Hi, new to this forum. I am a many years of experience Travel Trailer type RV-er. We do most of our camping "dry" with out hook ups. My wife and I are getting ready to buy a new trailer that will come solar ready. It is solar ready on the roof with the quick connect. So, this is what I know, or think I know about Solar. A ten amp panel is for maintaining. Something like a 85, 100, 150 is for charging after pulling the batteries down. Big panels put out like 19volts so a regulator of sorts is necessary. I have heard there is a type of reg. that converts the excess voltage to amps and somehow makes use of those amps in the charging? Any help would be great. Web sites, dealers or distributors would be great.V-465

First off, almost all solar panels will only produce enough electricity to keep a charged battery charged up, but not to re-charge a run down battery. Second thing, solar panels are big and expensive. Unless you are willing to spend some serious money on panels that will set out on stands pointing at the sun and storing them when you are not there, forget that option.Third. I'd suggest what most people who dry camp a lot do. Buy a Honda or Yamaha "quiet" generator and charge your battery(s) for an hour or so in the morning and evening. Go9ing off topic here, but if you plan to do a lot of dry camping, consider switching to two 6 volt deep cycle batteries if your rig doesn't already have them. They work much better than 12 volt batteries, even if they are marked "deep cycle".

I would disagree with pretty much everything fishinghat said.Solar is a great addition to any boondocker's charging line-up. With enough solar, you will not need a generator in many cases.Panels are rated in watts, not amps, and basically come in two voltages... 12v nominal and 24v nominal. The charge controller you refer to is known as an mppt controller... maximum power point tracking. The other option is a pwm controller... pulse wave modulation. Actually, both are pwm, but the latter lacks the ability to track the maximum power point.

There are PWM and MPPT controllers. You want MPPT. For serious solar you need to google Morning Star, Blue Sky and some others. Many RV solar dealers will do a better installation. The solar prep, especially if it is only 10 amps is just going to keep your battery from running down in storage. When people hear 10 amps they are wowed but do the numbers. A 10 amp solar on 12 volts is only 120 watts. Equivalent to one light bulb in a stick & brick house. Current times voltage equals watts. I have a 120 watt portable unit because I dry camp 2 weeks a year. My RV is plugged in or moving the rest of the year. Plus I kick my generator on in the mornings while dry camping. You may want to be thinking 60 to 80 amp mppt controller. An 80 amp controller will give you 960 watts. If you buy a large controller you can add more panels as needed. Don't know where you live but talk to some Solar dealers first. I think you would be wasting money on a manufacturer prep unless it was an 80 amp. Think you would be looking at #4 wire. JMHO

Like with all things "rv electrical", you must first determine your needs/usage, then size your entire system accordingly... that means battery bank, converter, charger, inverter, solar, generator, wiring, etc. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but it's not that difficult... and you have experience rv'ing, so that will help lots.Best thing to do is list what you have in the way of batteries, chargers, etc., and your daily usage, and many here can point you in the right direction. There is a lot to learn about solar, but you don't need a phd in solar energy to get started. And the good news is, solar is coming way down in price. About $2/watt will get you a modest system.

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62 Replies

jrnymn7
Explorer
May 03, 2015
I would disagree with pretty much everything fishinghat said.

Solar is a great addition to any boondocker's charging line-up. With enough solar, you will not need a generator in many cases.

Panels are rated in watts, not amps, and basically come in two voltages... 12v nominal and 24v nominal.

The charge controller you refer to is known as an mppt controller... maximum power point tracking. The other option is a pwm controller... pulse wave modulation. Actually, both are pwm, but the latter lacks the ability to track the maximum power point.
Fishinghat
Explorer II
May 03, 2015
First off, almost all solar panels will only produce enough electricity to keep a charged battery charged up, but not to re-charge a run down battery.

Second thing, solar panels are big and expensive. Unless you are willing to spend some serious money on panels that will set out on stands pointing at the sun and storing them when you are not there, forget that option.

Third. I'd suggest what most people who dry camp a lot do. Buy a Honda or Yamaha "quiet" generator and charge your battery(s) for an hour or so in the morning and evening.

Go9ing off topic here, but if you plan to do a lot of dry camping, consider switching to two 6 volt deep cycle batteries if your rig doesn't already have them. They work much better than 12 volt batteries, even if they are marked "deep cycle".

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