Video of my 1280 watt solar panel install.

good stuff :)

The next progression with solar I think needs to be either the density of the panels (Watts per m2) is improved or the Efficiency improves so you can get even more power on the roof!
 
Phil
To quote a well known phrase from our region, "Yar off ya heed man, yar not the full shillin"
Jim.
 
Does the server for motorhomer and wildcamping reside in the van, or is it just an EV. Do you get feedback rates to the electric companies?
 
To be honest I fail to see the benefit. A roof covered in panels and 4 x £900 batteries. The number of panels needed is dictated by the 400A battery bank but why do you need so much power. We all know that flat solar panels in the Uk are not the best way of generating power especially in winter. The further south you go the better off you are.

Surely with your power requirements you would be better off with a methane fuel cell generating the power you need 24/7 When you add up the cost of your system including the solar controller and the disadvantages of solar and the added complication of trying to elevate the panels to get better output it does seem a bit of a no brainier.

Admittedly you have a running cost of the fuel cell but you would have far more reliable power. You would also have more light coming in and less weight on the roof.

@Geeky Philip
 
Froodie said:
To be honest I fail to see the benefit. A roof covered in panels and 4 x £900 batteries. The number of panels needed is dictated by the 400A battery bank but why do you need so much power. We all know that flat solar panels in the Uk are not the best way of generating power especially in winter. The further south you go the better off you are.

Surely with your power requirements you would be better off with a methane fuel cell generating the power you need 24/7 When you add up the cost of your system including the solar controller and the disadvantages of solar and the added complication of trying to elevate the panels to get better output it does seem a bit of a no brainier.

Admittedly you have a running cost of the fuel cell but you would have far more reliable power. You would also have more light coming in and less weight on the roof.

@Geeky Philip
Click to expand...
I did consider all the options before deciding to go down this route, but to meet my daily 200Ah+ usage the Efoy 210 would be required with an investment of around £5,500. I would still need a bigger battery bank as the Efoy would not meet the demand in the daytime and the batteries would have to take the strain. The cost of the panels + MPPT + Batteries was a similar price to the Efoy but I would expect to get at least 10 years usage out of my installation. Running at full power (210Ah per day) the Efoy will consume one M10 cartridge every 5 days, if I half that to only 100Ah per day which is my lowest usage I would use 30 * M10 cartridge per year at a cost of £1476 per year or £14,760 over the 10 years. Also, Efoy units require the stack replacing every 4000-5000 operating hours of use which in my case would most likely be once every year, the cost of this service is eye-watering!

So even with the higher fuel cost because of the extra weight, it is nowhere near the costs of the Efoy.

I would like to say though than an Efoy is no good for me because my energy usage is massive, but for a normal weekend-camper they can be a good option.
 
So in theory about 100A going into the battery bank on a nice sunny day with the panels pointing south to catch the sun. Be interesting to see what the actual output is over a longer period. Our 150w panel managed a peak of 8.1A in Spain this year but the 100w panel on the side of the shed which is pointing South is only producing just over 1A today
 
Froodie said:
So in theory about 100A going into the battery bank on a nice sunny day with the panels pointing south to catch the sun. Be interesting to see what the actual output is over a longer period. Our 150w panel managed a peak of 8.1A in Spain this year but the 100w panel on the side of the shed which is pointing South is only producing just over 1A today
Click to expand...
Yesterday the system reports it's peak output was 384watts so around 30 amps.
 
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