Anyone looking to take their RV off-grid should consider adding RV solar panels to their rig.
Solar panels were one of the best additions to our RV. We never had to use a noisy generator or worry about our house batteries dying in the middle of a camping trip.
After living in our RV for over 2 years and staying off-grid for most of it, we have learned which RV solar panels we love and solar panels for RVs are more hype than quality. We rated our favorite solar panels based on price, durability, and ease of use.
We included options that will work for different RV sizes and budgets.
Tips - Buying RV Solar Panels
How Many Solar Panels are Needed: To know how many solar panels you need to run an RV you will need to start by calculating how much electricity you plan to use in a day and how long for each appliance. Overall most recommend 200-300 watts of solar panels for every 100 amp hrs of battery storage.
Rigid vs Flexible: Rigid solar panels are more durable and more affordable for the same amount of watts. Flexible solar panels are great for RVs with curved roofs like Airstreams because they can fit the contour of your roof. Another benefit of flexible panels is that you don’t have to put as many holes in the roof of your RV.
Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline: I recommend that you buy monocrystalline panels as they are around 50% more efficient and only slightly more expensive.
Mounted vs Portable: Mounting your solar panels your RV’s roof is a big decision. Some people don’t want to put any holes in the roof. On the other hand, storage in your RV is very limited. Do you want to use some of your valuable storage for your solar panels? Also, if you are moving frequently, setting up and taking down your portable panels could be a headache. We chose to mount our solar panels to the roof of our RV to avoid needed storage space and having to set up the panels in every campsite. I wrote an article on mounting and wiring RV solar panels if you have any questions on the process.
Using RV A/C on solar power: You can run your RV air conditioner on solar power if you have a large enough inverter and battery power bank to sustain. You will need at least a 3000 watt inverter to run a standard RV A/C. It’s also a good idea to install a soft start on your A/C unit to ease the power surge when starting the A/C’s compressor. Even if you buy an expensive inverter, running your A/C will drain your batteries quickly. We had 400 Amp hours of lithium batteries, and running the A/C for 2 hours would take our batteries from 100% to 25%.
Panel Size: You should choose the panel size and arrangement based on the space you have to mount or store your panels. Don’t forget to work around the A/C and vents. If you are storing portable panels rather than mounting them, I recommend choosing panels around 100 watts. Large panels can be difficult to store and set up.
Best Solar Panels to Buy in 2023
For those camping frequently where electricity isn’t common, RV solar panels are absolutely worth the investment for your Motorhome.
Whether you want to spend the time and investment for fixed solar panels on your Mothorhome or start with a quality portable solar panel kit, there are a number of great options to be able power your Motorhome off-grid.
Here is a list of our top-rated Motorhome solar panels:
Renogy is the best selling brand of solar panels for RVs. They make high quality panels in various sizes, and their pricing is reasonable. They also offer a 5 year Material and Workmanship Warranty and a 25 year Transferable Power Output Warranty for peace of mind when purchasing.
The Renogy 200W solar suitcase kit is perfect for outdoor adventures or as backup power for your home and cabin, providing you both flexibility and dependability power with no need to rely on the grid. This kit includes two 100w Monocrystalline solar panels which are able to provide ideal 1KWH power per day, one 20A Voyager Charge Controller able to work with multiple battery types, one 9.9ft tray cable with alligator clips and one protective case for safe portability.
Plug and play solar kit complete kit includes a 100W solar suitcase, a 20A waterproof Voyager charge controller, and alligator clips. Compatible with multiple kinds of 12V batteries, easily add to your existing system.
Remarkable efficiency Renogy solar panels using grade A+ monocrystalline solar cells. Advanced smart PWM technology charge controllers ensure charging efficiency and safety.
Foldable design provide more flexible for outdoor and off-grid use, easy to carry, store and set up.
Safety guarantee Advanced smart PWM technology charge controller with multiple protections, ensure charging efficiency and safety.
Reailable quality coming with a premium rugged canvas protective case. Bypass Diodes installed inside the junction boxes avoid the effects caused by hot spots, minimize power drop.
About this item
Unmatched Flexibility Our Renogy Flexible Solar Panel can bend up to 248 degrees, making it perfect for curved surfaces like the roof of an airstream or boat.
Lightweight and Portable Our advanced polymer materials make our solar panel 70% lighter than conventional panels, making transportation and installation a breeze.
Ultra-Thin Design At only 2mm thick, our 100W panel is approximately 95% thinner than its rigid counterpart, making it ideal for a stealthy solar setup.
Built to Last Our solar panel is made of premium ETFE materials, providing higher light transmittance and longer service lifetime. It's rigorously tested to withstand extreme wind of up to 2400 Pa and snow loads of up to 5400 Pa.
Versatile Applications Our 100W Flexible Monocrystalline Panel can be used on off-grid applications that include rooftops, RVs, boats, and any curvy surfaces.
Warranty, Peace of Mind 25-year transferable power output warranty; 5-year material and workmanship warranty. Renogy has a professional technical team and provides complete after-sales service. Contact us anytime with any questions or concerns.While we love Renogy’s rigid solar panels for RVs, flexible panels work better in some situations. They particularly work well with Airstreams.
Our nomad friends with an Airstream chose Renogy’s flexible solar panels because they could fit the rounded contour of the roof. They also didn’t have to worry about putting new holes in the aluminum. Freedom in a Can gives a great review on the durability of their flexible solar panels after traveling the country for 9000 miles.
Because the flexible panels lay flat on the roof, you can use a construction grade adhesive instead of mounting brackets and screws. Additionally, most also recommend using a thin (1/4inch) insulation barrier between the solar panel and roof to allow airflow and prevent any over-heating issues.
Not everyone has the time or money to invest in a large RV solar setup. If you are looking to just keep your batteries charged without breaking the bank, DOKIO’s 220 watt foldable solar panel kit is a great option.
We had some friends on the road that continuously experienced a dead house battery in their RV. They weren’t trying to run big appliances or anything fancy. Just running the fan from the propane heating system would be enough to drain their battery after a couple hours.
Rather than constantly running their generator or spending thousands of dollars on a full RV solar setup, they bought this DOKIO solar panel kit for under £200. It is simple to set up and store away, and it will keep your batteries charged for when you need them.
COMPLETE KIT - 100W Solar Panel + 10A Controller + 9.8FT Cable (SAE to XT60) + Cable (XT60 to Alligator clip) + Cable (JY60 to DC) + 5 * DC Conversion Adapters (8mm/6.4*4mm/5.5*2.5mm/5.5*2.1mm/3.5*1.35mm)
FOLDABLE AND LIGHTWEIGHT EASY TO CARRY - This solar panel photovoltaic packs 100W of power yet is only 0.5inch (1.2cm) thick and weighs only 5.3lb (2.4kg), making it easier to mount, transport, hang, and remove. 2 USB Port Output.
PUT A LOT OF POWER INTO YOUR BATTERY BANK - Powerful high conversion efficiency with high efficiency monocrystalline solar cell, you will get greater power efficiency even though the panel is smaller than a traditional model. Maximizes system output by reducing mismatch loss.
PORTABLE DESIGN AND WIDE APPLICABILITY - Solar panel is well protected in a thick fabric pocket sewn. A practical carrying handle is available easy to carry. Ideal to use for boat, camping, climbing, hiking, picnic, charging your car battery, in emergencies shine a light on your shed.
QUALITY SERVICE - If there are any problems, you can contact us at any time, we will do our best to provide you with a satisfactory solution.
Following excellent solar generators like the AC200P and the beastly EP500, Bluetti strikes back with a formidable portable solar panel kit that can make a perfect RV solar panel system.
On a bright sunny day, the Bluetti PV200 charges my AC200P solar generator in about 5 hours.
If you’re not big on DIY and mounting stuff, you’d be happy to hear that you can get these up and running in less than 30 seconds.
Unfold, connect, and prop it up.
Now, this can be a deal-breaker to some — there are no mounting eyelets or any other way to fix this panel permanently to your RV roof.
I guess you could glue it with silicone or use EternaBond tape, but since there’s no rim, you’ll have to cover some of the solar cells as well.
So why is this solar panel on the list at all?
Because not every camper needs a mini solar power plant on the roof. Most users only need to charge a few gadgets like a laptop, camera, phone, and drone.
These people use portable solar generators and pair them with portable solar panels, which they prop up on a sunny spot, while their RV stays in the shade. [High Conversion Efficiency] - BLUETTI SP200 is a 200-watt monocrystalline solar panel with high conversion efficiency,up to 23.5%, which is much higher than the typical solar panel generator/charger. With excellent 95% transparency, the BLUETTI SP200 performs better than similarly-rated polycrystalline solar panels in low-light conditions,and much higher than the market's average.
[Durable and Splash-proof] - Made with advanced laminated technology and long-lasting ETFE material on the surface, making it more durable and scratch-resistant. It is IP65 water-resistant that will protect from water splashing (Do not place it under the rain, or to soak in water).
[Compatible with Most Solar Generators] - BLUETTI SP200 200W foldable solar panel uses MC**4 connector & is designed to be used with most solar generators on the market,including any of the BLUETTI solar generators (AC200MAX/AC200P/EB3A/EB55/EB70S/EB240/AC300/EP500)
[Foldable & Portable] - With a fold size of 20.7 x 20.5 inches and weight only 14.3lbs, the BLUETTI SP200 is easy to transport and install for anyone.Tips:For best results,we recommend using BLUETTI solar panels with BLUETTI solar generators.We take no responsibility for efficiency to third-party products.
[What You Get] - 1*BLUETTI SP200 200W solar panel,
1*User Manual
Here’s this thing about Jackery products that make them similar to Apple gadgets:
They are reliable, compatible only with other Jackery products, and have an army of loyal customers.
Solar Saga 100W is beautifully designed, like every Jackery product. It folds in half and has two comfortable carrying handles in case I need to deploy them away from my RV.
Keep in mind that Solar Saga is a 100% portable solar panel, just like Renogy PV200.
This makes it perfect for boondockers who prefer to keep their vehicle in shade and need powering only a few essential gadgets. I’ve used two Solar Saga 100W solar panels with Jackery Explorer 1000 and after 8 hours of charging I could run a mini fridge for 17 hours.
Unlike the Renogy PV200, this solar panel for RV comes with four mounting eyelets so you can fix it to your RV roof or side.
Unfortunately, these panels are only compatible with Jackery power stations.
Plug and play.
WHO IS JACKERY: Founded in 2012, Jackery specializes in providing outdoor green power solutions for explorers. Won the Red Dot Award in 2018. Jackery portable power station, power outdoors
HIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCY SOLAR GENERATOR: High conversion efficiency up to 23%, generate more energy and perform better than conventional panels in hot weather
PORTABLE & FOLDABLE SOLAR CHARGER WITH KICKSTAND: Foldable design with a TPE rubber handle. Convenient to carry it wherever you go. Slightly adjust the angle with the kickstand. Build up your green Portable-Solar-Generator System together with Jackery Solar Saga 100W and Jackery Explorer 240/500/1000 power station (sold separately). Ideally suited for outdoor life and even unexpected power outages
SOLAR CHARGER WITH USB OUTPUTS: Equipped with 1* USB-C(5V,3A) output port and 1* USB-A(5V, 2.4A) output port, charging multiple small devices at the same time, including smartphones, tablets, digital cameras and more. Please note that USB-C port can not support PD charging
WHAT'S INCLUDED: 1*Jackery SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel. If you have any problems during use, please contact us, our service team will be available any time
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