How much solar do I need to run my RV off-grid for boondocking?

[@2hotscottpro]

I’ve been unplugged over a month.230ah 48v ,2100 watts Bifacial pv. 100ah 12v with one 300 watt panel.Runs fridge lights n fans.Should be a 200ah bat though.It’s close on cloudy day.

[@saltytrips]

Right on, sounds like you have it dialed in pretty good!

[@2hotscottpro]

Doubling it.

[@jamesavakian4977]

Its refreshing to here you talk in watt hours. Everyone talks in amp hours Without mentioning voltage I have to guess what they are talking about. It could be 6v , 12v , 24 , 48 , 120 or more. Your the first person that mentions how voltage needs to be known to understand the energy. I have 2 lithium batteries , each one is about 2400 watt hours. I wonder if 400 watts of solar is enough to dry camp for 7 days if we use just fans and DC lights I can run the ice box on propane , but I dont know if it uses a fan that needs energy

[@saltytrips]

@@jamesavakian4977 when a electric/propane frig is only running on propane then it uses no electricity except to ignite the pilot light. As far as how much you use per day you need to do a power audit using a shunt to see how much is drawing from the battery in one day. Calculate how much solar you get in one day from 400 watt panels which isn’t much and see what the deficit is.

[@SuperSushidog]

Good explanation. I really like your car analogy. Think of batteries as your gas tank for electricity. Your inverter is your engine, providing electricity to all electrical appliances, like your TV, A/C, microwave, etc. Your solar array is the hose coming from the gas station. More solar = a higher rate of gas flow to run more things. During the day, your solar array pumps fuel into your gas tank. This electrical "fuel" can also run your engine (your inverter) while your gas tank (battery) is being filled, if you have enough solar to do both. The capacity of your battery is properly measured in kwh (though some like to use amp hrs. which can be confusing because amp/hrs is a measure of current, not power. Power is current times voltage and is measured in watts or kilowatts (1,000 watts = 1 kw). If you use 1 kw for 1 hr you get 1kwh, which is how battery capacity is measured. The more kwh your solar can produce (the wattage of your panels, times the hours they collect sunlight, times the intensity of the light that hits them equals kwh you have available to store in your battery and run stuff. This is an oversimplification used to illustrate the concept. We have 4,400 watts of solar on our roof that charges a 16.4 kwh 51.2v LiFePo-4 battery and a separate 620-watt liftable array on the side of our MH that charges a 7.1kwh 12v house battery. The high voltage battery and the rooftop solar array together powers our 5,000 watt 120v AC inverter, whereas our 12v battery and smaller side array provides all the native 12v DC power our RVs 12v appliances use (such as lights, slide motors, fans and jacks.) Since we have far more power than needed to run these items, we sometimes use this 12v battery to power a 1,000w inverter that is wired using separate outlets to run our 55" TV, entertainment center, desktop computer, ice maker and electric blanket to better distribute the solar energy we have stored, if needed. Our large 5kw inverter is able to use solar power directly from the array and works even if it's not connected to a battery, as long as there is sufficient sunlight for the load. Everyone's power requirements are different, based upon all the equipment they are trying to run simultaneously. For reference, to help estimate your power needs, I use no more than 1/3 of my 16.4 kwh battery from sundown to sunrise the next day (14-15 hrs overnight), running my 12k Btu mini-split heat pump either in cooling or heat mode, all night, as well as normal use of other appliances like microwaving dinner and running a desktop computer and TV till midnight. Running a typical rooftop A/C or a single electric resistance heater all night would use 2-3 times as much power depending on the ambient temperature and how well your RV is insulated.

[@saltytrips]

Awesome setup thanks for the input, you should definitely do a video on that setup 👍

[@ogremgtow990]

How much do you need. As much as you can get with a butt load of batteries.

[@saltytrips]

🤣👍

[@2hotscottpro]

Where is your fishing channel.Been wanting to ask you for awhile 😝

[@saltytrips]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXuaqYB9iLt1r80si=s8rgtNZHmedFcyDr

[@montinder]

Is there a reason why you didn't run the 48v system instead? I am in the process of doing a system, but I am confused about 24v vs. 48v.

[@saltytrips]

I actually have a video coming out soon discussing 12v vs 24v vs 48v. Two of the main reason is they don’t make the 48v in the 2 x 120 configuration and the solar has to run at high voltage to charge the banks.

[@montinder]

@saltytrips thank you for the reply! I am looking forward to that video

[@deannonieoakes5055]

I will go 48 Volt, there are other options to Victron, I here it's good equipment but why not have other options. When I do mine I will probably go with an all in one.

[@s.mendez7160]

You will spend less on wiring if you go 48V. Think less copper.

[@SuperJason2k]

How’s the new setup working so far?

[@saltytrips]

More videos coming 👍

[@HighmageDerin]

If you can't run your house off of it you don't have enough solar.....