Does Your RV Really Need Solar Panels

Many RVs sport solar panels and the question is whether you need them for your style of RVing. Solar electric systems have been a part of the RV scene for several years and they are effective electric power producers. These systems use photovoltaic modules to turn sunlight into electricity. The good news is they are becoming more effective and less expensive as new technology grows. RVs using these systems are wired allowing the solar panels to charge the house batteries through a charge controller. A charge controller is very important because it regulates the amount of electricity sent to your house batteries preventing over or under charging conditions. If you have enough solar panels and batteries you can generate enough electricity to live comfortably without ever being plugged into an external power source. To use your AC appliances, you’ll also need an inverter to change 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC power. If your style of RVing includes extended periods of time in the wilderness away from electricity then you have three choices: 1. Use candles 2. Use a generator or 3. Rely on solar energy. If you rarely boondock (camp without hook-ups) then you really don’t need a solar system. Some RVers like to have a solar electric system “just in case” but they rarely use it. When I ask them what they mean by “just in case” they usually mean the power grid going down or natural disasters in any event they're prepared “just in case”. Whether or not you should go to the trouble and expense to install a solar electric system boils down to how you choose to camp. If you are or plan to become a serious boondocker, then you’ll need an efficient solar electric system. If on the other hand you almost always stay at RV parks, then you seriously don’t need solar. If you store your RV without keeping it connected to shore power consider installing a small solar electric system. This will keep your batteries charged and ready to go (provided you do proper battery maintenance). Many boondockers also use wind powered electric generators for additional power. Whether or not you need wind power depends a great deal on how and where you camp. There are many reputable companies (here is one SolarSummit)that will sell you a kit to install a system yourself and there are also dealers who will do the installation for you. Keeping you charged up about RVing - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing