Getting Started - Initial Costs

So you want to know what it costs to set yourself up for solar. Regardless of whether you want to take a fridge to a picnic, go away for a short camping trip, or travel all over the country for several months the first thing you need to determine is what you need. I detailed our initial requirements here: http://campingwithsolar.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/where-it-all-begins.html

In this blog I'll be detailing what we bought for our needs and provide an item-breakdown of costs in order to help you decide what it will cost you to get setup.

I bought all of our items off eBay. The links provided in my shopping list below will give you a reference to start with:

2 x 100AH batteries - Search the link below for"N70T"
http://supercheapauto.com.au
I paid: AU$235 each

1 x 240W solar panel
http://outbaxcamping.com.au/solar-panels/folding-solar-panels.html
From eBay I paid: AU$425

1 x Ctek 250S-Dual battery charger
http://www.ironbarkaustralia.com.au/ctek-d250s-dual.html
From eBay I paid: AU$249

10m of 10AWG (6mm) cable - Search the link below for "6mm twin core cable"
http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/autoelecau
I paid: AU$31

50A Anderson Plugs - Search the link below for "10 50A Anderson"
http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/bit_deals
I paid: AU$15.30 for 10 pieces

8mm eye terminals - Search the link below for "8mm eye terminal"
http://www.jaycar.com.au/
I paid $2.75 for 6 pieces

Miscellaneous items
Heatshrink, solder, fuses, cigarette lighter socket, wire strippers - I had most of these items already so the additional cost for these was minimal.

If you're only looking at making short trips away then you can probably get away with the following:

• 1 x 100AH battery
• 1 x 240W solar panel (or even smaller, say 120W, depending on your demand needs)

The 240W panel I bought was provided with a 15A regulator and a 10m cable. This regulator could very well be adequate if your usage demands are low or the weather conditions are great (lots of sun). The supplied cable is not very thick and the regulator is further away from the battery, so there is going to be a loss you need to consider.

In my setup, I cut off the lead provided with the panel and disconnected the regulator. Instead, I connected the cables from the individual panels to a single Anderson plug. I then made a 10m cable using 10AWG (6mm) cable that would run back to the camper. Inside the camper I connected this 6mm cable to the input of the Ctek and connected another cable (also 10AWG) from its output to the battery using the 8mm eye terminals.

So, the minimum cost you can expect to pay for a 240W system is AU$660 (1 battery and 1 panel). If your power needs are small you could potentially get away with a 120W panel for under $200 (off eBay), making the total outlay as little as AU$435.
I've designed our system so we can go away for extended periods of time, even in poor weather conditions. Our complete setup cost just under AU$1200.
You're probably thinking $1200 is a lot of money compared to the difference between powered vs non-powered camp sites. That would be true if you only looked at going to managed sites. We've set ourselves up so we can get away where ever we want, when ever we want. This requires other considerations such as water, toilets, showers etc but that's a discussion for another day.

Now that's camping!