solar power where to begin?

[new2ya]

Ive got a short bus im slowly but surely getting converted, ive got the kitchen, dining are, daybed/ couch area done. Im now working on my power setup. I have a power converter from an old pop i had so hooking up at camp ground with 110 wont be an issue. But id like to have power while traveling, i know i need an inverter and at least 2 marine batteries Plus some solar cells. Id really only be running the mini fridge in most cases but i dont even have a clue where to start.

The bus will primarily be used at camp grounds but like i said id like to be able to use it off the grid. Any one got any suggestions on a budget system to start off with?

[New2Skool]

Ebay solar panel kits.
There are a few good companies that have smaller systems that are very nicely priced.
I bet you could find a nice big wattage soaking system on a single or dual panel system for a couple hundred bucks.
Just an idea.

[UnluckyEddy]

I've just discovered the Skoolie World and I'm planning on getting mine set up in about two years. I myself am curious if y'all have any companies that you would recommend or avoid.

[Robin97396]

Welcome UnluckyEddy

You're right. This is the best year for putting together a bus build, until next year.

Most of us plan on our build taking about a year, but it usually takes two years. I hope your two year plan doesn't mean it's going to take four years.

Maybe you'll get lucky?

[UnluckyEddy]

Right now I am in the pricing and planning phase, in two years I'll get the bus, and begin the refitting process.

[nwarner2010]

Originally Posted by UnluckyEddy

I've just discovered the Skoolie World and I'm planning on getting mine set up in about two years. I myself am curious if y'all have any companies that you would recommend or avoid.

I've have good experience with renogy solar, made several orders from them, I don't have anything to compare it against though.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[warewolff]

Originally Posted by nwarner2010

I've have good experience with renogy solar, made several orders from them, I don't have anything to compare it against though.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Agreed. Don't buy an ebay kit. That is bad advice. They come with a lot of inferior parts. I know you can go to Home Depot and buy 12v, 100w "Grape Solar" panels for ~$110 a piece. As nwarner already mentioned, you can also buy Renogy panels for ~$130 a piece on Amazon, free shipping. You can go with house panels if you like but you will have a difficult time aligning them on the roof of a traditional skoolie, and a lot of the 'deals' don't tell you about the $200 freight shipping charge. Depending on what you are running, at a bare minimum I'd put 200w of solar on the roof and 200aH in your battery bank. For reference, I have 1200w of solar and 860aH at 12v. You'll also need a charge controller and inverter/charger. I would recommend Morningstar and Magnum, or Xantrex. If you go the cheap route, I believe Home Depot also sells "Grape Solar" charge controllers. Can't comment on the quality. Solar isn't cheap but if you do it right it should last you forever.

Just to clarify that last statement, most solar panel manufacturers warranty their panels for 20yrs down to an 80% rating. The warranties are worthless as the companies frequently go under way before that but the point is that even with cheap panels you can expect 20yrs. In my experience the panels can quickly degrade to 50% by the 25yr mark, but sometimes not. Either way, they don't "die" in a traditional sense for a long, long time.

[Robin97396]

Check out this bus.

Thread; 1992 Bluebird in Portland, OR

[DreamWeaverBus]

Hey that's great!! Thanks warefolff! Personally I don't buy on ebay a lot, I prefer Amazon. I saw those Renogy panels and saved them. Unless I can find a better deal local or online with better price with shipping, I'll prolly buy Renogy on Amazon. But the Grape Solar from HD is cool to know about too. I'm thinking a bare minimum of four panels, 400 watts to start. Add more later. I prolly won't be boondocking right away, I plan on moving to get a better job to pay off my student loans first. Pay a lot fee somewhere to park.

[hatchetman]

I highly recommend the helpful information found on this blog. I read the entire site over a few days.

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

[Steven UK]

I just bought a cheap 50w panel of Amazon and a victron charge controller (MPPT) with the Bluetooth adaptor. The controller and Bluetooth cost three times the panel and they work great. The panel charges up my electric boat 200ah so 100ah usable during the week then I have three hours run time at the weekend. Point being invest in the controller I think the newer panels are all good.

Regards Steven

[elkoskoolie]

Check Craigslist or similar sites depending on where you live. I got a 270 watt panel for $150. People buy a pallet, keep 2 or so then sell the rest to pay for theirs. Oh yeah, that's not a bad idea either!!

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by elkoskoolie

Check Craigslist or similar sites depending on where you live. I got a 270 watt panel for $150. People buy a pallet, keep 2 or so then sell the rest to pay for theirs. Oh yeah, that's not a bad idea either!!

you could try to find several like minded people on here and buy the pallet...?

but i'm not ready to buy just yet...

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by new2ya

Any one got any suggestions on a budget system to start off with?

You will get the greatest bang for your buck by doing your research, determining what you eventually want from a system, and then building "into" it. However; a lot of people don't want to go thru that or really have no idea where they will end up - or simply have a fixed budged. That's ok and starting with something is better than nothing (IMO). However; if you KNOW you will eventually need XX watts of solar panels, then purchasing the charge controller to support that size now may save you from buying a small charge controller now and then having to buy a larger one later. Same with cables and such.

All of that starts with an energy budget. How much power do you expect to use in the best and worst of times. With that info in hand, you are armed to begin making some decisions.

[DreamWeaverBus]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

You will get the greatest bang for your buck by doing your research, determining what you eventually want from a system, and then building "into" it.

Yeah my budget has gotten much tighter, and the first thing I did to cut into my budget was deciding to start with the basics on electric. I'll start with shore power and the wiring and sockets in the skoolie, the basics. Batteries, solar panels, charge controllers, ect, will have to come later.

[Greatestrr]

Can solar charge controllers also run on 110 or shore power plug in ?

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by Greatestrr

Can solar charge controllers also run on 110 or shore power plug in ?

No, they charge a battery bank from power produced by solar panels.

Somebody may be along to shortly to suggest that; yes, you can.

It is best to think of your battery bank as your gas tank. Some things fill that tank (generator, solar panels/charge controller) and some things consume from it (inverter (to make 120VAC power), lights, etc...). If you start mixing those up, things just become confusing.

[The big blue bus]

Originally Posted by new2ya

Ive got a short bus im slowly but surely getting converted, ive got the kitchen, dining are, daybed/ couch area done. Im now working on my power setup. I have a power converter from an old pop i had so hooking up at camp ground with 110 wont be an issue. But id like to have power while traveling, i know i need an inverter and at least 2 marine batteries Plus some solar cells. Id really only be running the mini fridge in most cases but i dont even have a clue where to start.

The bus will primarily be used at camp grounds but like i said id like to be able to use it off the grid. Any one got any suggestions on a budget system to start off with?

We bought a sunpower set from homedepot.com for $250.one of the panels was cracked when they delivered and they took $50 off panel works fine.

This is only 130 watts .it's good quality though. I have a 55 amp hr battery hooked up to it and an 800 watt black n decker inverter. I initially had these on the roof of my garage.it ran everything in my shop no problem.sanders,fans,grinders, saws etc..

I had used this array several times to back feed my house when hurricanes hit as well. As long as I was mindful of usage I was able to run my reg home fridge ,furnace,my microwave!..

The panels are very efficient even in shade or when dirty.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

you could try to find several like minded people on here and buy the pallet...?

but i'm not ready to buy just yet...

I have posted a couple of times trying to generate interest in this idea. No takers yet.

The folks that live in SoCal, AZ & FL have great buys at their fingertips. Those of us "up North" don't have near the deal.

I can buy 2 x 285 watt panels for $208. The shipping is another $160. I can get 10 x 285 watt panels for $1040 and shipping is $260.

So $184 per panel vs $130 per panel. BIG difference.

[TAOLIK]

Originally Posted by hatchetman

I highly recommend the helpful information found on this blog. I read the entire site over a few days.

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

THIS! Cannot be emphasized enough.

Perhaps best to read 2-3x. I just got my solar setup running reasonably well and am pretty pleased with it so far. I just want to put more strain on it to see what it's limits are. Running 3x vent fans and some led strips 24/7 isn't a heavy enough load to test it's limits.

I used 6x renogy panels, I also have nothing to compare it to, but am fairly pleased with their performance and am very pleased with their size(22x47ish). I used a trimetric 2030 and a sc2030 charger, and I like them, but also have nothing to compare it to. I should have a nice update on my website within 1-2 weeks. Here's a picture of my setup which is making it's way up to my post soon. I do not reccommend copying mine since I have yet to get approval from anyone who understands it, but so far it's going well. But I'm going to share it here anyway because I'm pretty proud of myself.



Also this 12v book helped me understand (DC)electricity a lot as well.

I still don't understand AC very well, I paid someone apprenticing whom I met in the home depot electrical section to help me out there.

edit: Also PNW Steve, it's a shame I didn't get the memo I would've loved to go in on some bigger panels with you.