Solar Panels for Caravans, mobile homes and
Using energy from the Sun, the solar panel can provide additional charge to 12 volt caravan, mobile home, and other recreational vehicle battery systems. The solar panel is effective, as a permanently fixed option or flexable non fixed option to top up battery power when off grid or on extended trips without needing to run the engine plug into AC mains or user generator. Fixed panels differ from portable panels in that they can be used both on the move and when stationary, whereas portable options can only be used when set up at camp.
The solar panel can be used with a battery management system in vehicle battery charges and solar regulators. The solar panel is ideal for four by fours, caravans, camper trailers, and motor homes If you’re looking to extend your stay out in the Bush, the best way to do that is to supplement your auxiliary battery system with solar power. Now, solar panels aren’t a new thing. They’ve been around for many years, and it’s the fact that solar power is an abundant source. In fact, more power falls on the Earth from the Sun in one hour than what the entire world will use in a day.
There are differing ways to set up solar panels depending on the application. There are fixed applications and flexible panels which can be rolled up. There are also foldable solar panels, flat monocrystalline panels, which can be stored in the back of the four wheel driver or a toolbox in the caravan or camper trailer. These can be unfolded at your camp, and moved around throughout the day to take advantage of the sun.
Advantages of movable solar panels
A problem of a fixed solar panel unit, say on the roof of your caravan, is that you cannot pick a shady place to park your caravan, without losing the sun’s rays to energise your solar panels.
Flexible solar panels on the other hand allow you to park your caravan in the shade whilst placing your solar panels directly in the sun. You can also get fabric back mono crystalline panels which can be hung from a tree, put it on the top of the car or out on the ground somewhere, they are lightweight, nice and easy to pack away.
Advantages of fixed solar panels
If you fix your panels to the roof of your vehicle, say your caravan, you can just forget about them, no need to take them out of some box, find a place to set them up and configure all the wiring. Although there is a problem with charging in the shade, whilst you are travelling, they solar panels will be doing their work to charge up you secondary battery. Solar panels still charge in the shade, just not as efficiently as if they were in the full sun.
So, it’s important, no matter what type, size, or how your solar panel is mounted, you must have a solar regulator. And the reason for that is a 12-volt solar panel like these guys can put out somewhere between 19 and 25 volts in full, good sunlight. If you’re looking at a 12-volt battery that you’re charging, obviously that’s far too high. So, the role of the solar regulator is to actually bring that panel voltage down to a voltage that is suitable to apply to that battery and bring it up to full charge. However, here at Monteltham Auto Electric we usually install a REDARC BCDC1225D which is a 12V 25A In-vehicle DC to DC battery charger . This is far more efficient and programable to give you the most efficient current to keep your battery healthy and fully charged.
Redarc 180W Monocrystalline Fixed Solar Panel – Slimline – SMSP1180
- Fixed installation, used for the roof of caravans and motor-homes. They can also be installed on trailers for camping and some 4 by 4’s
- If you have existing ABS mounts these are already compatible, no problem.
- The frames are anodised.
- The Anodised aluminium frame has been treated to develop an exceptionally durable finish, and the glass has a tempered coating.
- These are easy to install with their MC4 connectors.
- Made of Monocrystalline cells their efficiency around 20.6%
Redarc Solar Panel Monocrystalline 180W (Each Panel)
These perfected Redarc Monocrystalline Solar Panels are designed the roof of a vehicle, caravan, or similar motor home and RV.
There is a range of sizes and power output options.
Sunman eArc 185W – Semi-Flexible Solar Panel
- Designed lightweight for caravans, motorhomes, 4 by 4’s
- These solar panels are made of a composite material but are lightweight, frameless and do not have glass.
- A vented gap increases efficiency and prevents over heating where the surface is attached.
- A structural silicone (Fix8) can be used to adhere the panel to a surface.
- The panel can be secured using bolts or screws through eyelets in the panel.
Specifications:
Dimensions (LxWxH) 1520mm x 680mm x 2mm
Weight 3.3kg
Cell Type Mono PERC
Cell Configuration 36 (4×9)
Maximum Power (Pmax) 185 Watt
Voltage Maximum Power (Vmp) 19.9V
Current Maximum Power (Imp) 9.30A
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) 24.1V
Short Circuit Current (Isc) 9.78A
Operating temperature (℃) -40 ℃ to 85 ℃
Maximum system voltage 1000V DC (IEC)
Maximum series fuse rating 20A
Application Class Class A
Power Tolerance 0/+5 W
Backsheet Colour White
Junction Box IP 68 rated (each j-box has one by-pass diode)
Output Cables Photovoltaic technology cable 4.0 mm2, (+)150 / (-)450 mm
Cable Type PV1-F, 4mm2 (tinned copper)
Connector Type MC4
Features:
- eArc (formerly eArche) are the only lightweight solar panels approved for grid connect on buildings which means they have passed the same testing criteria as traditional solar panels.
- Tougher, lighter, thinner and more durable
- eArch thin lightweight solar panels have a tough top layer
- Cutting edge technology – glass fibre-reinforced composite polymers similar to aircraft windows
- This reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion to a similar level as fixed panels, eliminating the main cause of cause of flexible/lightweight solar panel failures as seen in ETFE and PET panels, thermal expansion related stress causing failure of the cell to cell connections
- Lightweight – 100W frameless is 1.8kg
- Thin – 2mm
Tough – Hail tested with ice stones of 35mm diameter and 200g mass at 39.5m per sec
Strong – rated 2400 pascals for wind and 2400 pascals for load
Durable – 10 year product warranty for building and 5 years for mobile application
25 year exposure simulations/tests show degradation of the solar module at similar levels to fixed panels
Output – Efficient monocrystalline cells, 25 year performance guarantee
The only lightweight solar panel composition with Clean Energy Council (CEC) Accreditation
Development of the new waterproof composite polymers and panel structure was accelerated by funding of $3.3M from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to achieve the same durability as conventional solar panels.
eArc panels have been installed on the world’s first solar powered train in Byron Bay and 812 (235kW) panels have been installed onto the Sydney Maritime Museum’s Heritage Building which could not support heavy glass framed solar panels. To date more than 1MW of eArche capacity has been installed in Australia
eArc has obtained a series of other certifications for reliability, including: