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Topic ClosedSolar Panel - Event Date: 12 Feb 2020
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Joined: 09 Jun 2020
Location: Colorado
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Solar Panel
    Posted: 09 Jun 2020 at 4:24pm
JR,

We are looking to do a roof mounted flexible panel as well. I'm curious to know what adhesive you used and if you had any insight or advice you'd be willing to share?

Thanks.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2020 at 6:42pm
I have the supersonic one, works fine. I sold the ac one that came with the pod on CL for $35. I have a couple of small square wave inverters but don't like them, never have. Noisy both electronically and audibly, and I've had electronics damaged by them. I never watch regular TV even at home so don't miss it travelling, but I do watch movies from my collection or stream NF and HBO while travelling so use the Tv quite a bit, especially on rainy days. It is not a separate issue from solar if you use the TV a lot as the inverter wastes a significant amount of energy, requiring more solar and battery to compensate. 
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6417 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2020 at 6:27pm
Supersonic televisions are the only ones I saw that were as low as $132. My small inverter works and cost a whole lot less. Other brands, including Jensen and Free Signal were all well over $200. However, that is a separate issue from solar power. As little as we watch television, the solar panel and battery we have would power the little inverter and the television which appears to work quite well using it for a long time. Most often though, we turn it on only to find that there either is no signal or a weak signal. Even if there is a signal, there is usually nothing worth watching anyway. Ermm
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2020 at 9:33am
The problem with the cheap little 100 watt inverters are that they are "modified sine wave" which really means they are "modified square wave". That makes them electronically noisy and inefficient, and over time they can damage electronic devices connected to them. Its a cleaner, more reliable, and more efficient solution to get a 12Vdc/120Vac TV and dispense with needing an inverter at all. The 12V TV's aren't expensive and you can sell the old one on Craigslist for a few bucks. They bolt right up to the existing wall mounts. 
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Posts: 6417 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2020 at 8:29am
Originally posted by Pod People

We also use a 100w Renogy suitcase set and love it.  We have about 35" of wiring that lets us pu th the panels in the sun.
                                                                                                              ^^^^^
I think you meant 35' (feet) not "(inches) Big smile
The Renogy system is easy, seems to be well built and is in a very durable storage case. We have used it for 3 years and are happy.
Vann
+1 We have not used ours much outside of testing as our camping plans got changed by the current situation. However, it looks like camping in NC is opening back up so I hope we can do so soon. Instead of 2 6V batteries, I now have a single 100A LiFePO4 battery. In my testing, the panel worked quite well. If we do not have shore power, we use propane for those things that need it, to include hot water. I installed a couple of 12V outlets and a couple of USB outlets in our 2016 RP179. I use one of them for my CPAP machine. One USB outlet is used to charge our phones at night. The other 12V and USB outlets (actually, a triple-outlet with two 12V and one USB outlet) gets used for a 12V fan to help circulate air, especially if we don't have shore power and are not running the AC and other miscellaneous uses. I do have a small 100w inverter that is used periodically to run the television (cheaper than buying a 12V TV) and a 350w that rarely gets used. Most often, that is used in the truck to charge laptops while we are driving.

I also installed a Renogy RNG-DCC1212-20 DC to DC charger for the LiFePO4 battery that is able to supply much more power than the Frontier could through the stock 12V supply. I will be able to use that if sunlight is inadequate to charge the battery if shore power is not available also. In addition, if I want to be able to run the AC or the microwave, I do have a generator, but we don't need to use the microwave and if the weather is moderate, can skip the AC also which means we can leave the generator home and save the weight.
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Posts: 1088 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2020 at 9:21pm
We also use a 100w Renogy suitcase set and love it.  We have about 35" of wiring that lets us pu th the panels in the sun.  It keeps our 2 6v GC batteries usable for days on end. We are frugal power users that mostly boondock. We don't use the water heater or the AC. We use solar lights (Luci brand) and heat water on the stove, refrig is always on propane. We do have a 750w inverter for charging electronics.

The Renogy system is easy, seems to be well built and is in a very durable storage case. We have used it for 3 years and are happy.
Vann

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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2020 at 8:50pm
Welcome from another Virginia based rpoddder. I’m a retired solar engineer and project manager. If you can keep your 100 watt solar module out from under the trees (even partial shade kills performance) and you don’t need to run your vent fan too much during the summer then you should be fine. Where you might run into issues is in the late fall when there’s less sun and you need to run the furnace fan. You can always get a second module if that becomes a problem for you. Have fun!
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Posts: 24 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2020 at 5:28pm
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Posts: 2595 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2020 at 3:40pm
We have a 100W panel and it does just fine if you keep your energy use moderate and aren't parked in the shade.
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Posts: 24 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2020 at 2:51pm
Anyone tried the 100 watt 20 amp portable suitcase to keep the battery charged? So far seems to be working well, don’t use much other than a few lights, fan, and water pump.
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