Sensible Solar
The wild camping movement has it right. You do want to be out in the sticks, enjoying the scenery all to yourself. Thing is, you will also have to be fully off the grid, with no Eskom to keep the fridge running and the kettle on the boil. In any event, remote travel in Africa almost guarantees that you cannot count on 220V power wherever you stop.
So, when it comes to self-contained vehicle travel, it’s best to be able to tap into what Africa offers in great quantities: power from the sun. What you need is a bank of solar panels, and a couple of other items to keep the fridge compressor running, your LED lights bright, and things like your laptop, camera batteries and mobile phone charged.
A basic system
What do you need in your vehicle to achieve this? A simple system will consist of three essentials:
1. A bank of solar panels with enough power output to meet your2. As solar outputs range from 17-21 volts, a solar charge controller (or more intelligent Maximum Point Power Tracker) is required to modulate the power going to your battery, which needs no more than 14.4 Volts for safe charging.3. A deep-cycle secondary battery of at least 105 Ah output with thick plates that can handle many deep discharges over time. There are many options on the market now, apart from the old lead-acid standard, including AGM and lithium batteries. Cost may be a deciding factor.
