BuzzLand

BuzzLand

Active Member
I'll be putting in some batterys into my defender but will be keen to have a bit of solar energy via panels recharging them.

I can use my main battery when the engines running too but for when I'm parked up it'll be handy to have solar panels I think :)

Has anyone fitted them to theirs?

I've seen this place that does very nice roll up ones but they are *just* too long for a 110 defender roof :(

68W: Unisolar PVL68 68W laminate Solar Panel - £340

Thoughts and ideas appreciated.
 
lot cheaper to fit another couple of batteries, do you really want to be playing xBox all night while parked up ?
 
I had a small 1.5w solar panel in my landy after getting a flat battery a couple of times when I hadn't used my landy for around 3 weeks at a time. After fitting it I never had a flat battery again. Unfortunately a customer damaged the wiring on it during the snowy spell and I haven't got around to replacing it yet. If it's just a case of replacing the current being drawn by the stereo,immobiliser, etc you don't need a big solar panel.
 
Trouble is, for the price of solar panels and associated wiring/convertors/adaptors etc to make them properly workable, you could buy a new extra battery every year for the next ten years before the solar panel recouped it's cost ..

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of an extra solar panel to help things along, especially as we caravan a lot. The issue for me is they cost, comparatively, such a lot initially and performance wise they're pretty underwhelming .. topping up 12v batteries is OK if you get a big enough panel, but it's just way more cost-effective to get an extra battery, split charging system and up-rated (not necessarily necessary..;)) alternator. We had a couple of the 'suitcase' solar panels and to be honest they were crap. We tried a cheap (£9.99) plug into the ciggy socket panel from Maplins that was almost as good as the £120 units!

I can see where expeditioneers to Africa might like them, virtually guaranteed sunlight so plentiful power, but for UK/most of Europe you pay a lot for not much return.

Being green is good and nice, but possibly not easily or cost-effectively workable.
 
Hi,
Bought myself a 1.8w solar panel off Amazon for under £13. This keeps my battery charged when the Vechicle is not being used. Just got to remember to discont it when starting and running
 
Paul D said:
Trouble is, for the price of solar panels and associated wiring/convertors/adaptors etc to make them properly workable, you could buy a new extra battery every year for the next ten years before the solar panel recouped it's cost ..

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of an extra solar panel to help things along, especially as we caravan a lot. The issue for me is they cost, comparatively, such a lot initially and performance wise they're pretty underwhelming .. topping up 12v batteries is OK if you get a big enough panel, but it's just way more cost-effective to get an extra battery, split charging system and up-rated (not necessarily necessary..;)) alternator. We had a couple of the 'suitcase' solar panels and to be honest they were crap. We tried a cheap (£9.99) plug into the ciggy socket panel from Maplins that was almost as good as the £120 units!

I can see where expeditioneers to Africa might like them, virtually guaranteed sunlight so plentiful power, but for UK/most of Europe you pay a lot for not much return.

Being green is good and nice, but possibly not easily or cost-effectively workable.
Click to expand...
I'm not doing it to save money per sa.
Just as a means to be off the grid.

I'll have a split system and also the solar so it's the best of both worlds.

These are the battery's I'm looking at, they last up to ten years :

31XHS
 
Yeah but it'll be installed in a secure recess that's ply'd out for it so it'll be static for the remainder or its time.
 
Actually I've just had a readup of 'todays' solar panels and technology has come on a long way from when we tried them!

Looks like it may be very workable nowadays .. ;)
 
Paul D said:
Actually I've just had a readup of 'todays' solar panels and technology has come on a long way from when we tried them!

Looks like it may be very workable nowadays .. ;)
Click to expand...
Maybe slightly off topic, but i've recently been involved in some domestic PV(Solar) installations and must say the amount of power produced even on an overcast winters day is very impressive. Definitely come a longway. We were feeding into the grid 1.5kw from an array and the export tarrif is 60p! per kw at the moment. The sums have actually started to make wide spread microgeneration a possibility.
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
erm Sean - aint the solar panels to charge the batteries?
Click to expand...

yes, but methinks the OP wants to extend how long he can run things off his batteries by fitting it - BUT at nearly £400 me point is that fitting a couple of additional batteries MIGHT be a better (cheaper) option
 
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