Howdy Larry, and anyone else curious about what I would incorporate in a
"possible" future solar build,
Regarding the mounting of the panels, this was an opportunity to compare
actual panels against one another. The seven panels were purchased from
five different sources and all are slightly different. Also I purchased
several different mounting systems, plus designed several from hardware
readily available locally. All systems that were attached directly to the
GMCs roof include 3M VHB double sided adhesive tape, and secured with self
taping screws. I adapted or designed all mounting assemblies to allow the
possibility of adjusting the angle to optimize harvesting the sun's rays
when boon-docking for extended times. All panels are mounted at 4 points
and have proven to be extremely secure. After over 25,000 miles of highway
speeds and with regular inspections before major excursions, confirming
just how secure they are attached insures no fear of anything coming loose
while rolling down the road.
If I were to start over from scratch on a different coach the build would
be certainly be different. Not because of any dissatisfaction with what I
have now, which has well met all of our expectations, but to prove that
today solar on a small coach is capable of meeting the energy needs for
most owners, in almost any climate. For solar to include air conditioning,
one simply needs to build a system properly sized and "make ice while the
sun shines!"
What changes and improvements would I make based on what I've learned thus
far?
I would start with a solid coach that has already had extensive
refurbishing, both mechanically and cosmetically, especially maximizing the
R-value in floors, walls, and ceiling.
Then, rather than the hodgepodge of seven single 12 volt panels fitted to
seven various adaptable locations, I'd build-up a solid durable aluminum
frame to interlock 8 identical 48 volt residential panels, designed to
mount to roof railings such that the entire assembly could be adjusted for
optimal harvesting of the sun's rays if desired for longer term
boon-docking, while at the same time shading the majority of the roof from
the direct heat of the sun. Such an eight panel assembly would measure
just under 21 foot in length by 7 foot width, rated at over 2,500 watts
potential input. I would also increase my energy storage from 500 Ah
LiFePo4 to 800 Ah, increase the charge controller to at least 100A, and
upgrade the 2000w pure sine wave inverter to 4,000w.
Replacing the old inefficient roof A/C unit with a more modern soft start
European mini-split system would allow a lifestyle permitting the coach to
be successfully cooled in the heat of the desert to a more comfortable
level during the heat of the day. There is simply no comparison to the old
roof top units that typically are on our old coaches. The efficiency range
of the mini split units usually fall somewhere between 20 to 30+ SEER, and
should be easily adaptable to our coaches.
Our current installation actually cost us right at $7,000 total, plus a
wee-bit of "sweat" equity. The maxed out "ideal" install should come in
at +/- $12,500, plus a wee-bit more of that "sweat" equity.
All I need is that second GMC coach. But right now we are having so much
fun with what we have!
Here's a link to my DropBox file with a wiring diagram and a few pictures
of our system:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r3eoxavcqrulcb9/AABssB0dNMOTu3bKl-EiyUhra?dl=0
Hugs,
Vern, Lenore, and Knibbles D. Kat
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 4:48 PM Larry Davick via Gmclist <
> Interesting idea. The website Teslarati has a small write up about
> someone doing this
> https://www.teslarati.com/install-tesla-battery-solar-rv-lifestyle/
> https://www.teslarati.com/install-tesla-battery-solar-rv-lifestyle/
>
> The future looks pretty good!
> --
> Larry Davick
> A Mystery Machine
> 1976(ish) Palm Beach
> Fremont, Ca
> Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Vern Crawford (and Lenore Langsdorf)
155 JJ Lane
Center Point, TX 78010
(618) 203-8296 Vern's cell
(830) 928-5550 Lenore's cell
VernCrawford
LenoreLangsdorf
"possible" future solar build,
Regarding the mounting of the panels, this was an opportunity to compare
actual panels against one another. The seven panels were purchased from
five different sources and all are slightly different. Also I purchased
several different mounting systems, plus designed several from hardware
readily available locally. All systems that were attached directly to the
GMCs roof include 3M VHB double sided adhesive tape, and secured with self
taping screws. I adapted or designed all mounting assemblies to allow the
possibility of adjusting the angle to optimize harvesting the sun's rays
when boon-docking for extended times. All panels are mounted at 4 points
and have proven to be extremely secure. After over 25,000 miles of highway
speeds and with regular inspections before major excursions, confirming
just how secure they are attached insures no fear of anything coming loose
while rolling down the road.
If I were to start over from scratch on a different coach the build would
be certainly be different. Not because of any dissatisfaction with what I
have now, which has well met all of our expectations, but to prove that
today solar on a small coach is capable of meeting the energy needs for
most owners, in almost any climate. For solar to include air conditioning,
one simply needs to build a system properly sized and "make ice while the
sun shines!"
What changes and improvements would I make based on what I've learned thus
far?
I would start with a solid coach that has already had extensive
refurbishing, both mechanically and cosmetically, especially maximizing the
R-value in floors, walls, and ceiling.
Then, rather than the hodgepodge of seven single 12 volt panels fitted to
seven various adaptable locations, I'd build-up a solid durable aluminum
frame to interlock 8 identical 48 volt residential panels, designed to
mount to roof railings such that the entire assembly could be adjusted for
optimal harvesting of the sun's rays if desired for longer term
boon-docking, while at the same time shading the majority of the roof from
the direct heat of the sun. Such an eight panel assembly would measure
just under 21 foot in length by 7 foot width, rated at over 2,500 watts
potential input. I would also increase my energy storage from 500 Ah
LiFePo4 to 800 Ah, increase the charge controller to at least 100A, and
upgrade the 2000w pure sine wave inverter to 4,000w.
Replacing the old inefficient roof A/C unit with a more modern soft start
European mini-split system would allow a lifestyle permitting the coach to
be successfully cooled in the heat of the desert to a more comfortable
level during the heat of the day. There is simply no comparison to the old
roof top units that typically are on our old coaches. The efficiency range
of the mini split units usually fall somewhere between 20 to 30+ SEER, and
should be easily adaptable to our coaches.
Our current installation actually cost us right at $7,000 total, plus a
wee-bit of "sweat" equity. The maxed out "ideal" install should come in
at +/- $12,500, plus a wee-bit more of that "sweat" equity.
All I need is that second GMC coach. But right now we are having so much
fun with what we have!
Here's a link to my DropBox file with a wiring diagram and a few pictures
of our system:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r3eoxavcqrulcb9/AABssB0dNMOTu3bKl-EiyUhra?dl=0
Hugs,
Vern, Lenore, and Knibbles D. Kat
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 4:48 PM Larry Davick via Gmclist <
> Interesting idea. The website Teslarati has a small write up about
> someone doing this
> https://www.teslarati.com/install-tesla-battery-solar-rv-lifestyle/
> https://www.teslarati.com/install-tesla-battery-solar-rv-lifestyle/
>
> The future looks pretty good!
> --
> Larry Davick
> A Mystery Machine
> 1976(ish) Palm Beach
> Fremont, Ca
> Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Vern Crawford (and Lenore Langsdorf)
155 JJ Lane
Center Point, TX 78010
(618) 203-8296 Vern's cell
(830) 928-5550 Lenore's cell
VernCrawford
LenoreLangsdorf
