Solar Installer? SC or FL??

[imagine-WO]

Hi everyone, I have an Itasca 40ft Ellipse. I would like to install solar panels to the roof. I upgraded our refrigerator to a residential. My inverter handles it just fine when traveling but I would like to do some boon docking. My problem is I am not handy enough to install the system myself. does anyone know of a reputable place that can install the system? I am in the Greenville South Carolina area currently but retreat to the Tampa Florida area for the winter. I am full time so I can't be out of the coach for a long period of time. Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[creativepart]

Here's one in Georgia.

https://coastalsolar.com/rv-solar-panels/

They are 290 miles South of you near Savannah, but should be an OK waypoint between Greenville and Tampa.

 

[dmctlc]

Imagine, don't forget if you have the install this year it's 26% Federal Tax Credit... while next year it drops to 2%.. I'm in Florida looking for someone that might do it close to me in Port Charlotte though I'm not a full-timer. I just had a 11.7KW system installed end of last year on my house and since Feb. I've not paid anything for electricity other than base fee for transmission. A lot of time the Motorhome is plugged into the house prepping or returning from a trip.

 

[al1florida]

Here's one in Georgia.

https://coastalsolar.com/rv-solar-panels/

They are 290 miles South of you near Savannah, but should be an OK waypoint between Greenville and Tampa.

Kind of interesting, going to the website for solar installs above. The photo on the website shows the install of at least one of the solar panel butted right up against the shroud for a ceiling vent fan and the shroud is shading the solar panel. It could even be if the RV is park facing with the shroud on the south side of the solar panel it would shade the panel even in mid day.

Keep in mind that many solar panels if you shade just a small part of the panel you loose the out put of the whole panel.

Additionally if all 3 panels in the photo are wired in series, then shading just that one panel will kill almost all the output of all 3 panels.

Makes me wonder just how knowledgeable this company is about installing solar on an RV. They look like they do mostly residential installs.

 

[DavidEM]

Another forum had a thread on solar installation costs. One RV solar installer quoted about $7,750 to install a system that had $2,750 in parts cost or $5,000 for labor. Wow!!

First don't go to an RV repair place. Their guys don't know enough about solar to do it right. Also it seems that RV solar installers are price gouging.

So if you are any where near the coast or even a large fresh water body of water, check out independent marine electricians by asking at local marinas. These guys understand 12V DC better than anyone and most have developed expertise in solar installations. In so far as the electrics there is absolutely nothing different in an RV installation vs a boat with one exception. Lithium batteries haven't caught on in boats for a somewhat good reason- a lithium battery fire in a boat can be disastrous. OTOH, LiFePO4 batteries have proved to be quite safe. So if you do choose a marine electrician to install your solar system, make sure he is comfortable with LiFePO4 batteries in your RV.

Mechanically there are a few differences: mounting the panels on the roof if you have a rubber roof, and routing cabling through the walls. But the later is something marine electricians deal with on boats all of the time, although the difference is snaking through fiberglass spaces on a boat vs snaking through aluminum framed, foam filled walls on an RV. You might want to do some research about the best mounting method if you have a rubber roof so you can discuss it with a marine electrician as well as how others have routed the cabling on your specific RV.

Marine electricians charge about $125 per hour like most skilled technicians and my guess is that it should not take more than 20 hours or $2,500 to install a solar system on your RV.

David

 

[dmctlc]

Kind of interesting, going to the website for solar installs above. The photo on the website shows the install of at least one of the solar panel butted right up against the shroud for a ceiling vent fan and the shroud is shading the solar panel. It could even be if the RV is park facing with the shroud on the south side of the solar panel it would shade the panel even in mid day.

Keep in mind that many solar panels if you shade just a small part of the panel you loose the out put of the whole panel.

Additionally if all 3 panels in the photo are wired in series, then shading just that one panel will kill almost all the output of all 3 panels.

Makes me wonder just how knowledgeable this company is about installing solar on an RV. They look like they do mostly residential installs.

In the old days of solar that might've been true about shading but today many modern panels, however, come equipped with devices called bypass diodes which minimise the effects of partial shading by essentially enabling electricity to ‘flow around’ the shaded cell or cells.
For sure Photovoltaic panels work even partially shaded. Of course shade will be dependent on where he parks in regards to the sun's exposure throughout the day. But I agree putting it there to begin with wasn't a smart thing to do because it could still impact its daily output. I'll check them out. Thanks