RV Solar Chargers – How to Charge Your Batteries with Solar Power

This is a guide to help you install and choose the right solar panels kit on your RV to charge your batteries and power your devices.

It’s articulated in sections where each section explains a specific question.

How can I increase the autonomy power of my motor home?

In a camper electricity and water are precious. We must therefore learn to save without depriving the indispensable.

To increase its autonomy, for example, you can install a solar panel. Who stays a week in the same place needs to find a way to recharge the batteries, and a good solution is the solar panel.

Be aware that they are expensive and fragile, just the branch of a tree to break, and is an additional weight.

We also need to park in the sun, if you parked in the shade not serve. If we want to increase the autonomy of our campers we can increase the number of panels.

What and how should I install the solar panels on my camper?

A photovoltaic system area is based on:

• One or more photovoltaic panels
• A  charge regulator to measure voltage and current
• A battery.
• 1 Mounting kit
• 1 Display light to see the different levels of solar energy
• 1 Parallel to keep the battery engine charged after the service battery is loaded from solar
• 1 Set of cables to connect the panel on the roof and maintai an excellent insulation against the infiltration of water from the roof.

How many solar powered panels?

Example 1: Big motorhome then big consumer

• Using 2 lights, refrigerator, TV, VCR, etc.
• Having 3 evenings of autonomy in summer, 2 nights in winter
• Power panels: 140 watts with adjustable solution
• 180 watts with non-adjustable

Example 2: Average consumer

• Power: 90 watts with adjustable solution
• 110 Watt not adjustable

Example 3: Small consumer mini camper

• 50 Watt power adjustable
• 65 Watt not adjustable

What’s the right wattage  for caravans to run lights, TV etc?

In choosing the type of panel you can follow the following guidelines:

• 80 watt panel: It ‘a small plant, ideal for those who use the camper mainly in the warmer months and not use auxiliary utilities such as CTV or fans.
• 125 watt panel: The ideal solution for those who use the television.
• 140 watt panel: It represents the best solution for anyone, making use of summer vehicle, stopping long ago and wants to have a good availability of power for various accessories.
• 2 panel of 125 watt: The choice we recommend to all those who have a refrigerator compressor, or make an intensive use, even in winter.

How can I calculate the real power of a panel?

To calculate the power and let it work nearly 100% we need to consider:

1. Intensity of solar radiation (sunshine). The highest value is obtained only in exceptional weather conditions and practically never in real situations.
2. Temperature of 25 ° C but we all know that in a day of exceptionally high sunshine for sure the temperature is above 25 ° C. Higher temperatures cause a decreasing of the performance of the panel.
3. Incidence of perpendicular sunlight.

Below a screen shot on a free online tool to calculate how much power your panel could produce and how to calculate the photovoltaic module inclination based on your location and months of the year.

If you use the camper in the winter months (December and January) the solar panel should be oriented toward the sun otherwise its yield is too low.

Sometimes I read that the best location for a solar panel on a camper is to point it at 30° south…. but there is nothing more wrong …. then do not make this gross mistake .. because your camper is not on a terrace.

For example, in winter a panel on the roof of the camper (that is, 0°) means losing even 60% of daily energy.

Then the output power held by manufacturers is not “false” but based on laboratory parameters, but certainly better than those found in nature.

It ’s better a mono crystalline or a polycrystalline panel ?

Between two panels, one polycrystalline and other mono crystalline of example to 120W there are not so evident differences then it makes no sense to say that one is better than the other;

Monocrystalline: made from pure silicon has the best performance (13/14% yield).

Polycrystalline: made from recycled silicon has a lower yield to monocrystalline, then parity ‘power are more’ big 10% and cost less.

Amorphous: Amorphous panels are less subject to shading (or dirt) and produce about 15% more current at morning and evening.

The polycrystalline is suggested if the camper is used mainly in the Mediterranean area.

The panel chosen by me is a polycrystalline silicon that is better than mono crystalline silicon or amorphous; better in terms of performance and durability.

It’s true, over time the silicon loses its features and panels recharged always less.

How much energy produces a panel in one day?

To know the amount of energy produced daily we need to refer to the tables of sunshine, tabulations that indicate the monthly averages of sunshine for each geographical area;

For example, if your plant produces a maximum current, in full sun can get in 6A battery, then the power produced daily is: 6A x 5 (hours of sunshine) = 30Ah every day (on average) during the summer months and 6A x 2 = 12Ah in the winter months.

How to install the solar panels?

The ideal would always have the sun perpendicular. This is achievable only with a rotating and tilting variable, but this is not always possible.