Solar Panels - worth it?

[Norfolk Jim]

Hi Jim,
i have pondered the same question myself since getting our Cali New Year. Lots of conflicting priorities and considerarions.

1. We sometimes have roof bars in place for a roof box (we have 2 teenage daughters and have to take a tent and all their beautification products when we go on a longer holiday)
2. Orientation and shade on site (wifes priority) conflict with best van placement for roof solar production.
3. plugging in on the driveway is not a problem where we live.
4. I sometimes use the Cali for work and like to have 240v (900w air fryer and 1000w kettle) but EHU is not always an option.

After much pondering, my solution is an Anker C1000 Solar generator (£700) that fits perfectly between the front seats and 2 x All Powers 200w folding panels (I actually bought 1 when on sale in January for £180 but they sent me 2 !) the C1000 has an 1800w pure sinwave inverter that powers my kettle or air fryer no problem and charges fully from empty in about 4 hrs on an average sunny day from empty with my 400w of foldable solar that i position optimally regardless of how the van is orientated.

I have a male to male cigarette lighter cable that i use from the regulated 10 Amp socket on the C1000.(not bidirectional) that i connect to one of the rear cigarette lighter sockets in the Cali to trickle charge the leisure batteries when on site- this just ablut keeps up with fridge use once cooled down and not running the compressor all the time.

If the leisure batteries get a bit low after a long time off EHU I can use my 3 pin 13 Amp to EHU tail to connect the C1000 AC to the Cali EHU socket (Cali thinks it is on EHU so charges the leisure batteries). The Anker C1000 will charge from solar at the same time as powering the Cali.

When travelling, I can charge the C1000 from the 12v cigarette lighter socket to get about 120w (slow but ok on a long journey) if i am on a shorter journey i can limit the AC charging on the C1000 to 200w and connect it to the Cali AC inverter (not the most efficient but the Cali alternator has plenty of capacity in hand to charge the leisure batteries whilst discharging via the inverter).

This solution works well for me, provides lots of flexability, and if i dont even consider the 200w pannel i got for free, provides all the flexability for a similar cost to having 200w of permenant solar fitted on my roof.

Wow. That's a lot going on and over my head lol.

I think my use will be at the simplest end of solar My 100W panel should arrive tomorrow from Roger with auto elec coming in 2 weeks. He's happy doing the fitting as he's been interested in some for his van but that's a new Transit.

 

[Mattsv]

Solar performance over the last couple of days in France (2 year old 100w panel from Roger). Ignore the previous days as we were either on hook up, or travelling. On site for 2 days with no hookup, and no worries at all about having enough battery for lights, fridge and charging devices.

 

[nigpdreadingfc]

Solar performance over the last couple of days in France (2 year old 100w panel from Roger). Ignore the previous days as we were either on hook up, or travelling. On site for 2 days with no hookup, and no worries at all about having enough battery for lights, fridge and charging devices.

View attachment 125885

no consumption?

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Last 7days in north east Italy beachside.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JuanVecino2023]

Ultimately you do need to remember that even with these power packs etc.., there's still a finite amount of energy incoming from solar panels. On a good sunny day with clear skies, no shade and the roof orientated to the south, I'd estimate my 200W setup would average during the summer something like 100-120W between 9am and 6pm (lower figures at each end, higher in the middle of the day). So that's 900Wh-1080Wh. I find my Cali with fridge, lights in the evening, charging phones/iPad etc. typically uses between 350Wh and 450Wh a day. So that leaves you with about 450Wh to 630Wh "spare". If a 2kW kettle takes 3 minutes to boil, that's 100Wh straight away, start adding in other stuff too and presumably some efficiency losses from the charging of the ecoflow and the inverter on it, and I imagine you won't have much spare change unless you have a 300W setup at least. This is all in ideal conditions . . . late August with shorter days, an overcast day etc.. and the amount of viable energy you'll get will drop.

Solar is brilliant and it's easily the best thing I've done to/for my van, but it has limitations.

This is a marvellous read. Justifies my spending my daughter’s inheritance on a 360W setup yesterday.

 

[Mattsv]

no consumption?

Hmm - not sure why it states zero consumption, everything operating/charging as it should...

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

This is a marvellous read. Justifies my spending my daughter’s inheritance on a 360W setup yesterday.

Definitely worth having solar if you’re going to be off grid for a few days IMO.
We have 2 x 100w panels (from Roger). Wired to charge leisure batteries and starter battery.
Real life example at Camperjam at the weekend: Fridge on setting 5 for 4 days; diesel heater on Friday and Saturday nights; charged phones daily; iPad for TV/films on 2 evenings; interior lights.
Powered sliding door used many times and pop top put up and down. (Think these might be powered from the starter battery?)
Camping display still showed >60 hours when we left on Sunday morning.

 

[WelshGas]

Definitely worth having solar if you’re going to be off grid for a few days IMO.
We have 2 x 100w panels (from Roger). Wired to charge leisure batteries and starter battery.
Real life example at Camperjam at the weekend: Fridge on setting 5 for 4 days; diesel heater on Friday and Saturday nights; charged phones daily; iPad for TV/films on 2 evenings; interior lights.
Powered sliding door used many times and pop top put up and down. (Think these might be powered from the starter battery?)
Camping display still showed >60 hours when we left on Sunday morning.

Roof powered by Leisure Batteries. Ignition On is a safety precaution to stop little fingers.

 

[ThomasHJ]

Roof powered by Leisure Batteries. Ignition On is a safety precaution to stop little fingers.

I was always told (T5.1) that the motor should be -running- when raising or lowering the roof. I thought this was because it uses quite some power (from the starter battery?) Is this not the case? Is it merely to keep kids from using it?

 

[WelshGas]

I was always told (T5.1) that the motor should be -running- when raising or lowering the roof. I thought this was because it uses quite some power (from the starter battery?) Is this not the case? Is it merely to keep kids from using it?

Not the case. Only Ignition On, safety feature.
If the Leisure batteries are low you will get a Control Panel message to Start Engine.

Obviously, if you are camping off-grid and want to extend leisure battery use then raise roof with engine running, BUT not required for normal operation.

 

[fluff34567]

Newbie beach owner here. We were about to add solar panels but we ended up adding just a lithium battery.

What does not convince us is that, we usually search for a spot under the shade so the vehicle does not get hot. In places like Greece it is a must. We do not know how well a solar panel works in the shade but in a sunny place like Greece.

External panels are an option, but also more work and they take some storage space.

I will probably have an better answer after more time using our Cali.

Hi, as you have a beach and the single leisure battery under the front seat.. where did you put the additional battery? From a fellow beach owner ? Do you have the double rear bench and put it in the cabinet ?

 

[yossarian]

Hmm - not sure why it states zero consumption, everything operating/charging as it should...

The victron unit can only measure consumption if you draw it from the load output terminals. Typically this not how we set it up in a California.

 

[myvanrodney]

This is a marvellous read. Justifies my spending my daughter’s inheritance on a 360W setup yesterday.

which setup did you get (360w)?

 

[graffic_]

Hi, as you have a beach and the single leisure battery under the front seat.. where did you put the additional battery? From a fellow beach owner ? Do you have the double rear bench and put it in the cabinet ?

I replaced my only leisure battery.

 

[ThomasHJ]

The victron unit can only measure consumption if you draw it from the load output terminals. Typically this not how we set it up in a California.

For my understanding, do you mean that normally the app would only show draw from the batteries when you connect appliances directly to the victron unit and not when you connect them to the cali's 12v outlets?

 

[yossarian]

For my understanding, do you mean that normally the app would only show draw from the batteries when you connect appliances directly to the victron unit and not when you connect them to the cali's 12v outlets?

Precisely.

This from the victron manual:

7.3.1. VictronConnect app status screen​

The status screen displays the solar charger model name together with the live solar charger information.
.....
Load output

• The state of the load output, being switched on or switched off.
• The current drawn by the loads like electronic devices, lights, fridge and so on.
• The power drawn by the loads.

• Note​

  Note that for the load output readings to be reliable, all loads must be wired directly to the load output, including their negative terminals. If this is not the case consider adding a battery monitor which will measure all current going to or being drawn from the battery, including loads connected directly to the battery and not just the load output terminals of the solar charger.
  
  
  
  
  

 

[RockinNRollin]

Solar performance over the last couple of days in France (2 year old 100w panel from Roger). Ignore the previous days as we were either on hook up, or travelling. On site for 2 days with no hookup, and no worries at all about having enough battery for lights, fridge and charging devices.

View attachment 125885

What I would say though as if you're not getting to absorption / float (which it doesn't look like you are), that implies you're consuming power at a greater rate (per day) than the solar can keep up with. The difference might not be much (in which case, it's not a problem realistically) but if it's significant it could mean slowly draining the batteries if staying in one place for a while (usual escape routes of running the engine etc.. still apply though).

 

[Steve&Bev]

Hi All.

Wife and I were having a discussion yesterday about solar power and of all things 'wonder how long before someone invents solar power lawn mower'.........(you can see we have interesting chats lol!!! Is there one yet.....................................this lead onto a general chit chat about solar. We're used to it, as have both Solar PV and Thermal panels which are great - I have a thermal store full of hot water at moment thanks to solar and last year got back some £800 from generation of PV so discussion turned to is it a good idea on a Cali and what will it cost.

We have a 22 Reg Ocean 204 which appears to have literally all VW options bar heated screen and 4motion on it!!. When not in use it sits on our drive in front of garage and I simply plug plug into garage to keep batteries charged.

Our hols consist of mainly Scotland, normally early May or late Sept typically on small CL with EHU but ocassionally we've used large sites such as Big Sand at Gairloch or the large Dornoch site where we find quiet spots but without hook up. I'm due to retire anytime soon (but there's always one last job lol) so these adventure will increase and may well go further afield - I know Ireland is planned for next year so would having solar panel/s fitted be a good idea and worth the cost, bearing in mind we'll probs keep Cali for at least 6 years (we had our last T5 conversion for 9).

Have many of you gone down this route and if so what are the optimum number of panels needed and who is the best company to use to get professional fitting - I'm near Norwich? Any ideas on cost.............

All advice gratefully received

I had a solar powered lawn mower once but the solar panels took up the whole lawn & the grass stopped growing so never needed cutting.

 

[Trojax]

Hi so I have been looking at the option of solar on the van and really do like the idea, however the 6.1 is all led lights and if you stay at a campsite for no longer than 2 or 3 days the only thing that really runs the batteries down is the fridge and I have found it’s good for 3 days well in France so far, as we move south it may change but the drive down with Max charge selected seems to fully charge the batteries. Plus almost all the sites we have used so far have hookup as an option..save the money unless you intend going fully off grid but with no driving, more difficult these days

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Hi so I have been looking at the option of solar on the van and really do like the idea, however the 6.1 is all led lights and if you stay at a campsite for no longer than 2 or 3 days the only thing that really runs the batteries down is the fridge and I have found it’s good for 3 days well in France so far, as we move south it may change but the drive down with Max charge selected seems to fully charge the batteries. Plus almost all the sites we have used so far have hookup as an option..save the money unless you intend going fully off grid but with no driving, more difficult these days

Panels will also keep your leisure batteries charged up whilst not camping - ie when parked on your driveway etc, then just leave the fridge running 24/7. fridges work best when left running rather than frequently turning on/off.

 

[66tim99]

Hi Jim,
i have pondered the same question myself since getting our Cali New Year. Lots of conflicting priorities and considerarions.

1. We sometimes have roof bars in place for a roof box (we have 2 teenage daughters and have to take a tent and all their beautification products when we go on a longer holiday)
2. Orientation and shade on site (wifes priority) conflict with best van placement for roof solar production.
3. plugging in on the driveway is not a problem where we live.
4. I sometimes use the Cali for work and like to have 240v (900w air fryer and 1000w kettle) but EHU is not always an option.

After much pondering, my solution is an Anker C1000 Solar generator (£700) that fits perfectly between the front seats and 2 x All Powers 200w folding panels (I actually bought 1 when on sale in January for £180 but they sent me 2 !) the C1000 has an 1800w pure sinwave inverter that powers my kettle or air fryer no problem and charges fully from empty in about 4 hrs on an average sunny day from empty with my 400w of foldable solar that i position optimally regardless of how the van is orientated.

I have a male to male cigarette lighter cable that i use from the regulated 10 Amp socket on the C1000.(not bidirectional) that i connect to one of the rear cigarette lighter sockets in the Cali to trickle charge the leisure batteries when on site- this just ablut keeps up with fridge use once cooled down and not running the compressor all the time.

If the leisure batteries get a bit low after a long time off EHU I can use my 3 pin 13 Amp to EHU tail to connect the C1000 AC to the Cali EHU socket (Cali thinks it is on EHU so charges the leisure batteries). The Anker C1000 will charge from solar at the same time as powering the Cali.

When travelling, I can charge the C1000 from the 12v cigarette lighter socket to get about 120w (slow but ok on a long journey) if i am on a shorter journey i can limit the AC charging on the C1000 to 200w and connect it to the Cali AC inverter (not the most efficient but the Cali alternator has plenty of capacity in hand to charge the leisure batteries whilst discharging via the inverter).

This solution works well for me, provides lots of flexability, and if i dont even consider the 200w pannel i got for free, provides all the flexability for a similar cost to having 200w of permenant solar fitted on my roof.

A good option.
We rarely camp off grid for more than 1 night though, and after 3 years the leisure batteries still seem capable of powering everything we need (always including the fridge) for 3-4 days. If I need longer, I can run the engine with Max Charge enabled. I’ve only done that twice though, as I’ll get hook-up if I’m staying longer (rarely).
I am unable to plug in at home, and rarely use the van for things other than camping. Sometimes the van sits for 6 weeks, but the batteries are holding up well. If I need to replace them, the cost would be offset by the cost of an Anker or similar.
Works for me to keep it simple and use the leisure batteries, use the hob to boil a kettle and fry food.

 

[Chris Hill T5]

I have the 3 panel solutions from Solar Camper Solutions and would 100% recommend it. I have just added a kit to trickle charge the starter battery as sometimes the van is not used for a few weeks at a time over the winter.

We use the panels to charge the leisure battery but also an Ecoflow lithium pack which gives us full 240V AC capability to run an espresso machine and hair dryer. The 3 panel is capable of keeping everything topped up and we have never needed an electric hookup at a camp site.

Kit took a leisurely day to fit, very neat installation and the bluetooth controller is adictive.

 

[JuanVecino2023]

I have the 3 panel solutions from Solar Camper Solutions and would 100% recommend it. I have just added a kit to trickle charge the starter battery as sometimes the van is not used for a few weeks at a time over the winter.

We use the panels to charge the leisure battery but also an Ecoflow lithium pack which gives us full 240V AC capability to run an espresso machine and hair dryer. The 3 panel is capable of keeping everything topped up and we have never needed an electric hookup at a camp site.

Kit took a leisurely day to fit, very neat installation and the bluetooth controller is adictive.

Hi - how have you wired the EF pack in to your solar charging set up?

So far, I’ve concluded a 12V female ciggie adaptor wired to the Victron load, in turn plugged into the EF with the 12V adaptor.

I’m sure there are other ways and interested to hear how others are setting it up.

 

[fluff34567]

View attachment 125911
I replaced my only leisure battery.

Sorry, I thought you added an additional battery thanks for clarification

 

[colintfcolintf]

Hi Jim,
i have pondered the same question myself since getting our Cali New Year. Lots of conflicting priorities and considerarions.

1. We sometimes have roof bars in place for a roof box (we have 2 teenage daughters and have to take a tent and all their beautification products when we go on a longer holiday)
2. Orientation and shade on site (wifes priority) conflict with best van placement for roof solar production.
3. plugging in on the driveway is not a problem where we live.
4. I sometimes use the Cali for work and like to have 240v (900w air fryer and 1000w kettle) but EHU is not always an option.

After much pondering, my solution is an Anker C1000 Solar generator (£700) that fits perfectly between the front seats and 2 x All Powers 200w folding panels (I actually bought 1 when on sale in January for £180 but they sent me 2 !) the C1000 has an 1800w pure sinwave inverter that powers my kettle or air fryer no problem and charges fully from empty in about 4 hrs on an average sunny day from empty with my 400w of foldable solar that i position optimally regardless of how the van is orientated.

I have a male to male cigarette lighter cable that i use from the regulated 10 Amp socket on the C1000.(not bidirectional) that i connect to one of the rear cigarette lighter sockets in the Cali to trickle charge the leisure batteries when on site- this just ablut keeps up with fridge use once cooled down and not running the compressor all the time.

If the leisure batteries get a bit low after a long time off EHU I can use my 3 pin 13 Amp to EHU tail to connect the C1000 AC to the Cali EHU socket (Cali thinks it is on EHU so charges the leisure batteries). The Anker C1000 will charge from solar at the same time as powering the Cali.

When travelling, I can charge the C1000 from the 12v cigarette lighter socket to get about 120w (slow but ok on a long journey) if i am on a shorter journey i can limit the AC charging on the C1000 to 200w and connect it to the Cali AC inverter (not the most efficient but the Cali alternator has plenty of capacity in hand to charge the leisure batteries whilst discharging via the inverter).

This solution works well for me, provides lots of flexability, and if i dont even consider the 200w pannel i got for free, provides all the flexability for a similar cost to having 200w of permenant solar fitted on my roof.

Where do you store the C1000 when you leave your Ocean parked up and you leave it ? Will it fit in one of the sliding door cupboards below the sink for example, or does it have to go into the boot? I’m considering one of these or a smaller Bluetti AC70P. Many thanks in advance.