Super Solar

In order to get properly off the grid for a few days, reader Rob Thompson needed to build a suitable solar power system that would meet the power draw needs of his family. This is his experience…

- Rob Thompson

As a family we are keen campers and have been working on our camping setup over many years. We started in a second-hand canvas tent, progressed to a new canvas dome tent with extension and gazebo, and about four years ago purchased a used Imagine Comfortvan off-road caravan. The Comfortvan not only brought a new level of ‘luxury’, it also offered independence as we had onboard batteries, water tanks, and a bathroom.

One of our dreams was to be able to stay multiple nights ‘off the grid’ at a campsite of our choice. However, this was going to require the addition of some form of power generation source. Since we already ran our home off solar power I decided to go the solar route and purchased a second battery, a solar charger, and two 85W glass solar panels. This basic system was enough to meet our power needs at many local destinations – our favourite being Tsendze campsite in the Kruger National Park.

Having solar panels means you can leave them connected to charge the batteries when the caravan is parked for up to six months without use. The push I needed to upgrade our fairly basic system came earlier this year when I was preparing for a two-week trip to Botswana. I discovered that one of the glass solar panels had been damaged, forcing me to find a hardier, higheroutput alternative.

Limits & possibilities

When selecting new solar panels I was keen to improve in a two main areas: weight and efficiency. The glass polycrystalline panels we used previously were heavy at around 9kg each, and their lower efficiency meant that on overcast days the power generated was often well below our power draws. It also meant we needed to keep re-aligning the panels throughout the day to make the most of the moving sun.