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1 | Camper Van Solar Size Calculator (For 12V Systems) | ||||||||||||
2 | INSTRUCTIONS: Follow the 8 steps below and fill in the green-shaded cells so that you can accurately calculate the amount of solar you need for your van conversion. Along the way, you'll see recommendations shaded in Blue. At the end, this calculator also recommends the correct size for all the different solar parts and components you'll need to complete your DIY solar wiring project. Have fun! | ||||||||||||
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4 | Step 1 Enter the number of Amp-hours (Ah) of your battery bank and select your battery chemistry. | CAUTION! This solar calculator assumes you CORRECTLY sized your battery bank. Download our battery size calculator to help you determine the right battery size for your van conversion. Size your batteries BEFORE sizing your solar. | |||||||||||
5 | Amp-hours (Ah): | 200Ah | |||||||||||
6 | Battery Type: | Lithium | Download Battery Calculator | ||||||||||
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8 | Step 2 Based on your battery bank size in Step 1, below is the recommended MINIMUM solar array size. (You can always install more Watts) | Step 3 Enter your decided total solar wattage size below (equal to or larger than the recommended amount from Step 2). Preferably the wattage is a multiple of 100, 160, 180, or 200. | Step 4 Enter the total number of solar panels you will install. For example: If you want 200W of solar, you can either have two 100W panels or one 200W panel. (Less panels is better) | ||||||||||
9 | 200 Watts | Your Solar Array (W): | 800 Watts | Number of Panels: | 4 | ||||||||
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11 | Step 5 After finalizing your solar watts & total number of panels, browse our solar panel recommendations. Before advancing to Step 6, it's essential to first select your specific panels because you will have to enter the specific information from those panels into the below calculator. | ||||||||||||
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13 | Recommended Solar Panels | ||||||||||||
14 | There are many solar panel brands on the market today. Realistically, there is little disernable difference between them all (they're all made in the same few factories in Asia). But whichever panels you do pick, make sure you select the highest efficiency panels, labled with "9BB". All our recommended panels below are made with 9BB technology. Personally, we have been impressed with Newpowa's quick and helpful customer service. They are also usually the most affordable panels on Amazon Click The Product Links Below For More Information On Amazon | ||||||||||||
15 | Newpowa 100W Solar Panel | ||||||||||||
16 | Newpowa 160W Solar Panel | ||||||||||||
17 | Newpowa 180W Solar Panel | ||||||||||||
18 | Newpowa 200W Solar Panel | ||||||||||||
19 | Learn more: | What Is 9BB? | |||||||||||
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21 | Step 6 After selecting your panels, enter the Short Circuit Current "Isc(A)" rating and "Maximum Series Fuse Rating" of ONE of your panels. This info is located on the back of your solar panel or on the product's online information page. | ||||||||||||
22 | Single Panel Isc(A): | 12.00A | |||||||||||
23 | Max Series Fuse Rating: | 15A | |||||||||||
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25 | Step 7 If you have multiple panels, decide whether you will connect them in series or in parallel. If you only have 1 panel, select "Series". | ||||||||||||
26 | Connection Type: | Series | |||||||||||
27 | Learn More | ||||||||||||
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29 | Step 8 Now that you've filled in all the green-shaded cells above, the table below will recommend you all the correctly-sized parts and components you'll need to complete your DIY solar build. You can click of the products listed in Column E to buy them on Amazon. You can locate the corresponding parts in our Solar Wiring eBook so that you can visualize where each part needs to be installed. If you haven't already, click the cell to the right of this box to download our Solar eBook. It's free. | Download Solar Wiring eBook | |||||||||||
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31 | Voila! Your Solar System Information | ||||||||||||
32 | Part Name | Product Image | Part Size (click to buy) | Info & Warnings (none when cell is empty) | |||||||||
33 | Solar Array Size: | / | 800W | ||||||||||
34 | Maximum Solar Array Current: | / | 12.00A | ||||||||||
35 | MC4 Connector Size | Standard | "Standard" = For 10AWG wires and thinner. "High-Amp" = For 8 AWG wires. "Error" = Considering wiring panels in series | ||||||||||
36 | MC4 In-Line Fuse Required? | No | |||||||||||
37 | MC4 In-Life Fuse Size | / | |||||||||||
38 | Branch Connector Required? | No | |||||||||||
39 | Branch Connector Size | / | FALSE | ||||||||||
40 | Wire Size (solar panels to charge controller) | 10AWG | |||||||||||
41 | DC Solar Breaker Size | 20A | |||||||||||
42 | Charge Controller | 70A | |||||||||||
43 | Wire Size (charge controller to bus bars/batteries) | 2AWG | |||||||||||
44 | Circuit Breaker Size | 150A | |||||||||||
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