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Posts Tagged ‘RV solar panels’

This text is a small guide that will serve to acquaint you with the parts of an RV electrical system that is rigged to operate on renewable energy .  The goal is that you will be at ease enough with the parts to install your own RV solar panels.  I will explain each part.

Battery – the majority are 12 volts. They often say 12V, but in realism they are 13.8 volts.  The voltage the manufacturer write on the battery itself has actually been rounded down .  This won’t have an effect on you, as most  things made to employ 12 volts are in fact designed for 13.8.  Note that one of the most power hungry devices in an RV is usually  the microwave oven.  If you’re preparing to get one in your RV, you’ll almost certainly need at least three batteries, as a normal   approximation knowing the power requirements you’ll face for the standard microwave and battery capacities.

Battery Cables – don’t ever undervalue the significance of high-quality , thick battery cables.  DC electrical energy is notorious for requiring large cables.  This is because the resistance inherent  in some wire  you’ll use has more loss than would occur for AC power.  Always make sure to get high-quality thick cables.  See references to AWG (Wire Gauge charts) to find out how big of cable you’ll require based on your power requirements.  OKAY!  Let’s move on.

Inverter – The electricity that came via the RV solar panels will be fed into this device, where it will get converted from DC to AC power , which is what most applicances will need .  A television , for example , if not specifically  designed  to run on DC power, will require AC (like you’d obtain from an electrical outlet in your house ).

AC Breaker Panel – You’ll want  a panel on the AC side of the inverter that is similar or even the same as the panel in your basement at home that is full of circuit breakers.  These will trip when power usage exceeds the ability of the breakers, just like blowing a fuse, only with no hassle of having to put back the fuse…simply reset the tripped breaker.  Note that these can be, but often aren’t needed on the side of the inverter fed by the batteries and RV solar panels.  A fuse will normally be just fine for protection, since it is recommended that SOMETHING be installed to protect here, but many people don’t use breakers.

Because I’m not terribly into using anything but solar, I wouldn’t normally recommend a generator, but sometimes they are handy .  Sorry, Mother Earth.

Charge Controller – The electricity produced by your RV solar panels will be required to be regulated when charging the batteries.  The reason is that a batteries is only able to fit into it a certain amount of “juice”, and your RV solar panels may make them burst , seep or blow up with no charge controller!  Not high-quality !  It’s sure a safety issue and can be very tedious, but if you have a desire to, you can monitor the battery voltage levels by yourself.  Don’t undervalue their significance .

That’s all.  Look for future write-ups about the significance of other parts, and how to install them.  For additional info on RV Solar Panels, be sure to visit newenergytips.com.

Solar technology of the current era is jumping leaps and bounds ahead of the technology of yesteryear.    Becoming mainstream is the process of installing RV solar panels.  Some of the installations I’ve had the pleasure of helping build could easily power the entire RV’s needs throughout an entire evening at full load.  These units provide benefits that the average generator user won’t see.

For starters, they are always helping you charge your batteries when the sun is out.  This even includes cloudy days that don’t provide direct sunlight to the panels.  Modern cells have grown so efficient that even on cloudy days you can reasonably expect to see over fifty percent electricity output. 

A key to the making of your own d-i-y RV solar panels is this:  don’t buy the cells new.There are actually many sources of second hand cells for extremely low cost compared to purchasing new.

Ever go to a camp site and hear a generator running all throughout the night?  That’s the guy you don’t want to be.  I know this since I used to be the same guy.  I have heard my share of complaints because even a small “whisper quiet” generator can be heard from 300 feet away when you’re surrounded by families trying to sleep in close quarters.  With RV solar panels, it isn’t a problem.  Your trailer/RV likely charged itself up when it weas sitting in your driveway.  This means your ready to start using quiet power from the moment you drive in.

RV solar panels also have a hidden benefit that isn’t always evident – they provide shade on hot summer days!  I never would have expected this until I found that the temperature inside my RV was noticably lower when parked in the sun.  Granted, I have a high amount of RV solar panels, but the benefit is present nonetheless .

With a simple assembly of your own RV Solar Panels, you stand to save hundreds, if not thousands, over the lifetime of the panels.