Solar system for RV

Solar system for RV is a great solution for travelers. The PV system charges the house battery of a van anywhere where the sun is shining. Thus you don’t need to look for a battery hookup and don’t depend as much on trailer parks while you are on the road.

Generally, boondockers use generators to keep the house battery full. However, an RV solar system is a great alternative. PV installation is silent, doesn’t smell weird and doesn't need any fuel. Solar panels are generally installed on the roof of the van, thus they don’t take much of the important space. Some boondockers prefer using portable RV solar kits which you can unpack whenever it is convenient. 

RV by itself doesn’t have a lot of appliances. Therefore you can get by with just a couple of strong panels — the roof usually doesn’t have much room for more than 5-6 modules anyway. However, it’s hard to get good positioning and angle for panels. Thus an RV solar system usually performs at 70-80% of its capacity. 

RV installation is an off-grid system

Since RV solar installation will not be connected to the commercial grid in any circumstances, it is considered an off-grid installation. With this type of system design you rely on panels during the day and on your house battery whenever the panels don’t provide any power — at night or in case of very thick clouds and complete absence of the sun. An RV solar system kit therefore includes:

• PV modulesYou can use any kind of solar panels that you want — even thin-film panels do well in these circumstances. Pay attention to the size and weight of solar modules, make sure that the roof of your RV is prepared for them. 
• Inverter

If none of your devices need alternating current, you don’t really need an inverter. However, things like laptops or microwaves won’t be fine using direct current from the panels. Inverter in the RV solar kit is usually small in capacity, 2-3 kW. It is designed to be paired with a battery and won’t be suitable for any kind of grid connection.

• Charge controllerCharge controller takes care of your battery. It lowers the voltage from panels to safe levels, so that your energy storage won’t overheat and explode in the worst case scenario. Solar regulator can easily be overlooked, but it’s an important part of an RV solar panel kit and significantly prolongs the lifetime of your battery.
• House batteryNot every RV has a house battery (it’s not the same thing as an automotive or car battery!), so if yours doesn’t have one, get a deep-cycle battery. It is designed to be discharged and recharged on a regular basis. Deep-cycle batteries are generally lead-acid, gel or lithium-ion. Lithium-ion batteries are the most advanced type, allow high depth-of-discharge and are less vulnerable to swings in temperature and overcharge — a great choice for an RV solar power system. 

Cost of RV system

Since solar systems for boondockers are relatively small in size and the RV by itself usually already has a house battery, RV solar kit cost is relatively small, compared to other solar projects. You need just a couple of panels, preferably sturdy and with good performance in low-light conditions. Since the space becomes a concern, efficiency of the panels starts to matter a lot. The more efficient your panels are, the less room you’ll need for a powerful installation. Add an inverter, a controller, some wires and you are good to go.

We invite you to try out our solar calculator which can give you an idea of how much space your future solar power system for RV is going to take. It calculates the approximate costs, potential savings and many more. Unfortunately, RV systems aren’t eligible for Federal solar tax credit, so you won’t be able to get tax returns with this type of system. 

We offer a variety of solar panels, inverters, batteries and kits for sale. Our staff is always happy to answer your questions and help you make your choice. Here’s how operate: 

• Our fulfillment centers are located on East and West coast of US
• We process all orders in 24 hours and ship them in 48 hours
• Freight transport deliver orders in 4-7 business days
• We sell A-grade equipment only from verified manufactures
• Affordable pricing on all solar energy equipment
• No counterfeit products

If you are interested in purchasing a rv solar panel system, leave us a message and our managers will contact you as soon as possible. Check out our map of fulfillment centers with the up-to-date availability: if any of them are close to you, instead of ordering a delivery you can choose the pickup option and grab your rv solar panel kit yourself.