Solar panel suitcase

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   Like to boondock.  Do not like to run down my one 12 volt battery. .  So.....will a 'Renogy 100 Watt, 12 volt, 2 pcs 50 W Solar Panel suitcase with 20A Controller"...……….will this do the trick?  Clip it to my battery, that's it?  Anything else needed?  Just want to keep my battery charged up.  (keep things simple, do not use a lot of stuff when boondocking)  Thank you.  

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J and B Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 20 Sep 2017 Location: FLA. Online Status: Offline Posts: 9	Topic: Solar panel suitcase Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 3:21pm
	Like to boondock. Do not like to run down my one 12 volt battery. . So.....will a 'Renogy 100 Watt, 12 volt, 2 pcs 50 W Solar Panel suitcase with 20A Controller"...……….will this do the trick? Clip it to my battery, that's it? Anything else needed? Just want to keep my battery charged up. (keep things simple, do not use a lot of stuff when boondocking) Thank you.

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 3:33pm
	That is exactly how I use mine. Only modification I made is to add a longer cable, so that I can keep the panels out in sun without me having to park the Pod in full sun (when there is shade available). Easy to keep my single 12 v battery at full charge. We dont get much cloudy weather out here in the west, though.

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 5:48pm
	That's all there is to it. I also came up with a longer cord. I don't babysit it, but I do turn it to follow the sun a few times a day if I can. Of course how well this works depends on the sun. Trees or clouds can have a big impact on how well it will work. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser

Jholler Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 13 Jul 2018 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 99	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 6:26pm
	Someone on here had a trick, stick a suction cup dart on the panel and turn the panel until the dart has no shadow to get the most direct sunlight.
	2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua

podwerkz Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 6:52pm
	If you do, be sure to remove the dart...blocking even one cell in a panel can reduce the output of the entire panel. It's easy to see the shadow behind the panel and set it up properly. In fact, once your batteries are fully charged and holding, you can relax your attendance a bit. It's a good idea after sunset to set up the panel for the morning sun, but if there is any chance of wind at night, be sure to secure the panel with a bungee or use a weight on the stand, whichever applies.
	r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 7:55pm
	You might want to seriously consider paralleling another 12 Volt battery. Or if you can sell the 12Vdc battery and buying two 6 Volt batteries and placing them is series to give you more amp hours since you plan on boondocking allot.
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 07 Apr 2019 at 9:48pm
	Don't leave something partially shading a solar cell in a PV module, unless you really don't like that module. Not only will it greatly reduce the whole module's output but what happens under partial cell shading is you can dump the whole output of the module through that one cell. I can take any module you have and shade one of the cells in it just the right amount and in about 5 minutes melt the module encapsulant and maybe even the solder connecting the cells together. Its not that critical that you need to fiddle around pointing a solar module at the sun all day. The best utility scale dual axis sun tracking systems that follow the sun perfectly gain you about 25-30% over just tilting your solar module south at your lattitude angle. Just bring a compass or a smarphone and put it in a place where you get sun all day facing south and don't worry about it. Enjoy camping instead!
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold