I wanted your ideas on the solar panels.
I would like to keep my options open more, so I am thinking I will mount my solar panels on the ground. That way I can place them to (follow the sun) during the day while the van is in it's ideal parking spot for shade and comfort! With the aux. alternator, we sure don't need the panels while driving!
For panels, I have not seen anyone beat Sunpower Maxeon prime on amps output- 5.9A for the 110 watt flex panels. You can stack a pile of these in the garage and hardly take up any space.
I was thinking I would make maybe ~1/2 inch aluminum frames for each panel that would have a couple legs for adjusting the angle. They would be so light I would probably want to stack them to the ground.
Sorry can't help you there. I am a solar virgin, don't really have any experience with them. I did purchase a 400W Solara panel, that I plan on roof mounting in the next few weeks (other projects depending). There are some good ideas out there regarding portable panels, mounting, wiring, etc.....I am just not the person to ask as I have zero experience in this area.
As far as alternator, I figured (no real data yet), that I can probably go about 3 days without having to run it, less if I need to heat more hot water than I have available. If the panels put out 400W (or close to that for 4-6 hours a day), that time could be significantly extended.
Being able to park in the shade would be nice, but perhaps after experiencing things for a while, I can make adjustments. The alternator should be able to charge the completely discharged batteries in about 2 hours assuming 150A charging while driving, less if charging at a higher rate, which the alternator is capable off as it is 280A, but I don't think I would ever run the batteries down that far. Still learning.