Residential solar panels vs RV solar panels for van conversion ?

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jc32

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Apr 13, 2018
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Hello community I'm going off the grid with Sprinter van and going solar but was not sure if i should buy residential solar panels 300 watt x2 or 100 watt x4 RV solar panels any tips?
 
I can't answer your questions but just wanted to welcome you to the forum. Someone will be giving some advice real soon. Lot's of  members with solar experience.
 
My choice would be the two 300 watt panels, if you can install them so there is no shading.  I would connect the panels in series so you can get by with lighter wiring to the MPPT controller, which would be required with the panels in series.  With the two panels in series, you can eliminate using a combiner box, and just connect the panels using the MC-4 connectors.
 
The advantage with the 300 watt panels is they are likely to be 24V which will mean you do not need as heavy wiring regardless whether they are wired in series or not.  With lower gauge wiring you will save $$.  While it is true wiring in series can eliminate a combiner box, I generally am not a fan of wiring in series, for the simple reason, if one panel becomes shaded, it can shut down not only the shaded panel but the other(s) as well.  If you wire in parallel and one panel becomes shaded, you still have the other(s) producing power.   
 
Gizmo said:
The advantage with the 300 watt panels is they are likely to be 24V which will mean you do not need as heavy wiring regardless whether they are wired in series or not.  With lower gauge wiring you will save $$.  While it is true wiring in series can eliminate a combiner box, I generally am not a fan of wiring in series, for the simple reason, if one panel becomes shaded, it can shut down not only the shaded panel but the other(s) as well.  If you wire in parallel and one panel becomes shaded, you still have the other(s) producing power. 

You notice in my post I said "if there is no shading".  I have three 200 watt panels wired in series, and if I park at just at just a certain angle to the sun, I get a little shading on one panels until about 11:00 AM.  The loss is output is negligible.  I believe the loss of output due to shading is way over rated.
 
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