]

If you don't mind, would you please share the details of your purcase? It sounds like the costs have really come down since I last checked on prices.

[scrubjaysnest]

I'm not sure what details you are looking for but it is two 80 watt solar panels, the Sunsaver 10 controller, and 30 feet of 12 AWG wire. Plus the z brackets and a combiner harness, parallels the two panels.
The wire and panels meet grid tie codes. Best case output is 18.1 VDC @ 4.47 amps per panel. Don't count on that. The panels are poly crystalline which will work slightly better in partial shade or cloudy days than mono crystalline. Panels are tempered glass with aluminum frames about 24 by 36 inches.
The wire size is marginal at best and you can save some money by getting one panel with the controller and a 2nd panel. Then buy 10AWG marine grade wire some where else. If you go with Harveyrv's fixed mount system this could save you maybe $30. The sunsaver 10 may be a little marginal in full sun out west as you may begin to reach its 10 amp rating. A sunsaver 15 maybe a better choice. My system will be portable and have no room for expansion.

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

Best case output is 18.1 VDC @ 4.47 amps per panel. Don't count on that.

I have two 80W panels. While they are tiltable, I have never tilted them due to the practicality of getting to roof to do it. I have achieved in excess of 9A of charging current into battery even though the panels were not angled to be normal to incident sunlight and my current non-TM trailer has a parasitic draw of 1.0A. That said, I have the SunSaver MPPT controller which is allegedly capable of up to 15A current with 200W of array. Your mileage may vary but if you can swing the cost of the fancier controller, it may be worthwhile.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

I have two 80W panels. While they are tiltable, I have never tilted them due to the practicality of getting to roof to do it. I have achieved in excess of 9A of charging current into battery even though the panels were not angled to be normal to incident sunlight and my current non-TM trailer has a parasitic draw of 1.0A. That said, I have the SunSaver MPPT controller which is allegedly capable of up to 15A current with 200W of array. Your mileage may vary but if you can swing the cost of the fancier controller, it may be worthwhile.

Under ideal conditions the other day, panels angled to face the sun, air temp 52 deg. and crystal clear skies I measured 9.78 amps into the sunsaver 10 pwm controller. That was with almost 20 vdc at the panels. What would be more effective for small arrays is a tristar 45 pwm. This is much lower cost then mppt while having user adjustable set points. The two most important factors in getting fully charged batteries are 14.8VDC at the battery(s) and temperature compensation. The 14.8 is especially true for Trojan batteries. Interstate wants 15vdc for their batteries while other battery makers range from 14.4 to 14.8. I haven't looked at the sunsaver mppt but the one I have is fixed at 14.4 and isn't user adjustable.

One of these days, we'll do the solar thing. This is the mppt controller I've been following:

http://www.roguepowertech.com/products/mpt3024.htm

Amazingly, it's made in Oregon, not China.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by brulaz

One of these days, we'll do the solar thing. This is the mppt controller I've been following:

http://www.roguepowertech.com/products/mpt3024.htm

Amazingly, it's made in Oregon, not China.

The remote battery sense and remote temperature are good. Just noticed adjustable setpoints is good

I thought you already had a couple of solar panels

Harvey has pointed out to me, with solar panel prices going through the floor, it would be more cost effective to just get another panel or two and the cheapest controller out there.

But I really appreciate well-designed electronics, and the Rogue seems pretty nice that way. You can get a usb adapter for your computer and go crazy monitoring things too. But that's my inner "nerd" talking.

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

The remote battery sense and remote temperature are good. Just noticed adjustable setpoints is good

I thought you already had a couple of solar panels

Solar panels are the last thing on my to-do list of upgrades. And since Everglades N.P. put in electricity, we have even less reason to go with solar panels. I may just have to take them off my to-do list.

[ShrimpBurrito]

I love the idea of panels, and that's certainly the route I would go before ever getting a genny. But so far, we've never run out of power with our Trojan T-105s, even with generous heater usage.

Dave

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Harvey has pointed out to me, with solar panel prices going through the floor, it would be more cost effective to just get another panel or two and the cheapest controller out there.

But I really appreciate well-designed electronics, and the Rogue seems pretty nice that way. You can get a usb adapter for your computer and go crazy monitoring things too. But that's my inner "nerd" talking.



Solar panels are the last thing on my to-do list of upgrades. And since Everglades N.P. put in electricity, we have even less reason to go with solar panels. I may just have to take them off my to-do list.

Wayne has a point, my 80 watt panels were $149 each and they are grid tie rated. The only thing I have against the cheaper controllers is getting the voltage high enough at the battery to get a full charge. This can be especially true for batteries like the Trojan T105's. On our TM the 8955 converter takes 2 and 1/2 days to bring up a single marine deep cycle and that is with no use of anything 12 volt in the camper.
I know in handybobs blog he rants a lot but one thing he is correct about, it's not amp rating of the wire that prevents getting a full battery charge, its the voltage at the battery to push the current in. I'm still testing my solar setup but the first thing I did was get rid of all the #12 AWG I could.