Solar panel size

[Swifty1234]

We've got the attached leisure battery and I was just wondering about a solar panel. Would 100w panel be suitable? The fridge can be run on gas if needs be so we only really need it for lights, charging phones and perhaps the odd fan. Don't want to overspec it. Many thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes it will be fine if you only have one battery.
You can never have too much solar but a rough rule of thumb, minium solar 100 Watts per 100ah of battery.

 

[Swifty1234]

In terms of a fan for keeping us cool at night in the south of France, are there any particular recommendations

 

[Lenny HB]

In terms of a fan for keeping us cool at night in the south of France, are there any particular recommendations

Change one of the roof lights for a Maxxfan.

 

[Boringfrog]

In terms of a fan for keeping us cool at night in the south of France, are there any particular recommendations

Park in the shade as much as possible, don't let your van get too hot during the day.

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[Lenny HB]

Park in the shade as much as possible, don't let your van get too hot during the day.

But then you get no sun on your solar. We hate it if we have to park in the shade we like to enjoy the sunshine.

 

[Just smiffy]

But then you get no sun on your solar. We hate it if we have to park in the shade we like to enjoy the sunshine.

Me too but this van is warm tonight, defo putting in a max fan when I get back…

 

[headlight]

We've got the attached leisure battery and I was just wondering about a solar panel. Would 100w panel be suitable? The fridge can be run on gas if needs be so we only really need it for lights, charging phones and perhaps the odd fan. Don't want to overspec it. Many thanks

View attachment 756603

You have a 90AH battery so assuming it is in good condition you have about 45 usable amps before the battery is at 50% SOC.
That is fine for your proposed electrical usage.
A 100 watt panel and MPPT on a good sunny day in the South of France will produce 30-40 amps which will cover your usage.
Last year I only had a single 100AH lead acid battery and 100 watt panel and managed fine with similar usage plus running a TV for a few hours most evenings.

 

[Camper634]

In terms of a fan for keeping us cool at night in the south of France, are there any particular recommendations

I got this a while back and it has been brilliant.

 

[Guigsy]

If you're mainly using the van in the summer and you're not using an inverter or compressor fridge, then you'll probably be ok.

When it gets cooler, the amount of solar power you'll generate will plummet... just when you need to run the heating (the fan consumes a fair amount).

My tip would be to get a cheap shunt based battery monitor. That way you've got a much better idea how much juice you've got left, and a handle on what your biggest energy drains are.

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[Jev88]

More solar= more harvest of energy.
More batteries= more storage of energy.

 

[PhilandMena]

Do it once and do it right. Put up a shed load of solar. Understand your lecce consumption. Make sure your electrical system including alternator charging is suitable for the type of leisure battery fitted. Consider the benefits of AGM pure lead carbon batteries.

 

[Guigsy]

My last van, I shoved a 280w panel on. Later I got a shunt. Turns out that charging your phone and tablet doesn't use much juice. The battery was often full by 10:30 each morning.

This van I'm using it more though the year. It's also big enough that we can work from it, so we're running full sized laptops, more lighting and keeping the heating running more often. I've started with a 175w panel. I may add another. But at this time of year, it's more than enough.

But I'm finding that solar is very much on or off in the UK. For weeks at a time in March, I was only getting 10w peak output. Doubling panels wouldn't have made much difference. But as soon as the sun comes out, I can get a day of energy harvested in a few of hours.

Instead I've gone overkill on the battery. It means I'm not going to be dependent on the weather from one day to the next. I've got 280Ah of lithium. So I can plan ahead to plug in somewhere overnight if I need to.

 

[Pusscat]

i put a maxi fan delux in. Has around 10 settings, both extract air. pull in air and circulate. I wanted something that i could run at night and be quiet enough to sleep through which it is on the low setting.

you can crack open windows in the back where you are sleeping, put on extract and it pulls a gentle cool breeze in through the windows…just open windows on the coolest side to get the benefit.

if you are cooking or returning back on a hot day, full power is really powerful! You can stand under it on full power and get a fantastic cooling effect! Also has a thermostat and can be used when it’s raining. comes with a removable fly screen, a sun screen / light is an extra. A doddle to fit.