We are thinking about taking the plunge into the world of solar and wonder if anyone out there has any experience with solar generators. We want to be able to use the generator for other activities, so we don't want to invest too much in to solar technology that is hardwired into our 2017 r179.

Our thought was to get something like a Jackery 1500 solar generator with 4 solar panels and simply plug the rPod into the solar generator just like we would if we were connecting to our Champion 2000 inverter generator. We know we can only run certain items which, given our 5 years of rpodding, is plenty for us. 

Has anyone had any experience with solar generators or the way in which we plan on using it? Any recommendations?

Thanks

gpokluda

2017 r179

2016 Nissan Frontier SV

All of the "solar generators" I've seen are just batteries with a built-on converter.  You already have that with your Pod battery and converter.  You can get the same results for a lot less -- and have less to lug around -- with something like a Renogy solar suitcase hooked up directly to your Pod battery.

Depending on where you're camping, you might also want/need a fossil fuel inverter generator.  Solar is great at the beach or in the desert, for example, where you have to camp in the sun.  If you ever want to camp under the trees, or you have 4 days of rain, a regular generator can come in real handy.  I have both solar and a gas generator and often only take only one depending on where I'm going.

TT

gpokluda

2016 Nissan Frontier SV

2017 Rpod 179

I got a Renogy 100 Watt panel. It came with a PWM controller. See this for information on the difference between PWM and MPPT controllers:

https://www.renogy.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-mppt-and-pwm-charge-controllers/ - https://www.renogy.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-mppt-and-pwm-charge-controllers/

I re-wired the output of the controller to use Andersen PowerPole connectors. I have a longer cable that plugs into that to run to either the SAE connector (with a jumper I made) or the 60A PowerPole connector I installed on the A frame. I also use that one to plug in a cable to run my ham radio transceiver when we are somewhere for sufficient time to allow me to set up my antenna. That lets me use the RPod's battery to run the radio instead of the truck's battery. I bought the kit for the solar MC4 connectors, but they are a pain to use when connections need to be plugged and unplugged frequently. They are great for stationary setups where the connections will be made and left alone. The Andersen PowerPole connectors are much more tolerant of repeated plugging/unplugging.

This is probably more information than you need right now, but just file it away for possible future use.

Hopefully, this will help.

gpokluda

2017 Rpod 179

2016 Nissan Frontier

Gino

2017 R179

2016 Frontier SV

I was just going to post some musings as we finished up a round of campground and dispersed camping in Northern New Mexico before winter arrives in the mountains. It has been about 8 months since we outfitted the 179 with an 1000W inverter, new group 24 DC batteries (2) and a GoPower 130 portable solar kit. My goal was to be able run our small coffee maker and charge phones and other devices without having to lug the generator around.

So far after roughly 7K miles of traveling including a loop up around the Pacific Northwest and back, I have to say that the setup met expectations. However, unless I get more battery capacity and more solar panels, my generator will always be in the back of my truck. While I have no statistics to measure, my gut tells me that the solar setup probably provided less than 10% of the power used while the generator supplied the rest. A lot of this is due to where we camp in the summer months, forested mountains where our panels rarely had access to direct sunlight and usually only supplied 5-7amps to the cause. So, in addition to having a generator (which weights about 35lbs), I also had 30+lbs of solar panel in the truck. No matter how you look at it, the value proposition isn't there. 

Where the panels do come in handy is when the 179 is in storage. I no longer have to remove the batteries as I just set up the panels and have the sun keep them topped for me.

We will now switch to our winter camping mode and head south to the deserts until April. With fewer trees and more access to clear sky, I hope the panels perform better but with a lower sun angle, I'm not holding my breath. All in all it was a fun experiment but I am not completely sold on solar and RVs yet.

FWIW, I originally was looking at Jackery solar generators. While they may not have met my use case, we sure have seen a lot of them this summer and fall. 

Thanks. That answers a lot of my questions. I've been iffy on trying the solar. Think I'll stay with the tried and true for now.

 No one should be surprised if they rarely see more that 5 or 6 amps out if a 100 watt solar module. 

That being said, I disagree with the suggesting that solar might not be tried and true. It is far more reliable than any other power source you could own. There's really nothing to go wrong, you just have to understand want it does and doesn't do. Set up your solar module facing south in a shade free location at a tilt angle of around your latitude minus 15 degrees  pretty much anywhere in North America in the summer months and you'll get on average at least 4 hours of equivalent full sun. So that's around 25-30 amp hours per day into your battery. That's enough for most folks boondocking if they're careful in their electricity use and don't expect to run air conditioners or microwaves or coffee pots or other heavy load ac appliances. 

If you get a string of rainy days, you'll either need a generator or a large enough battery to get you through the cloudy period. How big? Around 4 days autonomy. So if you're using 25 amp hours a day you'll need around 100 amp hours available capacity, or around 200 amp hours rated capacity if using lead acid, maybe 120-130 ah if using lithium. You should still set up you solar though, even on a cloudy day you can get 1 or 2 sun hours, so that's 6-14 amp hours, which could up to double your boondock time.   

Camping under trees with no sunny spot for your module?  Bring that generator or enough battery capacity to last you through your boondock period. 

 

I have the 1000 explorer. I felt the 500 extra that the 1500 put out wasn't worth the cost. Your mileage may vary. The panels are pretty light, but so far I havent had any issue. Granted I've only charged it up a few times so far, I got it about a month ago, and camping season is close to done. I will still use it this winter I think. As a back up system at a minimum. 

Originally posted by john in idaho I hav e a suitcase solar panel either 100 or 150 - I would have to go to the barn to check.  But I have not found a way to secure it from a snatch and grab thief, which sort of limits its usefulness.

Maybe I'm living in a time warp but I have never had anything stolen from a campsite.  Knock on wood.  I try not to leave overly tempting items out unlocked, and I may have run a cheap bike cable through the "suitcase" of my solar suitcase.  It would be pathetically easy to overcome that, and I haven't always done it  I know what you're saying though.

TT