Have you heard of people installing solar panels on the roofs of their RVs? Many people are doing it these days so their RVs can run off solar so they aren’t reliant on gas generators or hookups at campgrounds all the time. And as the number of people interested in RVing grows, more and more people will be trying to get “off the grid” with their RVs.
But is this for you? If so, how do you make this happen? This short article will go over that.
Should You Install RV Solar Power?
The first thing you should ask yourself is if the effort is worth it. It makes sense for some people to install solar power in their RV, but not everyone.
Are you the kind of RVer that likes to hit the open road and avoid civilization altogether? Your ideal RV trip is to a remote area where there isn’t a human or building in sight? In that case, solar might make sense for you.
Or maybe you don’t mind having people around, but you want some flexibility. RV parks are great, but they don’t always offer the best views. To get that, you need to park the RV in other places that don’t offer electrical hookups. So if you’re that kind of RVer, solar panels may make sense.
But if you tend to always stay in campgrounds - which is an excellent way to RV and how most people do it - then the investment in solar may not be the right thing for you.
If you think solar is exciting and want to know more, keep reading.
RV Solar Power Equipment You Need
Even though it’s not complex, a solar power system isn’t just taking “juice” from the sun and shoving it straight into your coffee maker. There are a few more steps to that.
First, the RV solar panels collect power from the sun. It doesn’t matter what kind of solar panels you get; they are all doing the same thing. But we do recommend getting ones that are a good size for RVs - the kind typically made for houses may be too big for your RV.
The solar panels send the energy to a solar charge controller. This is what turns the energy into electricity that can be used or stored in batteries. Specifically, it’s turning into DC electricity.
That electricity is then passed on to your RV batteries. From the batteries, it can be used by DC electrical devices in the RV like your lights and electronics.
To power something small that plugs into an outlet - like that critical coffee maker - there is one more step. The electricity from the batteries will go through a DC/AC inverter. Next, the DC electricity is turned into AC, which can then be used for things plugged into outlets.
How to Install Your RV Solar Panel System
If you plan on the DIY route of installing your solar panels, you should know there are essentially six steps.
Step 1: Mount the solar panels to your RV - the roof is the best place, obviously.
Step 2: Install the charge controller. It should go as close as possible to your RV’s batteries.
Step 3: Run the wires from the solar panels to the charge controller, but don’t connect them yet!
Step 4: Connect the charge controller to the batteries with wires.
Step 5: Assuming you want to use solar for smaller 120-volt AC devices, install your inverter in the RV as close as possible to the batteries.
Step 6: Double-check all connections, then connect the wires you ran in step 2, going from the solar panels to the charge controller.
Conclusion
We’ll reiterate upfront and say that RV solar power isn’t for everyone. If you love staying in campgrounds or don’t mind using a gas generator, more power to you. But if you like going off the beaten path and don’t want to be listening to a generator all the time, the investment in solar power might make sense.
Check out our RV parts shop with everything you need to get started!
