Still testing my portable solar panels.
Wow! I couldn't believe it. I'm still testing my 300-Watt, ground-deployed solar panels, and in this case, by testing, I mean I don't really need them, in this sunny weather, because my 500-watt roof panels are fully charging my lithium iron batteries by lunchtime at best, but usually by two in the afternoon.
The other morning, I put the ground solar panels out just as the sun was coming up around 6:30 or so, and of course, the roof panels are always on, and I didn't take any special care to properly align the ground panels. I just pointed the panels in the general direction of the rising Sun and left them in that position. And to my utter amazement, the app on my phone that tells me the voltage of my batteries clicked over on 14.4 volts, meaning "full charge" at 9:45!!! Roughly half the time of my very best times using just my roof solar panels. Now I know that having solar panels with an unobstructed view of the sun is better than solar panels that don't..... I just didn't realize how much of a difference it made.
So I think now I've got a pretty good arrangement dealing with the solar panels, and I'll have an even better idea with a week's worth of cloudy weather coming up in a couple of days. Right now I like having the set it and forget it panels on the roof that are always providing electric power with no effort on my part, and knowing that on really cloudy days, I can throw the portable panels out in the yard and get decent charging no matter how cloudy it is.
None of this is important if you have a large RV with a lot of roof space; just cover the roof with solar panels, and you'll be fine. But a small RV like my truck camper or a van might be better served with some panels on the roof that will always give you SOME charging, without any effort on your part. And deployables that will keep you charged up even when the weather's not cooperating.
Theboondork
Just a few of the cacti that I live around. Buckhorn Cholla Cactus. A favorite for birds to nest in.
Prickly Pear Cactus. A Javelina's Favorite Food.
And of course, a Saguaro Cactus. When you're in Arizona, the law requires you to take pictures of a Saguaro. You get extra points if it's a sunrise or a sunset picture.