Solar Kit Study

One of the first steps of this project was to purchase the main parts of the solar system, the panels. Inverter, and battery. First off we selected two Renogy 100 watt panels, this was the one area where we had some flexibility in terms of the parts we picked. We found these 2 100W panels provided a nice middle ground between weight and charging capability(Calculations Shown Below). While we could obviously continue to add panels to increase the charging capacity of our system, we felt 2 x 100 Watt panels provided a good middle ground between weight, physical size and performance that meets portability goals. See Solar Kit Study datasheet here: Solar Kit datasheet 

Solar Panel Specifications

The other two components were selected to meet the required spec. We selected a 200 aH battery in order to provide 200A for the inverter. We picked a LiFePO4 battery due to the significant weight difference between other comparable batteries. As for the inverter, we selected a 2000W Renogy pure sine wave inverter. When looking at Inverters we had to take into account if the one we selected was safe for electronics. While a modified sine wave inverter may have been cheaper and less heavy, we felt as if the increased performance and safety for sensitive electronics was worth the extra cost. 

Solar Panel Kit

Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Solar Starter Kit w/ MPPT Charge Controller (Link)

Kit includes:

  1. Two Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panels
  2. Rover 20A or 40A MPPT Charge Controller
  3. Two sets of Mounting Z Brackets
  4. Renogy 20ft 10AWG MC4 Adaptor Kit (A pair)
  5. Renogy 8ft 8AWG Tray Cables (A pair)
  6. Solar Y Branch Connectors MMF+FFM Pair