Green Savvy – The environment, energy efficiency, solar power, & green living » Expand your Camping Possibilities with RV Solar Power Systems

Sep 06 2007

Expand your Camping Possibilities with RV Solar Power Systems

Published by Jennifer at 9:35 pm under Solar Power

Most RVers look for campgrounds or overnight facilities that offer electrical hook-ups in order to run the lights and other electrical appliances inside the camper. However, did you know that you could miss a lot of interesting camping opportunities by limiting yourself to only places with electrical hook-ups? RV solar power systems can release you from those limitations.

RVs have batteries, which power the electrical items in the RV such as air conditioning, television and more. However, batteries do not last forever and need constant recharging. While you can charge the battery of the camper by connecting it to your primary vehicle, this wastes quite a bit of energy and of course, gasoline. RV solar power systems can save you a bunch of recharging headaches.

Why Consider RV Solar Power Systems?

The primary reason why RV solar power systems are a great choice for your camper battery charging is because they are easy to use and do not make any noise or mess. Using solar panels means that you do not have to deal with polluting the environment with an idling vehicle or noisy generator.

RV solar power systems do not have moving parts, which means that it is not only quiet but also relatively maintenance free. In addition, solar power increases the life of your battery because it produces DC (direct current) which is the optimal way of charging to last longer. Freedom is another reason why RV solar power systems are becoming so popular. You can go to the beach, the mountains or even the desert…places where there are no electrical hook-ups but plenty of sun available to recharge your RV camper battery so that you can still have the little comforts of home.

Reliability and safety go hand in hand when referring to RV solar power systems because there is little chance that you are going to be electrocuted. Seriously, with RV solar power systems, the typical voltage is 12 volts and amps are usually less than 30 which would not pack quite a punch and there is little chance of starting an electrical fire.

What You Should Expect in RV Solar Power Systems

An RV solar power system is fairly easy and straightforward to comprehend and only has five main things to consider. First, you will need a solar panel to capture the sun’s energy to generate a charging current and second, you will have to purchase mounts for your RV roof so that you can install the panels.

A charge controller is a necessary device in RV solar power systems, which allow you to adjust the flow of electricity to your RV camper batteries. Some set-ups include a monitoring device to keep track of the overall operation of the system. And of course you will need a wire harnessing contraption which will transport the charge from the solar panels to your RV camper batteries.

All in all, RV solar power systems are an efficient way to power your appliances and climate control devices in your camper. After all, if NASA uses solar power to keep satellites operational, it should work for powering a simple RV.