Thanks! Glad it’s useful 😀

Thank you, glad they are helpful!

Glad you found it useful 👍

Glad it was helpful!

Yeah no problem. Means you can add more panels later if you want.

Hi - from my perspective a fuse or suitable DC breaker correctly installed has its advantages and does no harm for a panel installation - It will protect the controller if it is undersized - If cables are undersized it could prevent fire - Some Controllers require that the battery is connected first to initialise the controller before connecting the panel a breaker or a fuse is an easy way to ensure the panels can be disconnected while this is carried out. -Being able to remove the panel load when disconnecting the cables saves having to cover the panel to avoid potential arcing. I chose to use a suitably sized DC breaker like this amzn.to/45dZy6c to provide both a protection and a means of isolation. Hope that helps

You’d need to size the charger based on the panels your connecting. They will have a maximum wattage that they are capable of. A higher Amp charger will only be worth it with enough Wattage from the panels to make it worth while.

As long as the lead is suitably sized, fused and protected from damage I don't see why not.

That would be great - To retro fit something, I imagine it would depend on what demand and what intelligence the Ford charging system has, if it is expecting to be plugged into the mains it will probably not like a trickle charge, but it would be great if Ford thought of this and allowed a direct solar connection, considering the amount of roof estate available it would be a great option.

@@ExploreVanUK Yea, exactly what I was thinking as well. I've read somewhere that the Ford system allows for varying amounts of charging load, but like you say - will it allow for a trickle charge compared to the smallest mains power charge amount. After all its well known faster charging worsens the life of the battery, but what about a very slow charge.

Hi, my only experience of Wind Turbines is on boats and to be honest its not been great. As they have moving parts even the expensives ones are prone to failure over time, the cheap ones even more so. They need to be pretty big and pretty heavy to get a reasonable amount of power out of them. No matter how well they are balanced the vibration and sound of them is pretty annoying. Personally I wouldn't consider one for a van, add more solar, a high power B2B will give you more power for your £s. But if you really want one the only ones I would consider would be a Rutland - www.marlec.co.uk/wind-power/

In short, yes. For best performance short high quality “thick” cables are the norm. You can compensate for longer runs with a high grade cable but always best keep it as short as practical.

Hi funily enough we're just working on a video comparing the Pros / Cons and performance of a Fixed Rigid panel, Vs a Portable Folding panel. It should be out in the next couple of weeks and may help you decide.

Hi, could you clarify what you are looking to add? You talk about Batteries but then you say add another panel. If you can give a bit more information about your current set up Batteries / Solar Control / Panels / other charging etc models and types, and how you are planning to use it, we might be able to give some advice.

@@ExploreVanUK i thought i did ...at moment 1 x 150 watt panel ..2 x100 amh batteries And 30 amp mppt controller i want to add 1 more 150watt panel same as last one

Ok - as you have an MPPT controller it is probably capable of taking the input voltage of the panels either in parallel or in series - but do check the specs. Series is probably the easiest to wire up as you can probably do this without making any changes to the connectors. However a down side of running the panels in series is that if one gets shaded it adversely impacts the performance of the other panel even if it is still in full sunshine. For that reason personally I would put them in Parallel.

@@ExploreVanUK hi so to confirm my batteries are parallel connected so i can put panels in parallel. Or what’s best Thank-you for your advice also .

It doesn’t matter how you have your batteries other than you would need to set your controller to match (parallel 12v, series 24v) Your controller will match your panels to your batteries whether your panels are in series or in parallel. (As long as it is suitably rated.) There are pros and cons to each but parallel would be my choice as explained above.

They will still work to some degree in the shade but it would dramatically decrease the power generated. The decrease in efficiency due to the heat would be far less than than the gain from being in direct sunlight.

Hi, could you just clarify what you want to do. By dual do mean for dual batteries? What do you mean by material?

@@ExploreVanUK hi yes I want to charge leisure and engine battery’s material is size wire cut out etc what the best way .

Assuming you’re comfortable that a 120w panel will give you enough power I would go for a quality MPPT from the likes of ePever or Victron. Because your Engine battery will mainly be charged by the alternator there should be no need for a dual battery controller. Just fit a dual direction Voltage sensitive relay between your leisure battery and starter battery. That way once your leisure battery is charged it will top up your engine battery and will also mean your Leisure battery can be topped up once the from the starter battery is charged when driving. (If your van has a Smart alternator you will need a battery to battery charger rather than a VSR) When it comes to cables etc it’s very individual as to how much power you are putting through and how long the cables are. There are lots calculators on line to help pick the right ones for battery connections etc. For the panel I would buy dedicated solar cables these would be fine for 120w panel. amzn.to/3cOeCQi

Yes you can. The MPPT will control the voltage to the battery to make sure it is charged correctly. Just be sure to set the controller for the correct type of battery.

@@ExploreVanUK Thanks this will help a lot!

We tried a 1500w (2000w peak) inverter and though it happily runs the microwave we found it totally kicked the batteries and meant we needed a lot of sun to add the deficit back. We now don’t bother, it’s therefor an emergency but we only cook on gas now unless on hook up. Especially since we went to refillable LPG which costs pennies.

@@ExploreVanUK Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it.

Hi, without knowing the exact model of your controller and full details of your installation its a bit difficult to be sure of giving the correct advice with regard to the earth connection, I don;t recollect there being one on my ePever tracer - but I may be wrong. When it comes to the fuse / breaker (I've assumed you mean in the battery positive connection rather than the load output or solar input) ePever recommend a fuse whose current is 1.25 to 2 times the controller's rated current, with a distance from the battery no longer than 150 mm.

@@ExploreVanUK Oh, i have ordered a 30 amp breaker, will this "break" too soon?

So kind of both, - highest wattage with the dimensions that will fit in the space you have. You could save some money by going with a Polycrystalline panel which has slightly less watts for the same dimensions. But that's obviously at the sacrifice of some performance.

Will this permormance 18% vs 21% really matter in 250-400W range? I can't decide between 500W poly(way cheaper) and 420W mono. For couple of %more efficiency more than double price? And more Watts with poly. Worth?

The 500w will out perform the 420w irrelevant of whether Poly or Mono. Mono just means the panel can be physically smaller for the same power output. If you have the room to accommodate it I would be going with the 500w Poly.

@@ExploreVanUK perfect. Thanks so much for quick reply and massive advise. Even better option with 2-3 panels not to loose efficiency % when shaded. One of the easiest subscriptions done for me. Keep it up