Which Connection Is Best For Your Rv
- In optimal conditions, with the sun high in the sky, the two configurations are totally equivalent: both produce the same electrical power with a voltage high enough to charge the service batteries .
- In conditions of partial shade coverage connecting the panels in parallel helps to not compromise the production of the entire system . Note: I include a cell in a solar panel, it stops producing power. If the panel is connected in series to other modules, they will also be sliced).
- In low light conditions , 12V solar panels connected in parallel may not reach the minimum threshold of 17Volt, useful to recharge your batteries, producing in fact zero. On the contrary, panels connected in series, will almost always have a useful voltage for charging and therefore can help recharge your batteries even in low light conditions.
DoAfter analyzing the pros and cons of each option, I personally chose to connect my solar panels in parallel . In the summer I was very comfortable. Come winter though, I noticed a big drop in daily charging watts, so I decided to change the connection and make it in series.
Changing the connection in series, I noticed good improvements in performance, probably due to the fact of being able to take advantage of the hours of low sun, which the panels connected in parallel could not use.
Bottom line:my tips on how to install and take advantage of
the best solar panels on your Van.
How To Install The Grommet On The Roof Of Your Van
The last step, once your solar panels are connected together, is to bring the electrical wires inside your camper van, where your charge controller will be installed.
To do this, youll have to use agrommets: a piece of plastic with two waterproof entrances, specially created for this type of operation.
Below, you will find the steps to install the grommet:
17. After marking with a pencil the exact location where you plan to glue the grommet, drill two holes slightly larger than your cables using sheet metal drill bits .
18. After cutting the holes large enough, coat the cut with rust inhibitor first, and once dry, with a little sheet metal paint .
19. Once the paint is dry, glue on the protective grommets with Sikaflex 521. These will protect your cables from sharp sheet metal.
20. When the guards are secure, run the two wires through the two holes in the roof and run them out the required length.
21. Run the wires through the grommet. Make sure the waterproofing sheathing is screwed on tightly from both the inside and outside to prevent seepage in the future.
22. Once the cables are securely attached to the grommet, glue the grommet to the roof of your DIY Camper with Sikaflex 521 glue.
Ppt Powerpack And Solar Charging Kit
Up next on our list of the best solar panels for your camper van we have an option for people who do not need a permanent solar electricity set up, the PPT Powerpack and Solar Charging kit. This compact but robust solar panel is perfect for propping up outside your camper van or even inside your windscreen while you are out for the day. The solar panel is easy to connect to the large powerpack that provides both A.C. and D.C. power.
Alternatively, if your camper already runs off of a permanent solar set up, then you may find it struggles during long periods of grey and cloudy days. The PPT Powerpack and Solar Panel combination is a great back up for cloudy days, allowing you to save your vans leisure batteries for essentials such as lights and the fridge. Set up your solar panel and charge your powerpack while it is sunny to have a charging solution for days when you need an extra boost, giving you extra power to charge phones, laptops and cameras.
The solar panel itself is a 60W semi-flexible solar panel that is both lightweight and robust. In fact, this solar panel can be stood on without damaging it, meaning if it gets blown over by the wind or knocked about while on the move it shouldnt get damaged. The kit also comes with a USB lamp that can run for a solid 133hours off of the battery pack! The PPT Solar Charging Kit with USB lamp comes in at £574.99.
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Campervan Solar System Battery Cut Off Switch
Theres no on/off switch on solar panels so they constantly produce electric in sunlight.
There are times when you might want to stop the electricity flowing through to your batteries though. For example:
- Youre putting your van in storage
- You have a fault in your electric system and need to switch off the solar power to aid fault finding
- Youre working on your electrical system and would prefer to avoid electrocution.
To this end, fit an isolator or battery cut off switch to serve as the on/off switch.
Portable Folding 120w Solar Panel Use These Solar Panels If You Have Limited Roof Space
Portable solar panels are a great choice for anyone who doesnt need to have panels permanently fixed to their van. They are also ideal for smaller vans with limited roof space and for van lifers who need some extra power now and again.
This portable panel has highly efficient monocrystalline cell technology, which can produce 110W from something which folds down to the size of a large briefcase and weighs just 2.7kg. This package also comes with all the wiring required to connect the panels to the battery, as well as a carry case to store the panels in.
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Renogy Rv Solar Panel Kits
Renogy makes a large selection of solar panel kits. They are one of the most popular companies for van lifers and offer different sizes and upgrade options.
You can pick the solar panel type, charge controller type and choose kits that come with more or less components.
One of the things to pay attention to is whether youre buying a starter bundle, or a full RV kit. The starter bundles normally do not come with mounting brackets or connectors. They have the bare minimum of components and are the cheapest.
Renogy RV kits come with pretty much everything you need except the batteries.
One of the things we like most about Renogy is their straightforward instructions. Their kits come with simple wiring diagrams that lay out all of the components and they have excellent customer support to help you connect your system.
Installing a solar panel kit on your camper van or RV should follow the same steps as installing rigid solar panels listed above.
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Types Of Photovoltaic Panels For Your Do
Monocrystalline
Average yield 12-16%, but some more expensive ones go up to 20%
For the same power, it requires a larger area
Works slightly better at high temperatures and low light
Faster evolving technology with less environmental impact
As you can see, the energy efficiencies of the three types of solar panels are nearly equivalent. Nevertheless, having a very limited space where you can install them , small differences in performance at the end of the day can have a significant impact.
For this reason, in my choice I felt like exclude amorphous panels : needing a lot of electricity I needed to make the most of every available inch and for this reason I preferred to orient my choice on the first two technologies.
Not for this reason you should immediately discard the option of thin-film panels: if for your camper project you have moderate electrical needs amorphous panels could still be an idea to consider: sometimes you can find bargains at a good price and from an environmental point of view, they are the most sustainable panels.
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Campering A Van: How To Connect Solar Panels And What Cables To Choose
If you have only installed one solar panel, the wiring is very simple: just connect the positive pole of the solar module to the positive pole of your charge controller, and the negative pole of the solar panel to the negative pole of your charge controller.
If, on the other hand, you have installed more than one solar panel, you should know that there are two types of connection, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Ideal Solar Power: Charge Your Batteries In A Day
As we have seen in the article Maxi-Guide to the electrical system of a converted vanthe first thing you need to do before you start buying any electrical accessories and wiring up your system is to figure out your daily energy needs and purchase the right service batteries to meet them.
If you havent done it yet, I recommend that you read the Maxi-Guide first of this article, and come back once you are sure of your energy needs.
On the other hand, if you have already done it, you probably already know how many ah of batteries you will need to meet your needs. In my case for example, having wanted to install an induction electric hob for cooking in addition to the various 12V accessories, my estimated daily consumption was 300ah .
Ideally, a good solar system should be able on mostdays to fully charge your utility batteries in the time frame from sunrise to sunset.
As you can well guess, not every day will be ideal: when it is cloudy, the performance of the solar panels is reduced . Winter days are shorter, there are fewer hours of sunshine and the rays are less perpendicular to the panels. In some places the only parking available is in the shade. Sometimes it may rain or snow.
Although in some situations recharging with solar panels will be hard , what you should aim for is, once again, to have enough solar power to Fully recharge your batteries most days.
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Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Solar Premium Kit
The Renogy 200W Solar Panel Premium Kit is the best choice available for RV owners who want to maximize the efficiency of their camper vans solar installation and go off the grid. At the same time, they dont want to blow their budget.
This kit includes everything you need to power up your van and your solar panel with a dedicated charge controller. This provides a maximum efficiency of 98% at peak conversion and Z mounts, and connects to Bluetooth so you can monitor the power output on your smartphone in real time. We are sure that you will appreciate this feature that we have always used!
These rigid panels can be mounted in vans or on the ground and combined with multiple units for extra power. Although it is suitable for charging 12V batteries, it can also be equipped for charging 24V and 48V batteries.
It is also one of the quietest and most durable solar panels for RVs and campers on the market. If anything breaks, the Renogy panel is covered by a five-year warranty for damaged materials and a 25-year warranty for solar power.
Pros
Renogy 160w Flexible Solar Panel
Up next on our list of the best solar panels for your camper van, we have an option for people who might not need quite as much power when on their road trip. However, if you have multiple panels, these Renogy Flexible Panels could work for full time, heavy usage. The main benefit of this solar panel, over the Photonic Universe one above is that they are flexible and can bend in up to a 248-degree arc. This is useful if the roof of your van is slightly curved, as your solar panel can bend with it.
As well as being extremely flexible, these Renogy 160W solar panels are very lightweight, up to 70% lighter than conventional solar panels. This is great if you want to keep the weight of your vehicle to a minimum, for fuel-efficient and quicker driving. The solar panel measures 147.6 x 66 x 0.2 cm and is just 1.27 Kg, a fraction of the weight of the Photonic Universe Solar Panel. Due to how light it is, this Renogy solar panel would be suitable if you have a pop-top camper. Usually, a pop-top cannot afford to take the extra weight of a solar panel, but this solar panel is so light that it would be fine.
Also Check: What To Know Before Buying Solar Panels
Vanlife In Freedom: The Pleasure Of Disconnecting From The Net
When I decided to convert a van, my idea was one: to travel far and wide, away from the beaten track, to remote places where backpacking is difficult to get to.
Because of that, I didnt want to build a regular RV. I didnt want to be dependent on the power column at every stop.
My goal was to create a van that could stay disconnected from the grid for as long as possible that could survive independently off-grid for weeks at a time. Because of this, installing solar panels was in my mind a trivially obvious choice.
Solar panels nowadays have achieved truly remarkable performance . Powering your lights, fridge, fan, inverter and all the electrical devices of your camper van solely through solar energy is no longer a mirage!
In this guide, I will explain in detail everything you need to know about solar panels for your van: the types of solar panels that exist on the market, which ones to choose, how to use them in the best way, how to fix them to the roof of your van, how to connect them in the right way and much more.
If you too dream of traveling unplugged, this article is the one for you! Happy reading
Ways To Connect Solar Panels: In Series Or Parallel
Depending on how you connect the wires from the different modules you have installed, you can get groups of solar panels with differentvoltages or current strengths .
The two ways of connecting photovoltaic modules are in series andin parallel. Below is a visual image that shows you what is meant by both methods of linking. Next, youll find a small description of the connection and a thought on what is the best way to connect your solar panels to meet your needs.
Solar Panels connected in Series
Connecting multiple solar panels in series means connecting the positive pole of the first panel with the charge controller and its negative pole with the positive pole of the next panel. Continue in this manner for the number of panels you intend to install and the last negative pole of the last panel should be connected to the negative pole of the charge controller.
IN BRIEF: Volts add up, Amps constant
Advantage
- Sufficient voltage to charge the batteries is ensured even when there is little light
Disadvantage
- if a single panel is in shadow, the electrical production of the whole system is compromised
- To handle higher voltages, you may need a higher performance charge controller.
Solar Panels Connected in Parallel
Connecting multiple solar panels in parallel means connecting all positive poles to each other and to the positive pole of the charge controller and the same with all negative poles.
IN BRIEF: Constant Volts, Amps Add Up
Advantage
Disadvantage
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Best Solar Panels For Van Conversion
RV solar kit
WindyNation 100 Watt Solar Panel Kit + 1500W VertaMax Power Inverter + 100ah AGM Deep Cycle Battery for RV, Boat, Off-Grid 12 Volt
- Complete kit includes: 100 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel, 30-amp P30L Solar Charge Controller w/ LCD display and user adjustable settings, 40 feet of UL Listed 12 AWG Solar Cable, all necessary MC4 Connectors, all necessary solar mounting hardware + 1500 Watt VertaMax DC to AC Power Inverter w/ 2pcs of 3 ft. 2AWG Battery Cables + 100ah AGM Deep Cycle 12 Volt BattaMax Battery
- Bundle and save! Purchase all the components together and save time and money!
- Solar charging will provide on average 400 Watt Hours or 35 Amp hours of charge per day
- Perfect kit for a off-grid 12 volt battery system. 1500 Watt VertaMax Inverter provides plenty of AC power to run your household appliances! Kit is expandable: add more batteries and solar panels in the future to increase power capacity of your system.
- Designed for RVs, cabins, homes, boats, back-up and remote power use
WindyNation 100 Watt Solar Panel Kit here on Amazon
PRYMAX Portable Power Station, 300W Solar Generator
Are Rigid Or Flexible Solar Panels Better
Lets educate ourselves before jumping into lists of panels to choose from!
If we could do our van conversion over again , we would choose flexible solar panels. Rigid solar panels, being cheaper, are an easy choice for large fixed solar installations like a house rooftop. For a vehicle with unique installation difficulties and where every pound matters, the extra cost is worth it with cheaper/easier installation, and improved gas mileage. Comparing Renogys 175w rigid vs. 175w flexible panel, the flexible is about 15% more expensive.
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Van Solar Panel Wattage
The most important number to look at when comparing solar panels is the wattage. It tells you how much power the panel will produce under optimal conditions per hour.
The vast majority of solar panels for vans are 100-watt panels, but you can pick out higher or
lower wattage panels if you have specific square footage to fill or are looking to add redundancy into your van solar panel system.
You can pick up panels with as few as 10W or as many as 500W, though smaller panels are generally a lot more expensive on a per watt basis.
