DrJ
Senior Member
I've wanted to introduce myself to this great community and say thanks.
I have spent months pouring over your posts and ideas. They have been the inspiration for several
modifications I've made to my FWC Hawk.
You guys are truly amazing and have lots of fantastic ideas!
I had a success with solar power that I will share.
You'll have to forgive me if my pictures don't post just right - still learning this process.
The newer FWCs that are set up with a prewired solar plug make life really easy for addition of a solar panel (or 2 in my case). However, I did not want to drill any holes in my roof that could create a water problem down the road. So I went with this idea instead - here's the stats.
220 watts of solar panels (100 watt panel and 120 watt panel)
flexible flat panels made it easy to glue them to the roof (after making sure they work of course!)
wired the panels together using MC4 branch connectors
MPPT Tracer 2210RN Solar Charge Controller for 20 amps
MT5 remote meter to keep track of my panels and battery
The total cost for the install was:
solar panels - $200 for 100 watt, $235 for 120 watt
wiring and MC4 connectors - about $25
MPPT charge controller - $140
MT5 remote - $45
I think my entire project was around $650.
With it I can get 7-10 amps per hour at 14.4 Volts or higher as determined by charge controller.
Even in the winter with poor sun exposure I have been getting about 4-5 amps of charge.
It allows my batteries to always have plenty of charge and run what ever I need to at this point.
The entire project is fairly straightforward and cheaper than the factory install. Plus I was able to get MPPT charge controller and more solar power. I have the dual battery set up in my Hawk. The wiring on the roof needs to be cleaned up a little bit, but the system works great. No problems with wind moving those glued on panels - I live in Southern Idaho and get our fair share of wind. They stay on great.
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