The decision to move into solar is a decision that must be made for the right reasons and should match your style of camping, otherwise you may be throwing money down the drain on a system that you may not even use to its full potential. The reason I say that it that a relatively moderate solar system, including inverter, and lithium-ion battery system, could run you more than $7000 for parts and labor. With a major "off grid" solar system costing more than $30,000. That is why you should really consider all options before throwing your hat into the solar program.
It is important to first consider your type of camping. Are you the type that stays at the RV park for most of your season with an occasional boon docking experience, are you a mooch docker, are you a just weekend boon docker, or are you a fulltime RVer and all you do is boondock? This should be the first question you ask yourself, because the answer to that question will determine what type of setup might be right for you. As you think about your why you want solar, you should consider less financial impacting options.
·The first option you might consider is upgrading your battery and going with a lithium-ion battery, which will give you more usable power. If you are running one standard 12-volt battery in your rig, you have a total capacity of about 85-amp hours and only half of those amps are technically usable, otherwise you could do damage to your battery. So, in essence, you are only able to use 42-amp hours of that battery, taking it down to 12 volts. By investing in lithium-ion, you could increase your battery capacity to 100 or more-amp hours, and you will be able to use about 90% of that stored energy, before the system shuts down. While the initial expense can be over $1000.00, the longevity of the battery and the weight loss (compared to lead acid) can be significant in the long run. Lithium-ion batteries last significantly longer than lead acid and in the long run, you will pay more for those lead acid batteries than you will for a lithium-ion.
If you are only a weekend boon docker and don’t need a lot of stored energy, you might consider looking into a portable solar panel. These will give you the advantage of having a solar option when you want to get out in the woods, without the major expense and weight. The nice thing about this setup is that they are portable, meaning you can camp in the trees and move your panels into the sun. These types of solar arrays are also less expensive, but will only generate a few hundred watts, depending on how many panels you use. You can also consider combining this with a lithium-ion upgrade, getting parts of both worlds.
In recent years, this has become another option on the market for many people. A solar generator, depending on the model, is nothing more than a lithium battery in a case with an inverter and some plugs, to run your accessories. Some of these also come with portable solar panels to keep them fully charged, which adds to the expense. While you can purchase these unit in a larger size, enough to power a lot of accessories, the larger you go the more expensive they are. Another advantage of going with this style of system is that they are portable, so you can take them out to the park, on a picnic, or they can even help power some appliances in your home if the power were to go out. You just need to decide how big of a system you will need to suit your power needs.
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