Solar panel wattage - R-pod Owners Forum

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birderdiane526 View Drop Down

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Joined: 08 May 2016
Location: Texas
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Topic: Solar panel wattage
Posted: 09 Jul 2016 at 4:34pm

Thanks, WillThrill, for the additional information!

Diane and Michael
2016 179 "PIP" (PODDING IN PARADISE)
2007 Toyota Tundra
BLOG:Podding in Paradise,
birderdiane526.blogspot.com

WillThrill View Drop Down

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Posted: 09 Jul 2016 at 4:17pm

Originally posted by birderdiane526

Thanks for responses thus far! Great info! With our teardrop we used Renogy solar panels 100w and they worked out well. When we sold the teardrop, the panels were sold too! We weren't sure if 100w would work well for our 179. Renogy is a great price too.

If you're getting good sunshine and repositioning the solar panel every couple of hours throughout the day, a 100 watt panel is more than enough for most folks. If you're talking about summer, when most people are using their Pod, you can get about six mean solar hours per day (six hours of equivalent noon-day sun) by doing this. You'll lose 25% of that power as it goes into your batteries as heat. So you'll get around 450 watt hours replaced in your battery each good day, which is about half of the capacity of a typical marine battery.

That's enough power to run your Fan-tastic fan pretty much all the time, water pump occasionally, lights, refrigerator panel (draws about .4 amps or 5 watts when running on propane), and even some TV use. The only standard equipment that will really run down your battery is the furnace. In one night of using the furnace quite a bit, it used about 20 amp hours (240 watt hours) of power.

"Not all those who wander are lost." Tolkien

2014 Hood River 177
2005 GMC Envoy XL

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Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posted: 09 Jul 2016 at 9:32am

We used the Renogy 100watt suitcase panel system and are happy with it. It keeps our batteries charged while boon docking. It seems to be quality components and well made.

Here is my original post that will answer the questions.

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8194&title=installing-a-renogy-100-watt-suitcase-solar-panel

Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179

birderdiane526 View Drop Down

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Joined: 08 May 2016
Location: Texas
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Posts: 320

Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 10:46pm

Thanks for responses thus far! Great info! With our teardrop we used Renogy solar panels 100w and they worked out well. When we sold the teardrop, the panels were sold too! We weren't sure if 100w would work well for our 179. Renogy is a great price too.

Diane and Michael
2016 179 "PIP" (PODDING IN PARADISE)
2007 Toyota Tundra
BLOG:Podding in Paradise,
birderdiane526.blogspot.com

WillThrill View Drop Down

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Joined: 04 Jul 2014
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Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 10:37pm

Originally posted by birderdiane526

HI,

Folks that are using portable solar panels for their rpod, would you answer 5 questions?

1. What brand?
2. What wattage?
3. With or without solar controller?
4. Are you satisfied?
5. Is there a Zamp controller on board the POD, since Zamp is being promoted?

Any other comments etc. are welcome!

Thanks!

I created a thread with lots of pictures detailing how I did exactly this. All of your questions are addressed.

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5017&title=connecting-a-100-watt-solar-panel-to-zamp-port

And yes, I've been quite happy with it. Remember that solar panels will not achieve anything close to their rated output unless they are pointed directly at the sun, which means that they will need to be moved throughout the day in order to get maximum power. Lots of folks like the flexible panels that mount to the Pod, but I don't like this because you can't maneuver the panels independently of the Pod, and we try to park our Pod in shade to keep it cool. Solar panels are virtually worthless in the shade, no matter what anyone tells you.

"Not all those who wander are lost." Tolkien

2014 Hood River 177
2005 GMC Envoy XL

Rustler

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Joined: 07 May 2016
Location: S. Oregon Coast
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Posts: 100

Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 10:32pm

Originally posted by birderdiane526

HI,

Folks that are using portable solar panels for their rpod, would you answer 5 questions?

1. What brand? Shuco
2. What wattage? 185 watt, 36-volt
3. With or without solar controller? With maximum power point tracking controller - Morningstar SS MPPT-15L
4. Are you satisfied? Yes. The panel is larger than needed, but is what I had available. It might be more useful when extended camping off-grid.
5. Is there a Zamp controller on board the POD, since Zamp is being promoted? No controller is on the Rpod. You can use any panel with a matching controller.

Any other comments etc. are welcome!

Be sure to use a controller with any solar panel to avoid damaging your battery and even the electrical appliances connected to it.

Thanks!

Russ
2009 Toyota RAV4
V6 w/ tow package
2016 Rpod 171 HRE

Podster

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Location: San Antonio
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Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 10:09pm

Originally posted by birderdiane526

HI,

Folks that are using portable solar panels for their rpod, would you answer 5 questions?

1. What brand? Renogy
2. What wattage? 50w
3. With or without solar controller? Yes, charge controller is Mandatory
4. Are you satisfied? Yes. The setup is for dry camping at the Gulf of Mexico. Having plenty of sun and no shade helps leverage the 50 watts.
5. Is there a Zamp controller on board the POD, since Zamp is being promoted? No. The Zamp controller is integrated into the plug-n-play panel systems.
Any other comments etc. are welcome!
If you are handy and understand the basics of low voltage systems, polarity, etc...you can use whatever solar technology you want to. The "Zamp" system on the POD consists of nothing more than an SAE connector attached to two 10 gauge wires that run directly to the battery. Popular solar panel sizes with most owners include 100-200 watts.

Thanks!
You're welcome. Good luck!

Cliff & Raelynn
Ranger 4.0/178
(1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)

JandL

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Joined: 29 Mar 2014
Location: California
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Posts: 364

Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 9:59pm

"Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks" List Your Mods: page 39

"Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks" 200 W solar mod

JandL
2013 Honda Ridgeline
2012 177
2 Paynes in a Pod

birderdiane526 View Drop Down

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Location: Texas
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Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 8:00pm

JandL,

Thanks for responding! However, even with cutting and pasting I can't get to your posts. Any suggestions for me?

Diane and Michael
2016 179 "PIP" (PODDING IN PARADISE)
2007 Toyota Tundra
BLOG:Podding in Paradise,
birderdiane526.blogspot.com

JandL

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Location: California
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Posts: 364

Posted: 08 Jul 2016 at 7:36pm

You can see what I did at this link. I have since updated to 2 panels

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=842&PN=39&title=list-your-mods

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8043

JandL
2013 Honda Ridgeline
2012 177
2 Paynes in a Pod