dajo1 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 :-S We have a Rapido 740 with a 100 watt solar panel on roof Question !would it be a good idea to put the above small solar panel as an extra battery charging source for three months over winter Thanke Dajo1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 We have a 30w panel which keeps both van batteries charged up when not in use, so no real need to suplement your 100w I would think. Just make sure it is conected to a control panel that allows it to charge both your batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Expanding dajo 1's post. I am contenplating fitting a trickle charge solar panel to keep the batteries topped-up. Will a small solar panel be effective if mounted under a roof light. We park with the Van windscreen facing north so very little sun & I dont want to mount it externally if possible. Has anyone adopted this method. Any advise regarding mounting position and Solar Panel wattage size would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 flicka - 2009-09-28 8:14 PM Expanding dajo 1's post. I am contenplating fitting a trickle charge solar panel to keep the batteries topped-up. Will a small solar panel be effective if mounted under a roof light. We park with the Van windscreen facing north so very little sun & I dont want to mount it externally if possible. Has anyone adopted this method. Any advise regarding mounting position and Solar Panel wattage size would be appreciated. With an older van 10w would have been considered ok, but newer vans and the x250 in particlair seem to use more power so maybe 20w? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 10 Watts is not worth bothering with. Watts equals volts times amps so at a nominal 12 volts to produce 10 Watts (which by the way is the theoretical maximum the panel will produce in direct, really bright sunlight with the panel at 90 degrees to the rays) it will produce just a little less than 1 amp, this is the BEST it could ever manage! I have a 100 Watt panel on the roof feeding both leisure and engine batteries via a two channel regulator and over the last weekend at Lincoln where it has been quite overcast for a lot of the time it was producing less than 1 amp for the majority of that time, best reading during one of the bright, sunny, clear blue sky moments was a fraction over 2 amps. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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