Once the caravan, 5th wheeler or
trailer is set up on site for a few days camping it is in a
fixed position which may not be the optimum area for fixed
solar panels to capture the most light, particularly early
morning and late afternoon as the panels are not
perpendicular to the sun, or some shading may occur from
roof top air conditioners or trees so some add extra panels
to compensate for this tolerance.
Portable
solar power systems including flexible solar panels are now
lightweight and convenient for camping or camper trailer use for
charging the battery back-up power for portable refrigeration and
lighting. You can have it set up so the portable solar panel plugs
into your existing solar power system of your RV or the solar panel
may come with a cable with battery alligator clips to attach to a
battery for say a camper trailer/tent trailer or vehicle dual
battery system.
A
useful book to read for a better understanding of solar power for
motorhomes, fifth-wheelers, caravans and campervans is ‘Solar
That Really Works’ by Collyn Rivers. He is also the author of
‘The Camper Trailer Book’ which has information on batteries,
battery charging and supplementing with solar.
A few
brand names/suppliers for solar panels are BP Solar Panel, Kyocera
Solar Panel, Uni-Solar Panel, Solar Online Australia, Springers Low
Voltage Specialists. Solar Xpress, The 12V Shop and Rainbow Power
Company Ltd. Some brand names/suppliers of solar regulators are
Plasmatronics, Bainbridge Technologies, Morningstar Corp, Outback
Power Systems and Blue Sky Energy.
Solar Regulators
Solar
charge regulators or solar charge controllers regulate
or control the solar output from the solar panels into the batteries
without overcharging or damaging the batteries. As the batteries are
being charged the battery terminal voltage increases and nearly all
regulators use the terminal voltage to determine how fully charged a
battery is.
So,
the solar panels or solar modules produce the energy which is then
stored in the deep-cycle batteries for use. For example, your RV is
not connected to mains power and the solar panels are providing
power to charge the batteries and a compressor refrigerator is
drawing on the 12V power stored in the deep-cycle battery bank. If
there is more power going in to the batteries than that being drawn
by the compressor fridge (or any other appliance running) then the
batteries will be slowly being charged. If there is nothing to
control the charging then the batteries can be overcharged which may
result in boiling batteries and corrosion of its plates. So, a
charge regulator is used to control the charging current from the
source thereby preventing overcharging or damaging the battery or
batteries.
The
best regulator is a multi-voltage regulator or one designed for use
with solar panel set-ups and these solar charge regulators are a
three stage unit incorporating boost, equalise and float mode.
Another type of solar regulator can also feature a low voltage
disconnect (LVD) which will disconnect any load to the battery where
it identifies that any continuous draw will can cause permanent
battery damage.
There is a product called a ‘smart regulator’
which can display information such as how much charge is
going in, how much charge is currently being consumed and
other information. For example, Plasmatronics have a
product Intelligent Regulators PL Series which have a
comprehensive LCD display that shows battery voltage (or
state of charge - SOC), Amp hours in and out, charge
current, load current, battery temperature, performance data
for the last 30 days as well as high and low battery alarm
feature.
For
those of you who have a PL series solar charge controller
Plasmatronics have a PLS2 shunt adaptor that allows the controller
to measure charge or load currents that do not go through the
controller. This allows generator or inverter currents to be
included in the controller’s display. Plasmatronics state the Amp
hour reading and SOC (state of charge) will not be meaningful unless
all the currents in the system are measured. The PLS2 shunt
adaptor measures the current in a current shunt and then converts
that measurement into a digital form and this data is then sent to
the PL controller.
It is
a good idea to have the solar regulator or solar charge controller
located where it is vented and where you can easily view the LCD
display. A remote LCD display inside your RV is a good idea so you
do not have to go outside at night or in bad weather to read the LCD
display located say in the boot of a caravan. For added protection
to reduce the risk of fire a properly rated fuse should be placed
between the solar panels and the regulator.
To maximize solar efficiency, solar installations are
best installed by solar experts.
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