Six myths about solar panels

Solar panels, also known as solar panels, are devices that convert solar radiation energy directly or indirectly into electrical energy through photoelectric or photochemical effects. Solar panels look similar in appearance, but the internal technology is very different! Before we buy solar panels for our RVs, we might as well learn more about professional common sense to avoid being fooled by the lies of merchants!

Lie 1: Must solar panels be installed?

In fact, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether RVs need solar panels and how many solar panels are needed! The way you play determines the demand! The demand for solar panels depends on the way you play the RV! Solar panels are not necessary for RVs! If you need to park for many days off the grid, using solar panels is of course the best choice for supplementing electricity. If it is mainly a self-driving trip, driving power generation can basically solve the need for supplementing electricity; if you prefer to camp, the charging piles in the camp are the best way to supplement; if you occasionally camp once or twice a year, the RV's on-board silent generator is a more economical solution! In other words, only when you often go to play RVs off the grid can solar panels play their greatest role. Whenever a RV uses a battery, I think solar panels are a must-have configuration. Even if the RV is used very infrequently, it can at least ensure that the battery will not be "starved to death" due to excessive discharge.

Lie 2: The more solar panels, the better?

If solar panels are a must-have, should they be installed to the maximum? If you have money and have installed a large-capacity battery, the power of the solar panel should match the large-capacity battery. The more solar panels installed, the better. It allows you to park anywhere and bring unlimited power to your RV life! If you want to be thrifty, how many solar panels to install is still "how to play determines the demand", which varies depending on how you play with the RV. If you always like to play in the camp, there is no need to install a large area of ​​solar panels. Charging with a charging pile is the best choice. If it is only a self-driving tour with a stop for two or three days, the standard power supply of the RV is enough for short-term camping. The best way to replenish power is to charge while driving. If you are a player who is off the grid for a long time, then solar panels are indeed the best way to supplement electricity in RV life. It is not only quieter and more environmentally friendly than RV generators, but also does not require secondary expenses. In order to ensure sufficient power supply, you can also consider equipping auxiliary batteries or other backup power sources. In other words, the RV gameplay determines the battery capacity, and the battery capacity matches the power of the solar panels. Daily power consumption and battery capacity are the basis for determining the number of solar panels. RV power energy is a systematic project. On the premise of considering the power demand, the relationship between charging and storage should be balanced. If there is not enough battery capacity to store the electricity generated by the solar panels, then the extra solar panels are a huge waste.

Lie 3: Use special solar panels?

Commonly used solar panels on the market are divided into three categories: monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon, but there is no so-called RV-specific solar panel. In terms of photoelectric conversion rate, monocrystalline silicon solar panels are higher than polycrystalline silicon, and polycrystalline silicon is higher than amorphous silicon. Therefore, most RVs choose monocrystalline silicon solar panels. In fact, as long as the appropriate solar charge controller is used, any type of solar panel can be used with RVs. It is just necessary to pay attention to their operating voltage and ensure that their input and output voltages are within the rated voltage values. Don't be fooled by unscrupulous merchants and manufacturers and spend money in vain.

Lie 4: Are hard solar panels better than soft panels?

In fact, you don't have to worry about whether hard panels or soft panels are better! The same solar panel with a power of 100W, whether it is a hard panel or a soft panel, theoretically has the same power generation. In fact, the difference in power generation does not mean which one is better or worse, but is caused by other factors. Solar panels perform best at low temperatures, but they will generate a lot of heat in their working state. The temperature increase has a great impact on the working efficiency of solar panels. If the heat dissipation is not good for a long time, it will also cause damage to the components of the solar panel or even burn. Therefore, the solar hard panel is installed in the air, and the gap between the panel and the roof allows air to circulate and dissipate heat. In contrast, the solar soft panel is installed on the roof with a paste, which loses the airflow heat dissipation at the bottom and reduces the power output. This is exactly one aspect in which the solar hard panel seems to have an advantage over the soft panel. However, the biggest problem with hard solar panels is their weight. The common specifications on the market are 0.3 square meters (55×55×2.5cm), and their weight reaches about 12 kilograms. The more hard solar panels on the roof, the more serious the vehicle's center of gravity is, the greater the impact on the body frame, and the invisible increase of safety hazards, and the height of the roof and wind resistance are also invisible. The soft solar panels are light and bendable, and can be pasted on the forehead of the curved RV, which is an advantage that hard solar panels cannot match. You can't have your cake and eat it too. It is the best choice to install hard solar panels on flat surfaces and soft solar panels on curved surfaces!

Lie 5: Is the solar panel tracking system good?

Due to the problem of the angle of illumination of the solar panel, at least 30% of the power generation will generally be lost. That is to say, the actual power generation of a solar panel marked with 100W is only 70W at most, and it is good to reach 50-60W with line loss. In order to solve this problem, a solar tracking system has now appeared on RVs. The undeniable reality is that even if this system is installed, we cannot expect this 100W solar panel to generate more than 100W of power. The investment and unknown subsequent maintenance costs actually only solve the 30% power loss. Is this a waste of money? I personally think that instead of installing a tracking system, it is better to install an expansion system. After all, the expansion system can directly increase the number of solar panels. Whether it is installing an expansion solar panel on the roof or using a portable expansion system, the directly increased solar panel power generation can far exceed the power loss compensated by the solar tracking system. Therefore, it is still necessary to conduct a specific analysis based on the specific situation of the RV to select a suitable tracking system or expansion system to increase the power generation of the solar panel.

Lie 6: Charging efficiency is conversion efficiency?

We often see such propaganda, saying that a RV equipped with a 1000W solar panel, at a certain time of the day, its coulomb meter shows charging data of 600W or more, and then boasts that its solar energy conversion rate is as high as 60%. In fact, they have replaced the concept of solar charging efficiency with conversion efficiency. If the maximum power of a 1000W solar panel under standard test conditions does not reach 1000W, but only reaches 600W, it can only mean that the product is falsely labeled, a counterfeit product, and a fake! In fact, the conversion efficiency and power generation efficiency of solar panels are not the same thing at all! Simply put, conversion efficiency refers to the efficiency of converting solar energy into electrical energy through photovoltaic power generation. The conversion efficiency of solar panels on the market is usually 18% to 26%. What can be seen from the solar controller is the actual power generation data of the solar panel, and its maximum value is usually 50%-60% of the rated power of the solar panel.