Lithium Battery Bank

I wanted to respond to the “solar is worthless because of winter” statement.

I have an off-grid house where I live and have worked remotely for 10+ years.It sits literally 3 minutes from the Canadian border and is on the same latitude as Nova Scotia. It is completely solar-powered with four 260w solar panels connected to an MPPT controller and Outback inverter and 4-250 amp AGM sealed batteries. There IS no grid electricity - so that’s not even an option. It’s solar - or nothing.

I can have 4 inches of snow on my panels and still have charge going into my batteries. I run a generator every 3 days, as necessary, and never allow discharge below 70%. My batteries last 7 years on average. Nothing else has been switched out or upgraded and the entire setup cost approximately $6000.00 completely installed in 2014 and I use the same setup summer AND winter. (And, yes, I was still getting charge into my batteries with this much snow on them…not at 100% - but enough to keep the lights on until I could clear some snow off… )

On other hand, I don’t expect to live the “American Dream” of unlimited electric usage. No one is going to be happy with solar if they are running a few 100w panels on their roof and then expect to use coffee machines, hairdryers and run a television or a gaming station 23 hours a day, Your lifestyle will change because you will become acutely aware that “energy conservation” means more than adjusting a thermostat!

In my new van, I will be using a setup of a 3600-7200W AC Output and inverter with 800w of solar panels (it can take up to 1600w). It can be charged with an alternator, separate car battery, solar panels, an EV charging station, its own gas generator, AC wall charging - and - coming soon - a roof-mounted mobile wind turbine. (Which I find very interesting indeed…) This new setup will more than triple the setup I have at my house. I don’t expect any problems at all with energy - but it takes some adjusting of expectations and lifestyle!

The new panels will not be roof-mounted since I want the ability to move them to the best position possible wherever I’m at and they fold up and will fit nicely in the van garage. I will initially be using them to power my apartment here in Amsterdam. (It also has its own Home panel that will act as a sub-panel to power the house.)

What I am saying is that you can live witth solar year-round - but expect to adjust your expectations and lifestyle accordingly. Just saying that “solar doesn’t work in winter” - just simply isn’t accurate given my own experience with several years of solar energy in very harsh winter conditions.

Cheers!

Keep in mind the topic here is van life, and you are talking about a house / fixed structure.
Most van dwellers probably cannot put that much solar panel on our roof tops.
This means most living in their vehicles will probably have far less solar panel surface area.
(Some have more than others, but most Van Dwellers likely have much less)

For the intended purposes, I think the statement stands.

Solar output is significantly lower in winter months due to shorter days and decreased sunlight due to obstruction from cloud cover and snow etc.

https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/market-snapshots/2019/market-snapshot-solar-power-generation-in-canada-is-highly-seasonal.html

According to the Canada Energy Regulator, solar out put is between 12% and 40% during winter months.
And this is under ideal placement, angle and maintenance conditions.
All bets are off once any of these are not optimized.

If I could reasonably fit 4 - 260 watt panels on the roof of my van then I would.
Not gonna happen. And even if I could, they would not likely be at the ideal angle reducing output even further.

For Van Life, it is likely that you will need a backup plan for solar in higher latitudes during the winter.
Foresty Forest, a well known Canadian van lifer gave up on solar completely because of this.

Hi Dodge Life -

Actually, I have 800w of solar panels that will not be attached to the roof, but that are portable so they can be placed at an optimal angle on the ground. I really don’t want them on the roof for several reasons…

And my home solar setup is ANYTHING but ideal. The panel rack was in place when I bought the property and 2 panels are half-hidden behind the house until 10 am most mornings, it is not on a tracker and starts losing direct sun by 3-4 pm during the winter. (House is surrounded by 4-5 story trees.) So - it is definitely not an “ideal” placement.

My point is that someone will always be disappointed if they think that they can use solar like grid electric at any point. The size of that display isn’t remotely practical.

Regardless, I have multiple ways of charging my unit beyond the sun that are always available - and frankly, have no big desire to be at high-latitudes during the winter…so, I think it will work out. The idea behind van life for many is a simplification and a choice for a different way of living. Reflecting on how you use energy (and electricity in particular) seems a good place to start that reflection.

Cheers!

Greetings!

I think the most important thing to remember about solar is that you’ll also need alternate charging capabilities. Then the question becomes “Is solar worth it in the first place?”. The vast majority of those who have tried it will answer “HELL NO!”. Myself included… Camper vans especially, have very limited room for solar, and parking in the sun during the summer is unnecessary torture.

Solar makes the promoters big money, so they promote it. The same is true for a variety of poor choices that the promoters like to promote. For the camper, the wasted money isn’t always the issue, but many don’t realize that there are better choices available.

Experience can teach us a lot, but the majority of people trying #Vanlife will quit in frustration before they ever get the needed experience. This is mainly thanks to the promoters, their lies, and their terrible advice. The problem is that it can be very difficult to differentiate between the promoters and the supporters who have nothing to gain, and only offer their experience and advice.

As a supporter, being power frugal is what works best for me. For me, since I power everything possible with some sort of fuel or manually, instead of electricity or battery power, a single cheap 100ah lead acid deep cycle battery will provide all the power I need for a full week. Combined with my identical starter battery (one at a time…), I can go a full two weeks on battery power alone.

In my case, that doesn’t mean doing without, it just means doing things differently. For instance, my fan forced heat requires no electricity or battery power. The fan is a heat powered wood stove fan, sitting on top of my fuel only powered heater. Even in the summer, they can be powered by a single tea light candle. I have 12v fans too to use when necessary or desired, but I find the candle powered fans to be extremely handy to take outside with me. No cords, no batteries to recharge or replace, just a cheap simple candle to power a very handy portable fan. While they will work with a tea light candle, I’ve been using a DIY refillable cooking oil candle. I also have candle powered LED lanterns. (Luminiser brand, but there are other brands & types available.)

I do like and enjoy a number of self contained solar goodies too. I just sit them in a window to charge. I have a solar powered radio, indoor & outdoor lights, a bug zapper, and more.

Besides my house battery, I can and do charge my laptop, phone, and other goodies while driving too. Free charges, while my house battery is also charging.

The possibilities and opportunities are nearly endless, and as nomads we don’t have to do without, but doing things differently can certainly improve our lives. Everybody’s wants & needs are different, but only research & experience can lead us to true happiness. Solar, lithium batteries, or any other expensive choices, aren’t guaranteed to get us there.

Cheers!


"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller


There is one pretty decent plus side to having the solar panels mounted on the roof of the vehicle.
In the summer, they block the Sun from heating the roof of the vehicle and that makes a HUGE difference as to how hot it gets inside. The 3 inches air gap acts as insulation. it’s a definite plus I hadn’t even considered but experienced it after the fact.

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