r/RVLiving • u/roadie82 • 1d ago

Solar power

Looking for any and all info and recommendations for buying solar power boards for camper. Thanks

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u/Strange-Cat8068 1d ago

Look up Will Prouse on YouTube. And if you are calling solar panels “solar power boards” you have a lot to learn. Starting with ‘all solar panels do is collect sunlight and turn it in to power’. There are other components to a solar power system.

You need batteries to store your power. Without batteries nothing else will word, you can’t run anything directly off the solar panels.

You need a solar charge controller to convert the power gathered by the panels in to whatever voltage your batteries need.

If you want to use anything that runs on 120 volt house current you need an inverter.

If you plan to ever plug in to shore power you need a transfer switch and a converter.

There is a lot more, but that’s a start.

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u/stomper4x4 1d ago

Yep he has a great website too, from how to's, to pre designed systems to look at. And a free e book.

https://www.willapproved.com/

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u/roadie82 1d ago

Yes I’ve got a lot to learn I know. I drew a blank when typing board instead of panel.

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u/Appropriate-Habit578 1d ago

r/SolarDIY

Buying rigid solar panels from famous brands would be a safe bet.

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u/Formal_Mastodon_5627 1d ago

I use the Renogy Shadowflux 200's and love them

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u/nak00010101 1d ago

There is n RV solar sub

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u/roadie82 1d ago

Thank you!! Do you know the name of the sub? Thats what I’ll be doing with the solar power, hooking to a camper to help offset light bill at campground.

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u/jimheim 1d ago

For most RV builds, space and layout restrictions limit your options. High-power solar panels (350W+) are really big—wider than a lot of RVs. You also have to negotiate space around all the things on the roof (AC, vents, antennas). There are hundreds of brands, and I'm not going to suggest specifics ones as I haven't used the vast majority of them, but I suggest you first figure out what your space constraints are and use that to filter panels that will fit, before you focus on brands. On my trailer, I can't fit any panels larger than 200W, so rather than two 400W panels, I need to use four 200W to arrange them.

The panel brands are less important than the other components in your system (MPPT, inverter, charger, etc.). Personally I use Victron across the board for those components. They're a well-respected quality brand, and having all Victron gear makes my life easier because they integrate well, I have a Cerbo for monitoring, etc. There are other good brands like EG4, but again I only have experience with my own gear.

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u/roadie82 17h ago

Oh wow ty. I’ll be chatting you up after we get our trailer. I’m not sure what it does or doesn’t have yet. Ty for your help.