Question Solar install

[Joe Dutchstar]

Back to debating to install some solar panels or not. Do I really need solar installed??
We are in Nappanee and speaking with SES regarding a solar install.
Pricing is reasonable.
We typically travel camp ground to campground. The only real benefit is to keep house battery topped up while traveling,
Issue is that if the house battery get low when traveling when we plug in the charger will take most available post power until the Lipo batteries are charged. No AC or cooking etc.
consequently when traveling with house air on we run the generator.
So in reality as long as we don’t boondock the is little real need for solar, but it is nice to have as we discovered in the previous RV.
Thoughts??

 

[osuallen]

Last year we got the whole solar and lithium upgrade from SES. Our primary purpose was to be able to boondock some and reduced generator usage while boondocking. If we are travelling campground to campground, unless we need to exercise the generator, we run the house AC's on solar/battery while driving when it is hot. We do not have any issue with inadequate power due to battery draw when we plug in. Of course your inverter set up may be different than ours.

 

[Neal]

Solar is also beneficial when in for service and not plugged in such as in the parking lot waiting on service. The main reason I got solar as my storage at the time didn't have power, but it's also a good learning experience to better understand electrical. Boondocking such as balloon fiesta and other events. And at times you may want to just enjoy some off grid time even if only a night or two.

You're incorrect in that when your LiFePO4 are charging you can't use anything else. As mentioned before long ago, your charge rate needs to be set properly, i.e. 30A and not 50A. This is no different than non LiFePO4 batteries and your EMS should manage if necessary.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Neal, you are correct once again, thank you for reminding me of the 30amp charging setting. Currently set to 50A, oops,
In any event I’m schedule for a roof full of solar at SES on October 2nd.
Not sure which installer will do the work but it will get done.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

For you! Probably not worth it. For someone like me? Worth it. I full time, very conservative. Didn't go to a high-end shop for install. Have you calculated break even? My guess the 4th owner might see benefits, that is if the install requires no corrections to the system when the company finishes the installation.

My question would be, how much diesel would you need to burn to break even?

I advocate solar for full time users, who do their own work. They of course don't worry about bragging rights.

 

[Richpatty]

For you! Probably not worth it. For someone like me? Worth it. I full time, very conservative. Didn't go to a high-end shop for install. Have you calculated break even? My guess the 4th owner might see benefits, that is if the install requires no corrections to the system when the company finishes the installation.

My question would be, how much diesel would you need to burn to break even?

I advocate solar for full time users, who do their own work. They of course don't worry about bragging rights.

Maybe Joe just wants solar for the extra charging and convenience and does not care about break even…. Would that be OK?

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Maybe Joe just wants solar for the extra charging and convenience and does not care about break even…. Would that be OK?

Of course! But if a man asks for an opinion! Well! I have one.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Neal’s point about service is right on point. When we took the coach in to Cummins last year the next day service happened 7 days later. No plug in available. Batteries were quite low and shut themselves off. When we went to pickup, had to run the generator just to use the wheelchair lift to get in.
Royal PITA.
Solar would have covered the situation nicely.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Typically I do not use the AGS if there is the possibility of the coach being in an inside workspace for an extended period of time. So no the AGS was not active.
Potentially filling a closed up workshop with diesel fumes would be very bad.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

For you! Probably not worth it. For someone like me? Worth it. I full time, very conservative. Didn't go to a high-end shop for install. Have you calculated break even? My guess the 4th owner might see benefits, that is if the install requires no corrections to the system when the company finishes the installation.

My question would be, how much diesel would you need to burn to break even?

I advocate solar for full time users, who do their own work. They of course don't worry about bragging rights.

I'm not trying to speak for Joe Dutchstar but we full time and spend a lot of time in full service parks. We sure like being able to hit a BLM and use our solar if we feel like it. I don't expect to break even on my system. I equate having our solar the same as us having a 33 foot Class A coach as apposed to a 20 foot Schoolie. They both serve the same purpose but our Class A costs considerably more than the schoolie and is a lot more comfortable for us. There is no expectation for breaking even. It didn't sound like there was any bragging going on...just a simple announcement. I advocate for those that want to enjoy the convenience of solar when they want to use it without having to justify it financially.

 

[Neal]

The same applies to houses with solar. I see a lot in my neighborhood. My BIL works for the power company and also states, it will never pay for itself, well, not in the lifetime or ownership of the current owner. It's sort of a scam by companies offering solar for homes IMHO, they sell you on this glorious idea of savings but you'll never redeem the cost, well again, that lifetime and ownership thing. Solar on the RV won't ROI either but the education it brings to better understanding your electrical system is worth the cost and enjoying the energy you can harvest from the sun is impressive and can be enjoyed on your boondocking experiences. The landscape these days are changing quite a bit from my 2018 self install now with LiFePO4 vs wet cells I had where I can actually charge up, use my A/C's on battery, etc. after my SES overhaul. Cost is not part of the equation here.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I agree the ROI from a pure cost savings is not typically possible, on the RV or a house.
For residential we did the math and if we did all the work ourselves and valued our time as $0 an hour, we could have achieved a ROI in roughly 6 or 7 years. But only if we didn’t factor in what that capital could return if invested.
If we had to pay someone to install and factored in the lost return on the capital, the ROI was not in my lifetime.
But - like Neal said, there is an education perspective and there are other factors such as what you enjoy trying and learning. ROI is just one factor to consider but not the only one.
I enjoy tinkering and learning - so as my first step when I considered solar on the house I wanted to understand where power was being used, what peak draws were happening, etc. so we purchased a tool from Emporia and installed in the breaker box which allows us to monitor power use by breaker.
This had a ROI of less than a year as it changed our power use behavior and for anyone considering solar I would recommend this type of tool to gather some of the information you would need to properly size a system (peak power draw is needed for inverter sizing) along with total daily consumption for any given time period.

Amazon.com

 

[Richpatty]

I enjoy tinkering and learning - so as my first step when I considered solar on the house I wanted to understand where power was being used, what peak draws were happening, etc. so we purchased a tool from Emporia and installed in the breaker box which allows us to monitor power use by breaker.
This had a ROI of less than a year as it changed our power use behavior and for anyone considering solar I would recommend this type of tool to gather some of the information you would need to properly size a system (peak power draw is needed for inverter sizing) along with total daily consumption for any given time period.

Amazon.com

Very cool and nerdy…. I love it. Not sure my better half would let spend $200 on it…but will keep it on my wish list…