There's no question that solar panels are a great, green option for supplying power to your RV when boondocking if you don't want to rely on a generator. But are they powerful enough to keep your AC unit running in the summer?Theoretically, yes—provided your rig has the space and battery capacity, you could equip it with enough solar panels to keep the AC unit running.Is this going to be a practical, cost-effective endeavor? Probably not.For starters, there are physical limitations, such as how many panels you can plaster to your RV roof and how many batteries you can carry. There are weather considerations (if you can find a camping location that never experiences cloudy days or rain, congrats on being the world's luckiest camper). Then there are financial concerns. Running an AC off of solar power for any extended period of time is going to be costly—much more costly than most of us are able or willing to indulge.To give you an idea what's involved in creating a solar power setup that can run your RV air conditioner, we're going to break down the necessary components (and their costs) below.
How Does Solar Power Work in an RV?
To understand what's involved in running your AC off solar power, it's important to have an understanding how solar power works in an RV. Solar panels do not power your appliances directly. Rather, solar panels work by supplying power to your battery bank, and this power is then distributed to the appliances in your RV.To run your AC off solar power, you need 4 main components:
A charge controller prevents harmful overcharging to your batteries and is typically included with your solar panels. An inverter changes the battery's DC output into AC power to run your AC appliances (including your air conditioning unit).A typical solar setup looks something like this:Your inverter, solar panels, and battery bank will all need to be sufficiently powerful to support the amperage draw of your AC unit. Read on below for help determining the required size for each component.
Although you don't necessarily need an inverter to make your solar setup function, you do need an inverter to run any 120V AC appliances in your RV off of solar. Solar panels provide 12v DC power to your batteries, which will take care of most of the basics like your water pump, lights, and fans. However, your "comforts of home" such as the television, microwave, coffee maker, outlets, and air conditioner run off of 120V AC power.It's important that your inverter is large enough to handle both the starting (surge) power and running (rated) power of your AC appliances. If, for instance, your inverter can handle a starting surge of 2,000 watts, but your AC draws 3,000 starting watts, this initial spike will damage your inverter. (At minimum, you'll probably need a 3,000-watt inverter to run appliances in addition to your AC.)
Load RunInverter Needed
AC (13,500 or 15,000 Btu) + Low-Wattage AppliancesMin. 3,000 Watts
AC (13,500 or 15,000 Btu) + High-Wattage AppliancesMin. 5,000 Watts
Also consider purchasing a soft starter for your AC unit. A soft starter reduces the level of that initial power surge, often by 50% or more. With a soft starter, you can get away with a smaller inverter than you would normally need.Another option is to run your AC on generator power for the first few minutes, then switch it off and rely on solar power. This allows the generator to handle that initial energy spike.Note that your AC will need to be wired to your inverter. If it's not already wired this way, we recommend taking your RV to a professional to run the wiring.
How Many Solar Panels Do You Need to Run an RV AC?
This is where the financial investment can really start to add up. To run an AC off solar power for an extended amount of time, the AC will essentially need its own solar setup.As an example, let's consider the amperage draw of our RV AC and how many hours per day we plan to run the unit.
Example RV AC Daily Amperage Draw150 amps/hr x 5 hrs/day= 750 Ah/day
The goal is to replenish this energy with solar panels, or at least get close. We'll figure there's an average of 6 usable hours of sunlight per day for our solar panels. Over the course of this 6 hours, we want the panels to produce a total of 750 amps of energy to replenish the power drawn by the AC.In general, one 100-watt solar panel will provide about 30 amp-hours per day. (To see a breakdown of solar panel kits and their power production, check out the chart in this article.)By this estimate, we'll need about 2,500 watts of solar panels just to break even on the AC unit's consumption. This doesn't include the solar power needed to run anything else in the RV. We'll need about twelve 200-amp hour solar panels and one 100-amp hour panel to run the AC.Clearly, this kind of setup can get pricey pretty quickly! Not to mention, there is only so much room on top of your RV for solar panels.Tip: A battery charger like the Redarc BCDC can help keep your trailer charged up on the road, plus it's solar power capable when you're boondocking. (Note: Only unregulated solar panels may be used with the Redarc BCDC, which includes its own MPPT solar regulator.)
NOTE: Don't get confused between AC and DC amps on your inverter or battery monitor display. If the product description for your air conditioner indicates that it will draw 15 amps at 110v AC, then it will draw about 150 amps at 12v DC.
What Size Battery Bank Do You Need to Run an RV AC?
Your battery bank is another crucial component in powering your RV AC setup. The more solar panels you have, the more power they can replenish in your batteries. However, this power is wasted if your batteries can't hold all the energy the panels produce. This is why it's important to make sure you have a large enough battery bank to run everything you need.Remember that if you plan to use your AC on cloudy days or at night, you'll be using battery power without replenishing it with your solar panels. For this, you'll need to make sure your battery bank can run your AC for these non-solar-supported hours.For instance, if you know that your AC requires 150 amps every hour it runs, and you plan on running your AC for three hours each night after the sun goes down, you'll need to add 450 amp-hours to your battery bank in addition to the battery power it takes to run everything else on your RV (150 ah * 3 hours = 450 ah battery). In general, you should plan on at least a 700 amp-hour battery bank if you plan to run an AC with solar.Having the right kind of batteries is also important. Lithium ion batteries will give you the best results. They are lighter, more efficient, and longer lasting than lead acid batteries.
How Much Does It Cost to Run an RV AC Off Solar Power?
Total = $ 16,000Now that you know what's involved in creating a solar setup that can run an RV air conditioner, you can decide whether or not it's worth it. After seeing what's involved, many campers opt for the easier, more cost-effective alternative of a good generator.You can also simply use solar to supplement other energy sources. For instance, if you're plugged into a 15-amp outlet, you may choose to use a solar panel and hybrid inverter combination to offset the draw of your air conditioner. You won't be running off the sun alone, but solar panels can make up a significant portion of a patchwork power system.
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