Affordable Solar Setup (panels on top - you’ll need Y branches to connect them together) and then the extension cable linked below will run down - one positive and one negative wire come through the cable entry housing and down into the van). The cables go into the charge controller (this one is PWM instead of the “more efficient” MTTP controllers). From the charge controller you use the leftover cable from the extension cable you bought to go from that to the battery. You’ll need to get some lugs for the end of the cable to go on the battery terminal posts. you can get them at home depot.

My Solar Setup

The rest of my system is pieced together. I use a Rooftop Combiner box by AM Solar in oregon. I also use their 10ga rooftop cables to connect each panel into the combiner box (watch this video to see what I mean) - you’ll want one of these for each panel you have. From the box, I am using 6ga AWG stranded wire (home depot) to go down to the victron charge controller linked above. And that same wire from controller to my batteries. you can buy all this direct from AM Solar as a kit, but they’ll give you more wire than you need… and they charge $2 more per foot than home depot does.

Batteries

I like the Vmax Tanks. For clients we usually do (2) 155ah batteries wired together in parallel. In our “giveaway van” we did (3) of those for a total of 465ah. In this yellow van, we are doing (2) 200ah batteries to have a total of 400ah. Both are linked below.

Inverter

if running a 2000w inverter like below, you will need to use 2/0 cable to connect your batteries to one another. You will also need to connect the inverter to the batteries using 2/0 cable as well. I personally just purchase this locally so I dont have to wait on it to ship (and I HATE crimping the lugs on them myself). I go to Solar Penny in Mesa and just tell him what I need in inches and he makes it all up and ready to go on the spot. On the positive cable from the inverter to the battery, you will need a Class T 300amp fuse in a Class T fuse holder (thats pricey, but safer with it instead of without). The remote power button isn’t required but makes it nice to be able to turn it on and off without having to do so directly on the inverter itself (can hide the inverter under the bed for example).