Solar in winter

[Sniggib]

Hi all,

Currently calculating my expected power use and therefore solar panel size.

So, a difficult and variable question, but hoping to take an approximate average.

What do you get out of you solar panels in winter?

Cheers,

 

[t0mb0]

Short and imprecise answer is you can’t really rely on very much at all over winter. Yesterday was cloudy and overcast but dry and my 250w panel was trickling about 1amp in when I happened to look.

 

[RayF]

Solar is pretty much a lost cause in winter. The best you can hope for is to maintain an already fully charged battery with next to no power being drawn from the battery

 

[DaveD]

Short and imprecise answer is you can’t really rely on very much at all over winter. Yesterday was cloudy and overcast but dry and my 250w panel was trickling about 1amp in when I happened to look.

Solar is pretty much a lost cause in winter. The best you can hope for is to maintain an already fully charged battery with next to no power being drawn from the battery

I hope somebody told Boris..........

 

[Sniggib]

Thanks all, thought as much. Will have to just rely on the split charger then I think.

Cheers,

 

[cgtmiles]

obviously there are many factors but you can see from the above the light is only sufficient to get a few hours with enough to trigger any charging. As said above though, it’s great for keeping the battery topped up

 

[JasonW]

Even though its less efficient during cloudy winter days you should bear in mind it is making a positive contribution.. and I would say over 6 to 7 hours of a typical winter day putting around 10 amps back in. Thats 10 amps more than without it...

 

[t0mb0]

Even though its less efficient during cloudy winter days you should bear in mind it is making a positive contribution.. and I would say over 6 to 7 hours of a typical winter day putting around 10 amps back in. Thats 10 amps more than without it...

Yeah, it's valuable for keeping the batteries maintained and covering light usage, it just doesn't cover full camping usage like it does in summer.

 

[Phil_G]

Even though its less efficient during cloudy winter days you should bear in mind it is making a positive contribution.. and I would say over 6 to 7 hours of a typical winter day putting around 10 amps back in. Thats 10 amps more than without it...

10 amps on a typical winter day? whats your panel J, a couple of kilowatts? At least the overhang will keep the van dry
(I think you mean 10Ah dont you... strange this should come up twice in 5 minutes! )

 

[RayF]

10 amps on a typical winter day? whats your panel J, a couple of kilowatts? At least the overhang will keep the van dry
(I think you mean 10Ah dont you... strange this should come up twice in 5 minutes! )

I would agree with 10Ah. This is the solar yield from my boats array in the last few days. I’ve got 3 150w panels and its very negligible

 

[JasonW]

10 amps on a typical winter day? whats your panel J, a couple of kilowatts? At least the overhang will keep the van dry
(I think you mean 10Ah dont you... strange this should come up twice in 5 minutes! )

Haha.. yeah.. 10Ah thanks for the correction... its what I meant

 

[Ralpher]

Hi all,

Currently calculating my expected power use and therefore solar panel size.

So, a difficult and variable question, but hoping to take an approximate average.

What do you get out of you solar panels in winter?

Cheers,

I've just bought the Ecoflow 220 watt portable solar array (got 50 pounds off, so it was £500). These are very good performers and well regarded, however they are still in their box as I haven't been bothered to link them up yet... I also bough the Ecoflow Delta 1300 from Costco for a miserly £885.00.

I figured I can power everything I need in my vehicle - kettle, induction hob, toaster, slow cooker etc. from the power pack and then charge that with the solar array.
I don't have to worry about sub-par roof mounted panels which spoil the looks, hardly ever orientate towards the sun, can be a fire risk etc.
My van is clutter-free (ish) and has very little in the way of exlectrics to play up at a later date. I can also use the power bank and solar array anywhere I like.
This setup I think, has saved me around £1500 and a load of aggro on installation works.

Hope this gives food for though for anyone considering splashing out on hard-wired electrics.

 

[Stay Frosty]

Your choice but some of us are masochists and like sticking unfeasibly large batteries under... steady @JOG ... our backside and solar panels on our roof.
Doing it this way can be as reliable, expensive or as neat as you decide to make it... some bits of mine are quite tidy and haven't caught fire yet.

 

[czmate1999]

I've just bought the Ecoflow 220 watt portable solar array (got 50 pounds off, so it was £500). These are very good performers and well regarded, however they are still in their box as I haven't been bothered to link them up yet... I also bough the Ecoflow Delta 1300 from Costco for a miserly £885.00.

I figured I can power everything I need in my vehicle - kettle, induction hob, toaster, slow cooker etc. from the power pack and then charge that with the solar array.
I don't have to worry about sub-par roof mounted panels which spoil the looks, hardly ever orientate towards the sun, can be a fire risk etc.
My van is clutter-free (ish) and has very little in the way of exlectrics to play up at a later date. I can also use the power bank and solar array anywhere I like.
This setup I think, has saved me around £1500 and a load of aggro on installation works.

Hope this gives food for though for anyone considering splashing out on hard-wired electrics.

I'm wondering if the EF Delta 2 would have been a better bet...

 

[JOG]

Your choice but some of us are masochists and like sticking unfeasibly large batteries under... steady @JOG ... our backside and solar panels on our roof.
Doing it this way can be as reliable, expensive or as neat as you decide to make it... some bits of mine are quite tidy and haven't caught fire yet.

”under” is fine….”in” is more of a challenge, particularly if “unfeasibly large”!!!