100w Solar Panels w/ EcoFlow River 3 Plus Portable Power Station Battery

[dumbcomputers]

Just finished installing 2x Xplor Blox 50 watt panels on my bed rack totally 100 watts.

https://www.sunflarexplor.com/blox

It's connected to a EcoFlow River 3 Plus w/ EB300 Expansion pack under my seat:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/12v-refrigerator.78152

I'm running a 12v refrigerator that uses max 25-30w when the compressor is running.

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[Maverick123]

So you've got a fridge running in your truck 24/7 strictly on solar power? That's great, what's your fridge brand & model?

PS: Are you sure you've got that Mk7 low enough?

 

[dumbcomputers]

So you've got a fridge running in your truck 24/7 strictly on solar power? That's great, what's your fridge brand & model?

PS: Are you sure you've got that Mk7 low enough?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFB7WY52?th=1

 

[Dad]

I’m guessing you’re on the road a lot.

 

[Prickly Pear]

Man's got to have cold beer!

 

[dumbcomputers]

I’m guessing you’re on the road a lot.

I actually work at home...but this is my road trip vehicle and I take the dog to the park daily with it.

Man's got to have cold beer!

Currently...Water, Ice Tea, Dr. P, and Diet Pepsi....but beers do go in it when needed.

 

[dumbcomputers]

Dog likes the extra shade.

 

[wax87]

solar panels doubles as shade for the pup

 

[dumbcomputers]

solar panels doubles as shade for the pup

I'm not sure if it's common but she will lay on the grass in full sun on a 85F day....but the extra shade helps tremendously as the bed floor can get extremely hot in the sun. Normally I have an extra carpeted mat for her to sit on but it's been cooler here lately so I took it out to clean it.

 

[710-oil-614]

This is incredible - I have plans to do the same in the future for the same exact reasons. Run my 12v fridge and keep my Bluetti battery topped off.

What brands are your rack and tonneau cover?

 

[dumbcomputers]

This is incredible - I have plans to do the same in the future for the same exact reasons. Run my 12v fridge and keep my Bluetti battery topped off.

What brands are your rack and tonneau cover?

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/custom-cali-raised-low-profile-bed-rack.76956/
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...tractable-hard-tonneau-cover-w-t-slots.75806/

 

[dumbcomputers]

Just a couple days into testing the system. There are many variables that come into play depending on your climate and the hardware you are using but here are my results which I think are interesting.

Currently the nights are rather cool here ~60F lows. The EcoFlow is only connected to the solar panels and does not charge off the car 12v or inverter. From when it stops charging when the sun goes down the power station battery only runs down 11-13% before it starts charging again the next day. I expect the nightly drain to increase in the summer months when it has to work harder to keep the refrigerator at my 32F setpoint. My guess is it will run down 25-30% at night in the summer. By noon the Ecoflow is fully charged again and during the day so long there is some sun it says fully charged the whole day while the refrigerator is running. I can even set the refrigerator as a freezer (-4F) in max mode and the solar will still be enough to keep the power station fully charged during the day. I have no doubt that it will be able always recharge the powerstation fully everyday even in the summer, but I will verfy this when the summer comes.

I also want to add a second larger refrigerator in the bed while camping to go totally ice-less. I think the system would be enough to keep both going indefinitely.

 

[ClemsonU88]

Did you consider a styrofoam cooler and a refreezable ice pack for $10? Or a Yeti and a refreezable ice pack for $100? The cheapskate is strong in this one (pointing at myself).

But seriously, I like the idea of solar energy just in case you're in some kind of situation/emergency that requires electricity. Or maybe if you're out camping or something like that. But I really am too cheap to do it just for the .1% of time it would be useful.

Enjoy the cold drinks.

 

[dumbcomputers]

Did you consider a styrofoam cooler and a refreezable ice pack for $10? Or a Yeti and a refreezable ice pack for $100? The cheapskate is strong in this one (pointing at myself).

But seriously, I like the idea of solar energy just in case you're in some kind of situation/emergency that requires electricity. Or maybe if you're out camping or something like that. But I really am too cheap to do it just for the .1% of time it would be useful.

Enjoy the cold drinks.

I've been using coolers w/ icepacks and ice before this yes...

The older I get (53 this year) I'm more into quality of life things that impact my life not really cost.

 

[ClemsonU88]

I've been using coolers w/ icepacks and ice before this yes...

The older I get (53 this year) I'm more into quality of life things that impact my life not really cost.

I'm with ya. No sense dying with a million in the bank and using stupid styrofoam and ice packs when you could have a one-time setup (both cost and effort) and have a refrigerator in your truck.

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