My Solar System

A few people on self build Facebook group Self Build Campervans have asked about my solar panel set up so here are a few of the details.

I already had 2 x 110amp sealed batteries in the van, but depending on what you are running one battery may be enough, but the more batteries you have the more storage you have and therefore the power will last longer when there is not much sunlight or during the night.

Before I attempted to install my system I studied Youtube videos and any other information I could find about solar systems in general and espacially campervan and caravan installations.

Here is a list of the items I bought with the cost, but you need to shop around to find the best prices.

2 x 100w solar panels from Friendly Green Giant on Ebay, I paid £77 for one in auction then found out that they were also available at a buy it now price and open to offer. I offered £75 and this was accepted (lower offers were refused).

You need brackets to fasten the panels to the roof, there are 3 types to choose from, the cheapest being the aluminium Z brackets, they come in packs of 4 with all screws, nuts and bolts required. The brackets are bolted to the panel and there are usually pre drilled holes in the panel frame to take these. You can then screw or bolt the bracket to the roof, with plenty of Sikaflex under over and all round the bracket, you can never use too much. Some people just secure the brackets with the Sikaflex, but I chose to use the screws provided for extra security.

I paid £11.80 including postage per set and you need a set for each panel. Ebay link

The other type of brackets are made of plastic and you get one for each corner which is OK for a 100w panel or smaller, but a larger panel would need additional side supports, these brackets are screwed to the side of the panel and then stuck to the roof of the van using Sikaflex. These brackets are around £15 -£20 for a pack of 4, you cannot use this type if you have a ribbed roof as they have to sit flat,

The third type are similar to these corner brackets but are longer and just sit along the 2 narrowest edges, but again they cannot be used on a ribbed roof. They are also quite expensive.

You will need a Y splitter to join two panels together, there are a couple of different types but they both do the same job, I paid £6.49 including postage for mine from Ebay link

Next item on my list was cable to join the panels to the controller, this is usually sold by the metre and can be bought with a male connector on one end and a female on the other. You cut the length of cable into two equal lengths, the two ends with the connectors plug unto your Y connector, or the panel connectors if you are only using one panel, the two other ends are stripped back to connect straight into your controller. So if you need a 3 metre length to connect from your panel(s) to your controlleryou would order 6 metres, 3 for your positive feed and 3 for the negative feed.

I got a 10 metre length which was £9.40 including postage from Ebay link

To get the cable into the van you need a double entry cable gland, mine cost £7.99 from Friendly Green Giant where I got the panels from (link above). The cable gland is stuck to the roof of your van using Sikaflex.

The only other main item you need now is the charge controller, there are two types you can buy, if your budget is limited then a PWM controller will do the job and can be purchased for £5 or less.

The other type is the MPPT controller, much more expensive but is much more efficient and if you can afford one then I would definitely recommend you get one to get the most charge out of your panel(s).

You have to be very careful when buying an MPPT controller, there are quite a few being sold on Ebay, Amazon etc that are fakes. They are being sold at an in-between price £30 - £80, but they do no more than a £5 PWM, in fact some don't do as good a job. Do your homework on this, check out video reviews on Youtube.

The one I got was a EPsolar Tracer 2210 with a remote display, this cost me £102.60 from Bimble Solar. This model has been superseded and may not be available now, the newer model will cost you another £12 I believe.

I also purchased a pure sine wave inverter, I got this to power my fridge when off grid and to be able to use my laptop which also doubles as a TV by using DVB-T adapter.

So the total cost of my set up not including the inverter was £302.80, I have not included the cost of Sikaflex, as I already had some left from previous jobs, but you need to add £10 -£12 to the cost if you have to buy some.

Hope this has helped in some way for those interested, I will do another blog tomorrow if I get chance on fitting the system, although it is pretty straight forward.