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In the new Towsure catalogue there is a helpful guide to solar panels.

I have a small 2 berth van with no gadgets (just 2 12v LED strip lights) and I use a 13w suitcase solar panel - this is more than enough to keep my battery topped up when I rally.

Quote: Originally posted by yorkslee on 22/4/2012

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I have got a fixed 80kw solar panel, and go away every weekend without ehu, use oyster, shower, tv all lights etc, and never had any problems in 2 years, i also i have 2 batteries rigged up as well though.

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I may be wrong, but my advice would be to purchase the largest (in terms of wattage) panel you can a) afford and b) fit comfortably in/on your unit. Bear in mind that if you were to buy, for example, a 30w panel then, under 'perfect' conditions this may return perhaps 1.5 amps/hour. (Perfect conditions may be approximately 2hrs before and after midday/sun at its zenith, after and before this the conversion rate decreases as the sun is less high in the sky etc or you have notb tracked the sun during the day; as well as sunshine, no clouds, rain etc). Realistically you may only be achieving 1amp/hr or less.

If you could stretch to a 60w panel, you could achieve 3 amp/hrs reducing to 1 - 1.5amp/hrs in less than ideal conditions. Just a consideration.

My biggest problem at the moment is determining which company's products are worth their sales pitch. Panels vary dramatically in price, but can ther build quality/ components really be that different from each other?

On the other hand, if the panel only lasts 10 years as opposed to the 25 yr 'guarantee' that companys offer and it cost you £200 to buy it, it works out at £20 per year which is about 4 or 5 nights EHU free camping. Anything over that and you're in the money!