Escapees November-December 2023

water pumps and some RV refrigerators can run directly off of DC power. Alternating Current (AC) =current that moves back and forth along the circuit, from the source to the appliance. It is the type of current that connects to our houses and powers a standard household outlet. Anything with the typical two- or three-prong plug needs AC power in order to function. Transmission Loss=the loss of energy that happens when electricity travels through a wire. Minimizing the length of the transmission wire or increasing the wire diameter can reduce this loss. Basic Electrical Terminology As educators, we love analogies, and water fl owing through pipes is a great one for learning about electricity! Voltage/Volts (V) =a unit used to measure the pressure of the electrical system. Imagine water moving through a shower head; Volts would measure the pressure of the water in the system. Amperage/Amps (A) =a unit used to measure the fl ow of the electrical current in the system. Back to our shower head analogy, if the Volts measures pressure, amps measures the fl ow of water in gallons per minute. Wattage/Watts (W) =the product of volts and amps (W=V x A); the unit used to measure the work that is completed by the electrical system. In this shower analogy, this would be how well (and satisfying) the shower head worked at getting you clean. Watt Hours (Wh) =the length of time (in hours) that the system can do work at a given rate and pressure. In the shower, it is the length of time that you could take a shower at the same pressure and fl ow. Amp Hours (Ah) =the number of amps that you can expect a battery to provide in one hour at its nominal voltage (e.g., 12V). For example, a 100Ah deep-cycle battery can provide 100A for one hour or provide 1A for 100 hours. In shower terms, you could have the shower of your dreams (probably enough to remove a tattoo) for one hour or stand under a trickle for fi vedays. View our “Solar 101” video on our YouTube Channel (@FreedomInACan) for even more information.

We were newbies in 2010 when we began renovating our vintage camper and wanted to install a solar powered system. There weren’t a lot of helpful resourc es on DIY solar unless you were an engineer or electrician. With the help of some friends in the industry, we got our fi rst system up and running. Since we hit the road in 2012, solar has powered our life and travels all over the continent. Along the way, we’ve learned a ton, expanded our sys tem and have educated thou sands through our videos, blogs and seminars. O ur goal is to help people boondock with their RV without needing to run a generator. This is the fi rst in a six-part series to be published over the next year, allowing you to develop a system that will work for you and your rig. Keep this article as a handy reference for your solar journey. Two Types of Electricity Let’s start off by discussing AC/DC—not the popular Aussie rock legends from the 80’s— but rather the different types of current fl owing through an RV’s electrical system. If you can grasp the differences between Alternating Current and Direct Current, and fi gure out how to wire them, you are well on your way to solar rock-star status! Direct Current (DC) =current that

View our “Solar 101” video on our YouTube Channel (@FreedomInACan) for even more information.

fl ows in one direction within a circuit from source to appliance, just like water, from a place of higher pres sure to lower. Solar panels and batteries create, store and release DC current only. Appliances including lights, fans,

52

ESCAPEES Magazine November/December 2023