SOLAR POWER
THE SUN IS YOUR FRIEND !
The start of our journey to off-grid sustainable living begins with installing Solar Panels on our Tiny Home Stealth Van. Having 500 watts of direct current 12 volt electricity allows us to live comfortably in a modern yet tiny-sized way. One day's worth of sunlight can easily power 6 hours of television use plus 24 hours of refrigerator & freezer use plus run a desktop and charge up a laptop computer and run a printer when needed plus cook 2 meals with a electromagnetic induction cooktop and run a smoothie maker for breakfast smoothies plus charge a cellphone and tablet plus run a Playstation 3 for four to five hours plus power a home theater soundbar and subwoofer plus run a waterpump (so we can have running water)...just with one day's worth of sunlight...and the Sun is available FREE, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Why aren't we all using solar?????
Why aren't we all using solar?????
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There are many types of solar panels from which to choose, I prefer to go with a quality brand -- RENOGY. The type I chose are rigid panels, idiot-proof, each providing 100 watts and 5.6 amps of Direct Current. I can fit 5 rigid panels on the roof of my stealth van and still have room left to install my Fantastic Fan.
I even have enough space left to install a 50 watt panel eventually. Good solar panels are an investment and have a service life of approximately 25 years. Better to go with the best from the start -- save yourself from headaches later down the line. These panels can also be installed on the roof of a Tiny House or RV. There are also comparable extra thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels. These cost about 30% more than rigid panels. |
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MPPT Charge Controller
CONTROLS AND REGULATES THE FLOW OF DIRECT CURRENT -- KEEPS YOUR BATTERIES HAPPY !!
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Another top quality Renogy product. This charge controller will extract every drop of electricity from your solar panels while also keeping your solar batteries perfectly topped off. This device can manage up to 6 of the Renogy 100 Watt solar panels (it's rated up to 40 amps) if you can manage to fit that many solar panels on top of your stealth van !
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SOLAR BATTERIES
YOU NEED A PLACE TO STORE ALL THAT FREE AND PLENTIFUL SOLAR ENERGY !!
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These deep-cycle solar batteries are AMAZING! They are sealed, maintenance-free, safe for indoors, military grade top performers ! Each of the 155's can hold up to 155 amp hours. I have 3 of them installed in my stealth van. They have a service life of 10 to 12 years and are built to last ! Be prepared for some heavy lifting...they weigh about 97 pounds, LOL!
They each arrived at my doorstep--thanks FedEx-- fully charged at 13.4 volts. These batteries charge during the day and provide PLENTY of stored electricity all night long! |
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INVERTER
AUTO-MAGICALLY TRANSFORMS THAT 12 VOLT DC INTO 120 VOLT AC. COOL, HUH??
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Having a TOP OF THE LINE Inverter is a necessity. This device converts the direct current from your solar panels into US standard 120 volt alternating current. Most appliances in the United States run on 120 volt AC.
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My Inverter can handle up to 3000 watts of appliances running at the same time. Many appliances draw more wattage at start up...this is called a peak surge. My Inverter can handle a 6000 watt peak surge. This is why inverters typically have 2 numbers in front of them, for example 3000watt / 6000watt. This pure sine wave Inverter has a remote on/off switch, 3 standard outlets and a USB charging outlet. I've never had a moment of trouble out of it. It's a workhorse and a joy to own.
CHARGE METER
HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY, VOLTAGE AND AMPERAGE ARE WE REALLY GETTING?
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This meter is a little bit of a hassle to install but once wired into your solar system, it tells you EVERYTHING about what's going on! How full are your solar batteries? Check your Meter. How much Wattage is your microwave using? Check your Meter. How many amps is your 32" HD TV pulling out of your batteries? Check your meter!
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CIRCUIT BREAKER & FUSE
LET'S KEEP EVERYTHING SAFE AND PROTECT OUR INVESTMENT !!
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Having a quality, reliable circuit breaker is a necessity. This near bullet-proof 40 amp circuit breaker protects your system in case the solar panels experience a surge in electricity--like being struck by a bolt of lightning during a rainstorm. Also helps to quick disconnect your active solar panels if you need to do some maintenance on your batteries, inverter or cables.
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Installing one or two fuses into your solar power system helps to protect each battery and appliance in case of a surge in electricity. This is why we have surge protectors built into the power strips that power our computers. Fuses prevent fires. Better to fry the fuse than fry your computer / microwave / batteries / TV.
The fuse is encased in a transparent protective housing . |
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CABLES & CONNECTORS
IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS !!!
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These 10 AWG (gauge) copper cords have MC4 connectors on each end (M/F). They can handle up to 30 amps of current. They attach to your solar panels, carrying electricity, and then run into the inside of your stealth van and then finally plug into your MPPT Charge Controller. These cables come in many lengths but the shorter the distance from your solar panels to your MPPT the better. Cables lose efficiency when they carry electricity for long distances.
"Y" adapters connect 2 male plugs to 1 female plug or 2 female plugs to 1 male plug. These are used to connect your solar panels together either in Series or Parallel and then they finally plug into the 10 AWG cords (pictured above) which carry the electricity into your stealth van.
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These heavy duty 2 AWG (gauge) copper cords are used to connect your solar batteries to each other either in Series or Parallel. These thick cords are also used to connect your batteries to your Inverter. Black is for the Neutral or Negative poles of the battery. Red is for the Positive or "Hot" nodes of the battery. The "Z" brackets are specially made for the Renogy 100 watt rigid solar panel and they connect the solar panel frame to the roof of your Stealth Van. When attaching them be sure to also use PLENTY of weatherproof & waterproof DAP 3.0 crystal clear caulking to seal up any drill holes and to help bond your brackets (and solar panels) to your roof. Stick it right, nice and tight! |
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This is a smaller squeeze tube of the DAP 3.0 sealant. It is 100% clear silicon. I keep a tube of this around to fill in small gaps like for instance to seal around the small drill holes and screw tips that protrude inside the van created by the screws that hold the solar panel brackets to the roof. I also put it around any other small cracks around the inside seam of the Fantastic Fan--the part inside my Tiny Home and around any other holes or cracks where it seems water might be getting inside the habitable space.
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Zipties are SO USEFUL for all sorts of stuff. I use them to bundle cables together. I keep a bag of them around for general purposes, like organizing the solar cables and MC4 connectors running under the solar panels on the roof of my Stealth Van. Also I used them to attach the sound bar (speaker) to the inside ribs of the Stealth Van.
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