Solar in the UK, is it usable?

[Toothlessjon]

I have been considering installing 100 or 200 watts of solar on the Ocean. We will probably only use the Ocean in the UK for the first year.

My question is ‘it usable in the UK” ? I would be happy if it managed to keep the leisure batteries topped up (with a single 100Watt panel) whilst not being used tbh. We live in Hertfordshire, so weather is typically brighter than the North of the UK.

 

[kp64zl]

Yes definitely so. Keeps my fridge running continuously.

I have two 120 watts panels from @Roger Donoghue in my Beach.

Installed them in April so cannot comment on winter performance but intend to test that in northern Scotland this winter

 

[Toothlessjon]

Hi KP64ZL, it was the RD system I was thinking of going with. May I ask which control system you went for, and did you self install?

 

[Loz]

I have been testing a 100w panel with a vitron controller and can definitely keep the leisure batteries topped and was covering the use of the fridge over the weekend and it was mostly cloudy.

 

[kp64zl]

Hi KP64ZL, it was the RD system I was thinking of going with. May I ask which control system you went for, and did you self install?

I went for the Victron 100/20 mppt charger, Roger did the install

 

[Amarillo]

Clearly much depends on how you use your vehicle, but for us solar is one of our top three purchases.

We have had 2 x 100 watt panels installed for over two years. Mostly fit and forget, but they do require regular cleaning - every 3 months will do.

We, a family of four, lived entirely off grid for six months in northern Europe over the summer 2017 and in Iberia over the Autumn 2017. Fridge, parking heater startup, 12 volt TV, iPads, iPhones, lighting and occasional use of a 12 volt kettle. We struggled in Italy and Greece over the winter 2017/2018 and bought a hookup cable in San Marino. The triple whammy of a lower sun, shorter days and more regular cloud cover conspired against our attempt to spend a full year living in our van without hookup. Parking under trees didn't help either! (At one time we thought our occasional use of a 12 volt kettle was causing problems, but this wasn't the case.)

We now have a 12 volt fridge permanently connected in our van. It's great for transporting frozen and chilled goods between the supermarket cabinet and our fridge at home.

 

[Toothlessjon]

Clearly much depends on how you use your vehicle, but for us solar is one of our top three purchases.

We have had 2 x 100 watt panels installed for over two years. Mostly fit and forget, but they do require regular cleaning - every 3 months will do.

We, a family of four, lived entirely off grid for six months in northern Europe over the summer 2017 and in Iberia over the Autumn 2017. Fridge, parking heater startup, 12 volt TV, iPads, iPhones, lighting and occasional use of a 12 volt kettle. We struggled in Italy and Greece over the winter 2017/2018 and bought a hookup cable in San Marino. The triple whammy of a lower sun, shorter days and more regular cloud cover conspired against our attempt to spend a full year living in our van without hookup. Parking under trees didn't help either! (At one time we thought our occasional use of a 12 volt kettle was causing problems, but this wasn't the case.)

We now have a 12 volt fridge permanently connected in our van. It's great for transporting frozen and chilled goods between the supermarket cabinet and our fridge at home.

I suppose your caught between a rock and hard place when it’s hot, in that you,d like to keep the camper cool by parking in the shade, but lose the solar.

Sounds like you had a great adventure btw and thanks for your input.

 

[SimonB]

I would agree with @Amarillo , buying a solar panel was one of the best purchases we made for our Cali.
We live in a narrow Victorian street and I am not able to safely run a cable to the van once per month for 24 hours to keep the leisure batteries topped up. With the solar panel from @Roger Donoghue I don't have to worry as the batteries are topped up all the year round.
I regularly spend time working on Heritage railways in Snowdonia & Devon and use the solar panel to keep the fridge and lights going all week. I arrive at the location after a fair drive from Bristol with the batteries at 100% and leave, a week later, with the batteries still fully charged, even in the winter months.

 

[5i1ver8ack]

Yes definitely so. Keeps my fridge running continuously.

I have two 120 watts panels from @Roger Donoghue in my Beach.

Installed them in April so cannot comment on winter performance but intend to test that in northern Scotland this winter

Ditto except on my Ocean. More than capable of keeping the batteries fully charged even on an overcast day.

 

[Toothlessjon]

I would agree with @Amarillo , buying a solar panel was one of the best purchases we made for our Cali.
We live in a narrow Victorian street and I am not able to safely run a cable to the van once per month for 24 hours to keep the leisure batteries topped up. With the solar panel from @Roger Donoghue I don't have to worry as the batteries are topped up all the year round.
I regularly spend time working on Heritage railways in Snowdonia & Devon and use the solar panel to keep the fridge and lights going all week. I arrive at the location after a fair drive from Bristol with the batteries at 100% and leave, a week later, with the batteries still fully charged, even in the winter months.

After reading all the comments I am really impressed by the apparent efficiency solar seems to be , I honestly thought they would be pretty useless in the UK, guess I just have to persuade the wife they are worth having now. GULP!!

 

[MattBW]

I suppose your caught between a rock and hard place when it’s hot, in that you,d like to keep the camper cool by parking in the shade, but lose the solar.

Sounds like you had a great adventure btw and thanks for your input.

That is why I have a folding one, I can place it in the sun and move it to the prime location. However you lose the ability to have it permanently on and have less security from theft.

Some folks are using a 100w semi flexible panel that can you slipped under the mattress when not in use and brought out as needed. My charger is installed permanently and has a quick connector to make it plug and play.

100w is great in summer months, probably not sufficient in winter but better than nothing.

 

[altvic]

I have two x 120 watt panels and a WRM charger linked to both engine and leisure batteries. The snapshot below was in heavy rain but still gave a 3.8amp charge (in this scenario defaults charge to engine when leisure was full capacity).

 

[Toothlessjon]

I have two x 120 watt panels and a WRM charger linked to both engine and leisure batteries. The snapshot below was in heavy rain but still gave a 3.8amp charge (in this scenario defaults charge to engine when leisure was full capacity).View attachment 46099

Very helpful, thanks for the input.

 

[motacyclist]

If you do get one, I t’s a good idea to get a controller which will also keep the vehicle battery topped up, as well as the leisure batteries. A bit more involved to fit, but worth it, for me anyway.

 

[Toothlessjon]

If you do get one, I t’s a good idea to get a controller which will also keep the vehicle battery topped up, as well as the leisure batteries. A bit more involved to fit, but worth it, for me anyway.

Yes that’s a good idea, cheers.

 

[Paul Roe]

I was thinking of fitting one to my Ocean
I assumed that it would top up the engine battery once the leisure battery was topped up ?
I did a test on my Ocean with mains hook-up and once the leisure battery was topped up it definitely trickle charged the engine battery so i assume that a solar panel connected to the output of the hookup charger would do the same ?
cheers

 

[motacyclist]

I was thinking of fitting one to my Ocean
I assumed that it would top up the engine battery once the leisure battery was topped up ?
I did a test on my Ocean with mains hook-up and once the leisure battery was topped up it definitely trickle charged the engine battery so i assume that a solar panel connected to the output of the hookup charger would do the same ?
cheers

I thought that someone with more knowledge than me would have replied, but I’ll have a go!

You’re correct in that the on board charger will top up the vehicle battery, but there will be an inbuilt controller to determine when the leisure batteries are full and subsequently divert the current to the vehicle battery.

However, this in built controller won’t function when the hook up is not plugged in, so if you want the facility to be able to charge the vehicle battery from your solar panel you need a suitable controller to do this. If you read the information on Roger Donahue’s website it explains the controllers available and which one is suitable for charging the vehicle battery as well as the “house” batteries (it’s the WRM one).

 

[Roger Donoghue]

I have two x 120 watt panels and a WRM charger linked to both engine and leisure batteries. The snapshot below was in heavy rain but still gave a 3.8amp charge (in this scenario defaults charge to engine when leisure was full capacity).View attachment 46099

Battery 1 is your leisure battery. Battery 2 is your starter. Well, that's how you are supposed to wire it up

 

[DrJuanKerr]

This was taken at 0830 this morning. You can see the cloud cover was extensive and it was raining quite heavy


You can see that even though the cloud coverage was extensive, the 120 watt panel was still emitting current, albeit a small amount.

 

[Toothlessjon]

This was taken at 0830 this morning. You can see the cloud cover was extensive and it was raining quite heavy
View attachment 46442

You can see that even though the cloud coverage was extensive, the 130 panel was still emitting current, albeit a small amount.

View attachment 46443

Thank you for taking the time to post the images, very much appreciated,

 

[jliungman]

This was taken at 0830 this morning. You can see the cloud cover was extensive and it was raining quite heavy
You can see that even though the cloud coverage was extensive, the 120 watt panel was still emitting current, albeit a small amount.

The advantage of northern latitudes: long days and cool temps. The latter actually compensates to some degree for the lack of sunny weather (assuming your panels are mounted so that they have ample air circulation around them).