While solar power has existed for many years, harnessing this free energy source has only become accessible to millions of people in the last decade. You may have installed panels on your home to provide green energy, but have you considered adding solar panels to your RV for when you hit the road? Enjoy silent electricity by installing a few basic components that create an efficient solar system for your RV.
Understanding RV Solar Power
RV solar power operates on the same principle as a home’s system. You start with solar panels and a roof mount to attach panels and angle them to the sun. Use direct solar energy during the day and power from battery banks at night.
Days with low light may necessitate external power to charge the batteries. Consider using a mini solar station, which connects to panels on the roof and works like a generator but without fuel if you’re on a budget.
Benefits of Adding Solar Panels to Your RV
When adding solar panels to RVs, it gives you sustainable green energy and freedom. Imagine camping anywhere with full electrical use, regardless of external or shore power. Instead of relying on gas, shower daily with an electric water heater connected to the solar unit.
Reducing your reliance on external power sources lowers the cost of glamping and trailer parks or camping grounds. No longer reliant on gas, you need not worry about the safety aspect of trucking your gas bottles with you for heating and cooking purposes — if your setup is large enough for heating.
How to Choose the Right Solar Panels for Your RV
Before choosing a solar panel, it’s essential to do an energy consumption analysis. This involves installing a tracking device between each appliance in the RV and the wall socket to measure the wattage consumed daily. Once you know your daily electrical usage, you can shop for a suitable panel, batteries, inverter and other components.
Remember to purchase a high-quality panel that produces optimal power based on the number of sun exposure hours typically available. Other panel considerations include:
- Panel durability for rain, hail and wind
- Dimensions of panels compared to available roof space
- Panel output to meet daily wattage needs
- Panel compatibility with other components
Essential Components of an RV Solar Installation
You require the usual solar components and connections, namely:
- A battery bank: Batteries provide energy during nighttime.
- An inverter: It changes solar power or direct current to alternating power or AC before storing it in the batteries.
- A transfer switch: It switches power between the battery or direct solar and shore power from your external camp connection.
- An additional battery charger: This helps charge the batteries from shore power on cloudy days when you can access external power.
- Fuse blocks: These protect the circuit between the battery and the inverter.
- Your RV breaker panel: Use this to connect appliances.
- A charge controller: Located between the panels and the battery, it ensures steady power charging.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Add Solar Panels to Your RV
It’s time to light up your RV with the help of the sun’s free energy. These steps guide you from start to finish on how to set up solar panels for RV needs:
- Determine the solar energy requirements for your RV: Once you know your total daily watt requirements, you can find a suitable panel that produces enough wattage. It’s also wise to play around with cardboard cutouts of the panel sizes and see what dimensions will work best for your available RV roof space.
- Purchase a kit or all required solar components: Kits are the easiest to install and come with complete instructions. They are usually a basic setup that includes panels, a charge controller and a completed wiring harness with all the necessary prewired electrical components, such as connectors and adaptors. This kit is for direct sun energy, meaning you won’t have power for nighttime use.
- Mount the solar panels on the roof: Place the mounting brackets and stand in the best position for optimal light exposure. Secure each with the appropriate hardware to ensure no leaking during rainstorms.
- Run the wiring into the RV: For a watertight seal, use existing vents — such as a refrigerator vent — for wiring. Next, secure the wiring inside the RV, ensuring there are no loose sections that could become hazardous.
- Install the interior hardware components: Position any hardware like the battery bank, inverter, and charge controllers strategically so you optimize space and efficiency.
- Connect the wiring: Ensure you securely and correctly connect all the wiring between different components except those to the charge controller and panels. Adding additional fuses can help save costly hardware from shorting out during an overload, so install these as backups.
- Final checks: Go through all the sections, checking for correct polarity on wires and any unsecured connections.
- Last connections: When you’re confident your wiring is correctly installed, connect the charge controller and panels. For safety reasons, you may want to cover the panels before installing them to prevent a potential spark if they are charged.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in RV Solar Installations
A few mistakes commonly happen that can ruin your RV-solar dreams:
- Underestimating the power requirements of your RV: This can cause you not to have enough power, no matter how many hours of sun you get. More panels or a larger battery may help.
- Burning through your battery in an hour at night: Often, the culprit is running too many appliances simultaneously. A battery lasts much longer when it supplies a steady, low stream of electricity, so avoid boiling the electric kettle and loading up the washing machine simultaneously.
- Frying your appliances when you switch between shore and sun power: With a change in electrical current, it’s essential to use fuse boxes and surge protectors to keep your appliances safe.
- Incorrectly storing sun panels during travel: For removable panels, storage can become a huge threat, as micro-cracks cause decreased life span, electrical separation and power loss.
Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your RV Solar Power Setup
An RV solar installation requires minimal maintenance, and you can easily install a Wi-Fi tracking app that informs you of battery levels, usage and rate of conversion. When you notice something is off, it’s time to inspect everything, starting with the battery.
Oxidated battery terminals can cause poor current conversion and storage. For basic maintenance, ensure your system is clean and dust-free. Wash the panels regularly or when you notice dust or debris accumulating on them, as these can block the sun and leave you without power.
Upgrading Your RV: Adding Solar to Travel Trailers and Campers
RVs with shaped or domed roofing may not offer ideal footing for a tilted solar panel and motorhome solar installation. You may have to rely on portable panels or fix your panels to a trailer, which you can tow behind your motorhome, camper or RV.
Adding solar to travel trailer and turning it into a mini power station has many advantages, if you do it correctly. It frees up space instead of going for a camper solar panel setup, as you don’t have to place large components like batteries and inverters inside.
Calculating Your RV’s Solar Power Needs
Use a watt reader or calculate each appliance’s consumption based on the amount of time per day you use it. If you have an electric bill from a camping location, you can check it for your camper’s average daily electricity usage in kilowatts per hour.
Next, work out how many solar hours the areas you visit typically receive. Usually, you can count on four to six hours a day. Divide your total daily electrical use by the sun hours, and it will give you a rough idea of how big your panel’s output needs to be. To check, multiply the panel output by available hours, and you’ll know how much sun energy the panel converts in a day and whether it matches your RV solar power setup needs.
Finally, complete your system with a fast-charging lithium battery capable of storing the power you require at night and the matching components to charge the battery during solar hours effectively. Alternatively, check out fully solarized campers and RVs from manufacturers to get an idea of the standard. For instance, the Holiday Rambler includes a 2,000-watt inverter, four deep-cycle 6-volt batteries and a 100-watt panel.
DIY Vs. Professional RV Solar Installation
Are you up for the challenge of installing your own sun system? If you don’t understand the wire polarities and battery placements, getting a professional is best.
Incorrect wiring can cause significant damage to batteries, panels and other components. While you want to save money on installations, shorting your equipment is a costly lesson.
How to Optimize Solar Power Usage in Your RV
Optimizing solar usage comes down to avoiding a sudden discharge for high-energy appliances at night. Avoid using multiple appliances at night. Heavy-use electrical items should be used during the day when direct solar charges the battery and provides sustained energy.
Maintain the unit and use a Wi-Fi diagnostic tool to manage your system efficiently.
Cost Considerations for RV Solar Panel Installation
When starting your sun energy journey, start off small with a medium-sized panel and no battery or a smaller battery. The most cost-effective option is to spring for the best-size solar system from the start, but not many people have the funds for an expensive setup.
With the modular approach, it’s best to start with a direct sun setup where your panels work during daylight hours. When you’ve saved enough, choose an inverter sized for your completed system, as these can be costly if you later need to get a larger one. To create a battery bank, you can daisy-chain batteries incrementally. You’ll eventually have all the necessary components for a complete setup.
Enjoy Your Solar Travels
Adding solar panels to RVs is a fantastic idea. It offers freedom, power and efficiency, and beyond the initial installation, it doesn’t cost a dime. Have you installed your RV’s sun energy kit yet?
