A solar power system in an RV is an efficient, practical, environmentally-friendly means of accessing power on the road. Yet, while using solar energy as a source to run everything in your RV is one thing, having that power when you need it can be a different story.
"Probably 50 percent of customers that order a solar system request lithium batteries, which efficiently store power from the sun," says Garret Towne, president of AM Solar in Springfield, Oregon, a company that designs and manufactures solar power systems for the RV consumer market. "Lithium batteries have a lot of advantages, plus there is not a lot of maintenance and they are an easy charge."
Towne explains the role of lithium batteries through an interesting analogy.
"An interesting way to look at how lithium batteries work is in financial terms,” he says. “The solar panels are the income and the lithium batteries are the bank account. There needs to be plenty of room in the bank account to store all of the income."
In even simpler terms, the lithium batteries effectively store solar power from the sun and act as an energy buffer in an RV.
While AGM (or lead-acid) batteries are a viable alternative, lithium batteries have additional advantages. For example, users can typically use approximately 50 percent of the power from an AGM battery before recharging. However, lithiums can draw power from as low as 80 percent of usage before needing a charge.
They also discharge a relatively constant voltage. Microwaves or other RV appliances, for example, can work quite easily off of a 60-amp hour battery. AGM batteries, however, require approximately 300 amp hours for this type of load.
"Lithium batteries can put out a lot more currents than lead-acid batteries," says Towne. "As an example, a Sprinter van with a 200-amp hour lithium battery bank, when fully charged, can easily run all appliances, including a mini-fridge, microwave, the LED lights, laptops, and other electronics. In this case, an RVer wouldn’t really have to worry about power."
Nonetheless, capacities of lithium batteries vary from rig to rig. According to Towne, an ideal battery bank solution for a Sprinter van can be anywhere from 100 to 200 amps of energy, while some mid-sized Class C models require approximately 400 amp hours. Larger class A motorhomes need a lithium battery bank with approximately 800 amp hours. Essentially, the more amps hours that are needed to run high-power appliances, the larger the lithium battery bank an RV needs.
"The power per cubic foot is much higher with lithium batteries over AGM batteries and the power per pound is much higher," says Towne. "They also charge more quickly by solar energy, which means RVers don''t have to connect to shore power quite as long or even run a generator for long periods."
Additionally, if RVers have a high output alternator in their RV, lithiums charge in a few hours while traveling. This means they can always attain a full charge even during unfavorable weather conditions.
Towne continued to explain that there have been some concerns about lithium batteries being susceptible to potential fires. But, he says the technology in the AM Solar lithium batteries is inherently non-combustible.
"There have been a lot of concerns about lithium batteries catching on fire," says Towne. "There are several different lithium technologies available and the LiFePO4 technology we use is non- combustible. It''s very different than the type of lithium batteries that have been known to cause fires."
On the retail pricing side, lithium batteries are considerably more expensive than AGM batteries. However, the benefits and value are much greater.
For example, lithium batteries have a lifespan of up to ten years (while AGM lasts up to five). They also charge faster, offer 3 ½times more usable amp hours than AGM batteries of the same weight, and have a higher resistance to cold environments. In fact, they deliver more than 80 percent of its energy in -20°C temperatures.
"Lithium batteries are more expensive but the cost pays off in the long run," says Towne. "If you are going to have your RV for just two years, definitely consider an AGM battery bank. If you''re are thinking of full-timing or planning on traveling for many years, lithium batteries are the way to go."
Options are plentiful when it comes to choosing power or a solar system, regardless of class, make and model. Determining power options is perhaps just as important as the system that receives the solar energy for your lifestyle.
With many years of customer support and understanding top solar tech, AM Solar provides the right systems for RVers. To look into solar power options visit AM Solar or contact one of their installers to ensure the right choice for your life on the road.
Home » Blog » Podcasts » The Truth about RV Solar and Lithium Batteries
But the key is having enough RV solar and lithium to do what the salespeople promise.
This week, we talk to two experts as we explore the capabilities of our new system and learn about battery draw and what is reasonable and not reasonable to expect from it.
The first thing people thinking about RV solar and lithium need to know is that you need to know if that the more you have, the more you can do with it in terms of off-the-grid camping.
A 200-watt RV solar package with a single lithium 100 amp hour battery isn''t going to make the huge difference you often hear from RV salespeople.
And the 1,000 watt inverter systems that come with most RVs to convert that energy that solar puts in the batteries is woefully inadequate if you want to run things like a microwave, a hair dryer or an air conditioner.
When we bought our Arcadia this spring, we bought a package that had 600 watts of RV solar and 200 amp hours of lithium, with a 3,000-watt inverter.
That''s a very respectable system. It will even fire up one of our air conditioners equipped with a safe start to minimize the huge power bite the compressor takes when the AC unit starts out. Fully charged, it will run that air conditioner for two hours or so, depending on how hot it is outside and the humidity it needs to remove from the coach.
But we wanted more. Our upgraded system has four 300-watt Keystone Solarflex panels providing a total of 1,200 watts of energy that charge two Dragonfly Energy Gamechanger 3.0 lithium batteries that each have a capacity of 270 amp hours. That''s a total of 540 amp hours. Dragonfly is the parent company of Battleborn Batteries.
For us, this is the sweet spot for our boondocking and off the grid camping. The system will let us run the AC for about six hours. Maybe a bit longer if we don''t try to turn our RV into an ice cooler.
BONUS CONTENT: It''s important to know the basics about solar and batteries. CLICK HERE for a quick primer on RV solar.
The two experts we talked to in the podcast interview of the week are Sam Lengerich, an executive from Keystone who does product design and development for the Arcadia brand, and John Brock, Keystone''s director of Research and Development.
In separate interviews, the two discuss all the ins and outs of RV solar and lithium, including;
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