SO, how about the solar generator for rv if you are thinking of living the RV life. Here’s what you need to know about powering mechanism.
If you are one of those, who is considering starting RV adventure, I request you to read this article carefully and jot down important information, especially about batteries and the availability of different electric sources that you can use to always keep your RV completely lit up. This article will help you to grasp enough knowledge to be completely prepared for the challenges. Especially, if you planning or doing a full-time RVing as it is not something filled with endless wiener roasts and marshmallows.
But, from where our RV gets its power?
The electrical system is the heart of your RV, which provides you the luxury to utilize all of the modern conveniences that you’ve become habituated to. All of the items from lighting and fans to your high voltage alternating current system and refrigerator. It is quite awesome to have access to all this stuff on the road but if you want to have these all luxuries working smoothly without interruption, you have to choose a reliable source of electrical supply for your favorite RV.
Generator
One of the primary ways to power up RV to enjoy your electrical appliances is by using an appropriate generator. Many large vehicles have factory-fitted propane-operated generators but if you own a smaller motorhome you may need to install one by yourself aftermarket.
The AC power will be provided by the generator, which will run all of the electrical machines requiring 120-volts for proper functioning, like your HVAC cooling system and refrigerator.
But generators are heavy, they emanate fumes not good for us as well as for the environment. Moreover, they produce a lot of noise. In addition to that, they eat up lots of fuel that add up to the living expense of RVers.
Wind power
Another way to harness electrical energy to fulfill the demand of your RV is through wind. Wind turbines have large blades that rotate when the wind blows over them at a certain speed. The angle of the blades is designed in such a way that the wind forces them to start rotating. More specifically, they gets the wind’s kinetic energy and use it to rotate the shaft of the generator, this produces electricity. However, to properly power up the wind turbines, there is one limitation and that is the speed and velocity of the wind. Otherwise, the turbine won’t produce a sufficient amount of power to lit up everything.
RV turbines typically generate a maximum of 1 or 2 hundred watts at an output voltage of 12, 15 or 24 volts.
Wind turbines can be easily installed on the roof of the vehicle and have the ability to generate enough electricity to power up all of the electric equipment of RV, giving you a sustainable off-grid power source. Mostly, wind turbines are either mounted on your RV roof, back ladder, or sometimes on a freestanding pole.
Wind turbines might look good but they are such a pain. As they have to be mounted properly, they require a certain speed of wind so they are not suitable for all areas. Moreover, they require additional batteries and there is very little chance to produce enough electricity when your RV is stationed. In a nutshell wind turbines are not one of the first priorities of RVers. At least not for those who are professionals.
Lithium Ion batteries
As you all know that for the past two or three decades lithium-ion batteries are taking over the world market, especially as cell phones and laptops have become more popular. Because of their energy density, these batteries have changed the electric power world.
It has taken some time for the transportation/ vehicle industry to understand the importance of lithium ion batteries, As now we see the use of lithium ion batteries is emerging in RV world. The user has to stop at certain battery charging points and then can cruise for more than 7/8 hours. However, travelers who like to visit different countries on RV have suffered great difficulty as not all countries have proper charging stations.
The stability of the ternary lithium-ion battery is not good so they have the probability of exploding. In addition to this, batteries usually have to be replaced after every year to two.
Solar Generators
Last but not the least, solar panels along with batteries can be another good reliable source of electricity for your RV. Solar panels work similarly to residential and commercial solar panels apart from their size, bit smaller. The mechanism is very simple, after the installation of the solar panel, they collect photons (from sunlight) and charge the battery with the help of a controller and that charge can be used to power anything on the RV.
Solar generators are one of the good options to consider when starting the RV life. As they don’t have any negative points as previously mentioned in other sources of electricity. However, they might require additional batteries, they can be sometimes hard to carry from one place to other and are vulnerable to road rocks.
SO, is there any company that really cares about all these problems to provide using one of the best solar generators that they can use to power up almost everything in the RV ? Let’s go in dive about the solar generator for rv’s world!
The answer is YES!! There is only one company that is truly taking care of the user demands they have created a product that takes all these parameters into account and has managed to produce the most powerful solar generator. Look at the Pashbull lithium ion battery expert.
The detail of the product and varients will be discussed in later chapters
But what are RV solar panels? Their work, how do they outweigh other sources and the big question, are they really worth the investment? Let’s find out!
The photon in the sunlight and radiation from the Sun are so powerful that they have the ability to produce heat due to the rapid motion of electrons inside the solar panel, this causes chemical reactions, or more specifically this motion of electrons generates electricity. Solar technologies transform sunlight into electrical energy in two ways, one through photovoltaic (PV) panels and secondly with the help of mirrors that concentrate solar radiation.
This energy can then further be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries for later use or can be stored for thermal storage. If suitably harnessed, this highly diffused source has the potential to satisfy all future energy needs.
Do you know the fact that the energy coming from the sun, if collected sustainably for one hour could meet the global energy needs for one year? Harnessing this power by installing solar generators can make a significant difference to the planet.
With the advancement in technology, now we have the most efficient solar panels available in the market and also at a low price, they are easy to install and have less weight, moreover, they are so compact in size that they can be mounted on vehicles to power up almost anything.
Solar panels on RV do have a lot of benefits. If you’re interested in cutting the cord, going off-grid, living more greenly, or thinking of getting off the radar, then mounting RV solar panels on the roof of your RV is the way to go.
- It is much less expensive than any other power source
- Sunlight is pretty much infinite, even on cloudy days we still see some sunlight. The modern solar panel can fetch a good amount of electricity even during the winter months
- No smell, No fumes, No rotating element, No noise just quiet and clean. Earth loves solar users!
- RV solar systems are virtually maintenance-free. Once solar panels are set up, they can work for many years. Moreover, they have almost zero after installing cost Even if in the future you decide you want to expand your solar panel system, to produce more power. It can easily be done without a whole revamp of your system
- If you decided to expand the solar system of your RV, it can be easily done without removing any of the previous equipment, makes it a most desirable source of electricity for your RV
- Solar panels charging the RV batteries can improve their life cycle. RV batteries will only last for two to three years if charged with the help of charging stations but with solar power, you can expect that to increase from 50% to 75% longer.
The real battle! SOLAR VS GENERATOR
It’s the most common question, which continues to generate debate around the RV campsites: which is a better power alternative – solar or generator?
Conventionally, RV users have used generators to power up the electric appliances, or they start up their vehicles and charge batteries from the alternators for energy when they are off the grid. Both of these techniques, are noisy, emanate fumes, and are not environmentally friendly. Solar, on the other hand, produces no noise.
Two of the most important parameters of solar energy that outweigh its competitors are:
1. Clean power
RV fans love clean power, and nothing can beat solar in this regard. Not only this, it is very easy to install. There is no noise and they’re environmentally friendly.
2. Free power
Nothing puts one off than a blackout, generator requires a lot of fuel to charge up electric appliances, on the other hand, Solar panels are free to run. With solar, there’s no need to buy fuel to keep the panels running. The sun’s energy is completely free. So, once you’ve bought the gear, you don’t need to pay a cent.
3. Diverse Applications
Solar energy can be used for diverse purposes. You can generate electricity or heat. And can use it in your RV to get a hot water shower without burning any fuel.
How to decide the size of the solar generator for RV
So, if you’re deciding to mount solar panels on the roof of your RV. The first question that might pop up in your mind would be about the size of the system. let’s get started with the details!
Obviously, the answer to this question depends on the size of the solar generator for RV and how much electric power you needed. A normal size RV (for single travelers) draws up to 25-30 amps and only has a few important electric appliances. So, that user is only going to need 2 or three solar panels.
In addition to this, solar generator for rv is quite different from the at-home solar system as you can’t send back the excess power to the grid. In the solar generator for rv, panels are charging your battery and once batteries are fully charged anything above that will be wastage ( else you have a separate battery pack but that increases the amount of initial cost) Thus, having the smallest amount of sollar wattage possible to get the job done is preferable, as the panels are both costly and heavy.
The number of solar panels you need on your RV roof will also depend on how heavily you use the electricity you’re generating.
However, generally speaking, most RVers travel with between one and three 100-watt solar panels, which can generate approximately 6 amps per peak sun hour on average, or around 30 amp-hours daily.
Key points to remember:
- RV solar panel setup will cost somewhere between $500-$2000
- The systems are usually designed to provide power to almost anything from small devices to large kitchen appliances
- Mostly solar panels for RV are between 100 to 450 watts
Capabilities
A modest RV requires should be able to allow between 200-300W of solar panels on its roof or on the ladder, which will be capable of producing electric energy to power 12V lighting, water pump, TV, cooling system, kitchen appliances ( microwave oven), and an energy-efficient 12V fridge of around 50L in size.
The amount of energy produced by a solar system depends on the size of solar panels that can be easily mounted onto the available space, most preferably the roof as t is the only place where you can harvest the maximum amount of solar energy, a 2kW inverter can be easily purchases but solar panels of more than 500 watts are not an easy task to mount on average size RV, bigger size RV’s can easily handle up to 750-watt solar panels.
Solar generator and its capabilities:
A solar generator for rv has solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity The generator is equipped with AC, DC, and USB outputs that allow it to run mobile devices, electronics, and appliances.
As we know, air conditioners require a lot of energy but are one of the most essential things for any RVer the good news is that solar generators can power air conditioners but with some limitations.
For a fraction ton air conditioner ( inverter ac would be another great option) A solar generator must have a 1000W capability to run AC for about 60 to 80 minutes. If you have a good DC inverted Air conditioner the time may increase to 220 minutes but most companies don’t recommend fully used solar generators.
One more thing, most solar generators have 15A plugs. At 120V this plug can handle up to 1800W regardless if the inverter can produce more power. Higher amp outlets like 20A and 30A should only be used to power big appliances that require a high starting current, in a nutshell, anything with a motor should be connected to high power outlets.
Keep in mind three things:
1. The battery capacity
2. The continuous watt
3. Surge/peak watts
Whenever you buy a new electric appliance for your RV ask the company about these three things and then check your solar generation capacity if it falls under the criteria you are good to go.
Appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators need a big surge of power to start up before settling down. The initial surge needs more power but it’s temporary, just enough for the surge peak.
Mostly it doesn’t cause any problem as capacitors can provide this power however with time the capacitor capacity drops down or the winding of the motor requires more surge power for a long time this may impose some problems that are the major limitation of using a solar generator for a longer period. Remember that, even a powerful solar generator won’t be able to run an air conditioner for an entire day.
PRO TIP:
- Use one generator to operate the AC while charging the other. Alternate their use and you can use the air conditioner for hours. But buying two generators to run just one appliance isn’t feasible for many.
Knowing the size of the solar generator for RV involves figuring out a couple of pieces of information.
These two parts of the equation help you determine the capacity of the generator and the time it can properly run an appliance. The two parts of this equation are:
- How many watt-hours will you use each day? (energy used)
- How much energy do your solar panels provide to your battery/batteries? (energy stored)
For example: if you want to do the math for one fan that takes 90 Watts. You estimate that you’ll use it for approximately two hours per day. So 90W x 2h = 180 Watt/Hours per day. And the same calculations go for all other electric appliances
Next is the calculation of energy. From research work, we can calculate that a 100-Watt solar panel will generate on average 350 Watt-hours of power per day. After energy calculation, the next parameter is the batteries unit to make things easier for you just keep in mind One 100 ah 12 volt battery has about 1200 Watt-hours storage capacity
AH! Things are not that easy, especially when it comes to electrical parameters measurement.
solar panels’ mathematical calculations only provide numbers when they are working at full potential however in real life things don’t go like that one on a beautiful sunny day the output of your solar generator might match your calculations but things get change as the location and weather condition change. So, in order to perfectly monitor the usage, it is good to have a meter installed along with the batteries.
We all know a solar generator is the best option to power our rV, but which one to choose?
Problems, Problems, problems!
Isn’t life complicated enough? Especially when it comes to RV life. But you don’t need to worry about it. As pashbull lithium ion battery expert has got everything is perfectly handled for you.
Key features of Pashbull solar generators
As stated earlier most of the electric sources available for RV have something that put off the user. So the research engineer and lithium ion expert of pashbull worked really hard to make a product that stand out from other traditional products.
One of the biggest problems of the solar generator is they are heavy to cope with this issue the pashbull has used a lightweight outer case but strong enough to handle any shock, which makes it easy to transport from one place to another, it is one of the first choices of any RV traveler.
Secondly, It has everything needed for a solar generator packed in one enclosure, the user doesn’t have to buy different items to complete the solar generator setup.
The setup includes:
Lithium-ion batteries are made with up-to-date technology that works longer on full capacity as compared to other traditional batteries, these batteries are used to store electric charges. The output voltage of batteries is 12 V which is used to run small appliances ( all of the DC electronic components). In order to run 120 or 220 V appliances, inverted is also provided within the setup along with BMS (BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)
Now RVers don’t have to worry about overcharging as BMS will automatically de-latch battery when fully charged, moreover, BMS provided by pashbull is an art, as it charges more than one battery at one time.
Often RVer complains about little space. To cope with that solar generators can be used with any type of solar panel. Foldable or rigid, this makes it easy to carry from one place to other and can be installed in any available space.
Without any doubt, a portable solar generator provided by Pashbull lithium ion company is one of the most powerful ones in all packages that every RVer should buy and install.
Many different variants of solar generators are available in the market, some are imported from Japan and Korea. Though from the survey and online data accumulated through different websites feedback pages one of the most powerful full solar generator kits available in 2022 is Pashbull company.
Pashbull company offers many remarkable variants of solar generators that are specially designed solar generator for RV. Their enclosure quality, user-friendly fitting, high-quality electronic components, high durability, ease to purchase, and proper current/voltage output make their product stand out from the rest of the available products.