You might be wondering how many solar panels you will need for your newly acquired pop-up camper, and in this article, we will clearly explain how to determine this fairly accurately.
As a general rule, the number and wattage of solar panels required for your pop-up camper will be determined by the size of the battery to be charged by the solar panels. If your batteries have a storage capacity of 50 AH, charging the battery will take 6 hours using a 100-watt solar panel. By increasing the size of the solar panel to 150 watts, the time can be reduced to 4 hours.
- Do an energy audit of your pop-up camper
- Calculate how many solar panels you will need:
- Switch to energy-efficient appliances
- Advantages of using a portable solar panel.
- What size solar panel do I need to run a 12v fridge?
- How long will a 100AH battery run a fridge?
- How many watts does a pop-up camper use?
- Consider a bigger solar panel
Do an energy audit of your pop-up camper
If you want to accurately determine how many solar panels you will need for your pop-up camper, you must first do an energy audit of all the energy using the appliances you will use. How many amps they consume, how long you intend to use them for, and how many days you intend to use them. Then compare it to the number of amps in your battery.
For example:
Furnace fan :3 amps x 6 hours = 18AH
Vent Fan: 2 amps x 6 hours = 12AH
LED Lights: 0.5 amps x 6 hours = 3AH
Water Pump: 15 Amps x 1 hour =15AH
Total: 48AH
The daily energy usage will thus be approximately 48 AH, and that is the number you will want to replace with your solar panels, not including any spare capacity that you might want to have.
Calculate how many solar panels you will need:
To calculate how many solar panels you will need, you must first estimate how many hours of sunlight you will get where you are camping.
You want to be able to fully charge your battery in the time that you will have direct sunlight, with some room to spare for when it may be cloudy or raining.
If you, for instance, want to buy a 1 x 100-watt panel:
100 watt / 12 volt = 8.3 amps
50 AH battery / 8.3 A = 6 hours
A 100-watt solar panel will thus take 6 hours to charge the battery. 6 Hours might still be too long for the battery to charge as some areas only get about 4 hours of direct sunlight when the solar panels can work at peak efficiency.
In this example then you might consider getting 2 x 75-watt solar panels:
150 watt / 12 volt = 12.5 amps
50 AH battery / 12.5 A = 4 hours
By getting a 2 x 75-watt or 1 x 150-watt solar panel, you can cut the charging time of your battery down to 4 hours, which will be a much better option. It will be even better to go for a 200-watt option as the price difference between 150 watts, and 200 watts will be negligible.
Switch to energy-efficient appliances
The next thing to think about is what is causing the batteries to drain in the first place and whether there is room for improvement. Converting interior lights to LEDs is a great place to start.
When cooking, you’ll most likely be using propane for your stove; the biggest draw on your battery in a camper will be your furnace fan, vent fan, lights (unless you’ve done the LED conversion), and water pump.
Cooking and heating are very energy-intensive, and using gas for most, if not all, of your cooking and heating needs will dramatically lower energy usage.
Advantages of using a portable solar panel.
If your solar panels are fixed to your camper, you will have the problem that you will have to move the whole camper around for the solar panels to be in full sun and be able to produce power at peak efficiency.
Portable solar panels are available in sizes up to 300-watts, and by using an extension cord, it is much easier to move the solar panel around than to move your whole camper. At night the portable solar panel can then be packed away.
What size solar panel do I need to run a 12v fridge?
A 12v fridge will use about 3 amps per hour, giving you 36 AH per day if you run the fridge for 12 hours per day. If you use a 50AH battery with the fridge, you will need at least a 150-watt solar panel to run the fridge efficiently.
How long will a 100AH battery run a fridge?
If a fridge uses 3 amps per hour, a 100AH battery will last about 16 hours if you are looking at a discharge rate of about 50% on your battery.
If you are looking at a 50% discharge rate for the battery, the same battery will only last for 8 hours. It will thus be better to get a bigger battery if you want to run the fridge for more than 8 hours.
How many watts does a pop-up camper use?
Most pop-up campers, including a fridge, will use about 1500 watts of power per day. Of course, this will depend on the camper’s size and the number of appliances in the camper.
By using energy-efficient appliances in the camper, the total wattage needed can be reduced. Even switching out all the lights for LEDs can make a difference. Using gas for all your cooking and heating needs in a camper is also a game-changer for reducing energy consumption.
Consider a bigger solar panel
By buying the biggest solar panel you can afford, you will not run into the problem of having your batteries not sufficiently charged and running out of power at night.
The price difference between a 100-watt and 300-watt portable solar panel is not that much, and by choosing the bigger option, you will have several advantages:
- You will be able to generate enough power to charge your batteries, and run some appliances during the day,
- You will be able to charge your batteries faster. It should be remembered that you will not always have days with full sunshine. Some days you might have only have a couple of hours of sun, and the rest of the day it is cloudy. On some days it might be cloudy all day. By getting a bigger solar panel, you will still be able to generate enough power for your needs, as it will still produce some power on cloudy days.
