How A lot Photo voltaic & Battery Capability Do You Want For Van Life? – CleanTechnica – TechnoNews

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I lately got here throughout an ideal video from CheapRVLiving on YouTube. In it, Bob Wells goes by way of some issues individuals want to contemplate when looking for issues like energy stations, photo voltaic mills, and permanently-mounted photo voltaic and battery setups. Let’s first take a look at the video, adopted by a recap for individuals at work and a few of my very own added ideas additional down:

Bob’s Suggestions

Earlier than I add my $.02 to the dialogue, let’s recap the suggestions from the video for individuals who can’t watch it for no matter cause. For many individuals, solar energy continues to be a seemingly magical factor, and folks with no expertise with low-voltage wiring can really feel intimidated by it. After which there’s all the watts, amps, and volts (plus watt-hours and amp-hours) that may result in confusion. However, the know-how has come a great distance since individuals like me and Bob have been experimenting with it (he did his first photo voltaic setup in 2010, and I did mine that very same yr!).

However, deciding how a lot solar energy you want doesn’t have to be rocket surgical procedure. Nowadays, you don’t have to know something about wiring and also you don’t want to rent an electrician to get the advantages.

The apparent first query is your price range. Everybody would like to have a giant photo voltaic array on their camper or subsequent to their tent that may run every thing, together with air-con and EV charging. However, a high-end photo voltaic setup can price over $10,000! So, it’s important to begin out by realizing what you may spend first, as a result of the sky’s the restrict. Bob begins off exhibiting viewers a easy 200-watt system that prices about $400. Happily, costs have been coming down and proceed to return down.

As a result of the sky’s the restrict, it’s actually all about getting probably the most for what you may moderately spend. For individuals on a smaller price range than $400 (now we have to keep in mind that Bob Wells helps lots of people who didn’t select van life), there are nonetheless choices to get at the least some energy to cost a telephone, a flashlight, an electrical lantern, and different small issues. For individuals on an even bigger price range, Bob recommends shopping for as a lot photo voltaic as you may afford to get probably the most out of it.

The second query is house. How a lot room do you will have on a van’s roof? Or, for those who’re taking a conveyable system alongside, how a lot house do you will have in your rig for it? You possibly can be capable to afford a powerful system, however for those who don’t have room to hold it alongside, it gained’t do you a bit of fine!

A associated query is battery storage. If you happen to get a bunch of photo voltaic panels however no battery, you’re not going to have energy at evening or on cloudy days. Bob (very a lot rightly) recommends erring on the facet of an excessive amount of battery over having an excessive amount of photo voltaic. You probably have a spot to place each watt-hour your panels produce in a day, you’re getting probably the most good out of these panels. You probably have an excessive amount of panel and never sufficient battery, you’re actually throwing vitality away that you simply may want you had later. All in all, he recommends “two to one” energy, or having twice as many watts as amp-hours.

The following query: what season will you be touring in and what climate will you be seeing? The size of the day modifications over the yr. Deserts have much less rain and extra solar. Coastal areas can have a whole lot of clouds. Because of this, he recommends wanting on the climate the place you’ll be spending time and dimension the system for the worst days of the yr. You’ll have to have sufficient battery to final for as many days as you anticipate not having solar, and never simply sufficient to final in a single day, and also you’ll want sufficient photo voltaic to cost these batteries up in a day or two earlier than the clouds come once more.

One broad suggestion he provides is to have a minimal of 200 watts of photo voltaic panel and a 100 amp-hour lithium battery (the setup he reveals on display). This gained’t run something like air-con, however it’ll give energy for necessities like LED lighting, charging up telephones and lights, and so forth. 300 watts and two deep cycle batteries is best, and so forth.

Whereas vitality audits (taking a look at what your units/home equipment use) are essential, Bob doesn’t waste a whole lot of time on that. Why? As a result of no one can energy every thing they may ever need. There’s all the time one other creature consolation you could possibly energy! As an alternative, he recommends spending as a lot as you may in your photo voltaic/battery system so that you’ll have as a lot vitality out there as attainable.

Lastly, he provides his ultimate suggestion: 400 watts and two deep cycle batteries, with compromises occurring for something smaller. For RVs, he recommends at the least 500 watts to account for phantom attracts, however with 1000 watts to actually be extra comfy. He additionally recommends tilting the system towards the solar and following the solar (swiveling) to get extra energy out of panels every time attainable.

In sum, contemplate this stuff:

• Finances
• House out there
• Purchase all you may afford

Including EVs To The Van Life & Tenting Combine (My $.02)

Most of Bob’s viewers is having to do issues for as cheaply as attainable. Whereas YouTubers and Instagram-ers had been large on dwelling in previous vans and faculty buses, Bob’s viewers is extra about survival than glamor and clicks. Many individuals dwelling in vans are doing it as a result of they’ll’t make the ends meet on restricted retirement cash, or as a result of they’ve discovered themselves not doing effectively with the type of grind it takes to achieve success nowadays chasing the American dream.

Because of this, most of his movies cater to individuals who purchased an previous work van or dwell in a gas-powered automobile of some form. It’s what they may afford with out going right into a debt that they couldn’t safely service.

However, EV costs are dropping, and a few of Bob’s movies function individuals dwelling in older EVs. So, that’s the place the way forward for van life and nomadic dwelling is headed.

As I detailed in one other article, I’ve been experimenting with utilizing my 60 kWh EV battery to energy a campsite. This features a full kitchen (together with toaster oven, microwave, and fridge), in addition to air-con and warmth for the insulated Shiftpod tent. When you will have tons of battery, it’s rather a lot simpler to energy nearly something. With used Bolts going for as little as $10,000 for those who store round, it’s going to be simpler and simpler for nomads to all have an enormous battery they’ll go into city and cost as soon as every week when photo voltaic doesn’t lower it.

This doesn’t assist individuals who can’t afford an EV immediately, clearly, so I don’t decide anybody for not driving one and dwelling in it. However, for individuals who can, it might be a much better setup than the options.

Featured picture by Jennifer Sensiba.