Off Grid Electrics

[B J G]

I can,

I'm a bit bemused by some of the answers though, using a double electric hot plate when off grid, when you have a gas hob specifically designed for that seems a bit strange.

Also why carry a generator? I can understand a bigger inverter if you must have a 240v microwave & then rather than a noisy generator just start your engine to top up the batteries.

Noisier than todays inverter generators plus not as environment friendly. 2ltr engine to power an 80 Amp (ish) alternator?

 

[andyinluton]

It’s a 250A/H alternator
Environmentally friendly - you are having a laugh, the damage is already done building the generator & lugging it around, the difference in use is minimal.

I thought the fun of going off grid was working with what you’ve got. I really don’t see the point in cooking on electric.

 

[ShmBK]

I’m probably changing my cali for a grand cali, I’m looking to boost my battery capacity and be able to run a nespresso (1300W) to keep the missus happy off grid.

i will have solar on the GC but don’t think draining the leisure batteries will be a great idea. Upgrading them to lithium or LiFePo4 and charging them on solar sounds great, but being in parallel, preventing freezing seems like a headache. I’m in a european centric GC Facebook group and it seems they have all sorts of great ideas for boosting the electric.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

It’s a 250A/H alternator
Environmentally friendly - you are having a laugh, the damage is already done building the generator & lugging it around, the difference in use is minimal.

I thought the fun of going off grid was working with what you’ve got. I really don’t see the point in cooking on electric.

If it comes into the LiPo 4 batteries or powerbank via solar PV, then it's free and clean. Some people (myself included) simply don't wish to carry gas onboard and love the plug-in induction hobs that I choose to use.

 

[andyinluton]

If it comes into the LiPo 4 batteries or powerbank via solar PV, then it's free and clean. Some people (myself included) simply don't wish to carry gas onboard and love the plug-in induction hobs that I choose to use.

It's not free & clean, you've just moved the emissions away from the point of use, & paid a hefty sum upfront for solar panels & batteries.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

It's not free & clean, you've just moved the emissions away from the point of use, & paid a hefty sum upfront for solar panels & batteries.

Andy, you could apply that (odd) logic to anything with a manufacturing process!

At the point of (repeated and continued) use, the investment and emissions during manufacture are history, so it is indeed free and clean.

I also happen to prefer induction cooking as opposed to gas for many reasons.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Andy, you could apply that (odd) logic to anything with a manufacturing process!

At the point of (repeated and continued) use, the investment and emissions during manufacture are history, so it is indeed free and clean.

Yes you could apply it to anything but the point of putting PVs on a van is that you then don't have to run the engine to charge the leisure batteries and hence you avoid burning fossil fuel for that purpose. So you'd presumably want to be confident that the carbon emissions involved in producing the panels does not exceed the likely total 'free' (in CO2 terms) usable outputs of the panels over their lifetime.

I haven't seen any data for the lightweight panels that you'd use on a van roof, but for domestic PVs the carbon payback is typically of the order of three years. BUT... that assumes constant consumption - or export to the grid - of all the electricity produced. If you're only going to be using a campervan batteries (say) a few weeks a year to cook your meals in the wilds etc, it seems unlikely (to me) that PVs will pay back their CO2 production cost during the lifetime of the van/panels, unless you make some pretty heroic assumptions about your panels being re-used from van to van over several decades.

As said above, there are other reasons to want to have PVs on your van - eg to be able to keep the betteries topped up without having to drive the van or run the engine and those are very nice things to have - but I think you'll struggle to make a case for them on a "free and clean" assertion.

 

[andyinluton]

Yes you could apply it to anything but the point of putting PVs on a van is that you then don't have to run the engine to charge the leisure batteries and hence you avoid burning fossil fuel for that purpose. So you'd presumably want to be confident that the carbon emissions involved in producing the panels does not exceed the likely total 'free' (in CO2 terms) usable outputs of the panels over their lifetime.

I don't have a problem with solar panels & can see it makes sense for those that need it. It's the big banks of extra battery that seems a waste, they add considerable weight & take up valuable space.

Theres so many vlogs sponsored by the producers of the battery packs that it makes you wonder how people ever managed to camp without one. The manufacturers seem to have a pretty good marketing team, they give them to full timers to review to try and persuade the rest of us that they are essential.


If I told the wife I was going to spend £1k on a battery and another £1k on solar panels just so I could cook on induction rather than gas she would have me certified.

If we were actually living in the van rather than just holidaying I admit I may have a different view.

 

[yossarian]

If I told the wife I was going to spend £1k on a battery and another £1k on solar panels just so I could cook on induction rather than gas she would have me certified.

That's the meat and potatoes of it.

 

[Corradobrit]

If I told the wife I was going to spend £1k on a battery and another £1k on solar panels just so I could cook on induction rather than gas she would have me certified.

So many other practical uses for a power station. It provides some additional freedoms for off grid living. For me I need to charge an ebike battery. That requires 880W which far exceeds the internal inverter system.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

So many other practical uses for a power station. It provides some additional freedoms for off grid living. For me I need to charge an ebike battery. That requires 880W which far exceeds the internal inverter system.

I have the Bluetti AC200 Max and a 200w Renogy flexi panel. It allows use of everything from microwave to toaster and kettle usage, even the wife's hair straighteners!

It charges via a 12V cable when driving and from the flexi panel when parked up.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

That's the meat and potatoes of it.

I should mention the LiFePo4 Bluetti AC200 Max was a Father's Day gift at around £1500 (we upgraded from a Jackery 1000 as it wouldn't handle the kettle) and the Renogy 200w Panel cost less than £200 posted. It's not just the EHU savings, we also use at home with the panel hung on the washing line and all laptops, chargers, power banks, mobiles, drone batteries, lawn mower battery and vacuum batteries are all recharged using the Bluetti.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

...for those interested...

 

[erik.godderis]

EHU or gas, that's indeed the answer. Is there a particular reason you find 2 gasrings limited cooking? Even when cooking serious meals for guests at home Ialmost never seem to need more then 2 rings at a time.

We always bring a very small (backpacking-style) single-ring gas stove as a backup and a way of cooking outside (steaks, bacon, pancakes, etc).

Whe use the wock for a one recepied

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[erik.godderis]

Whe use the wock for a one recepied

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Recipe (sorry)

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