HERE COMES THE SUN
A Solar Power Primer
By Mike Sokol , RV Electricity
Free is great , isn ’ t it ? Who doesn ’ t like free ? But when it comes to energy , most of it isn ’ t free . So you end up paying for energy over and over again .
Now , if you ’ re in a campground with electrical pedestals you probably don ’ t worry about the cost of energy since it ’ s typically bundled into your daily rate . You just plug in , turn on , and run whatever you like , up to the limits of your 30- or 50-amp shore power connection . But campgrounds are getting more crowded all the time , and there are many state and federal parks that have no electrical pedestals at all . More and more RV owners are turning to boondocking for their camping adventures . And that ’ s when you need to bring your own energy along .
But as it turns out , that portable energy isn ’ t free at all . You end up paying for the extra gasoline and propane needed to run your generator and appliances . Plus , many campgrounds have added restrictions on when and what type of generators you can run . And if you want to camp in California , there ’ s a new bill that goes into effect July of 2022 which will prohibit the sale of portable or RV installed generators . At this point it still appears that you can bring your own out-of-state generator with you . However , it ’ s probably just a matter of time before all small engine usage is prohibited , just like semi-trucks are no longer allowed to idle their engines while waiting at the dock or sleeping overnight .
Solar energy is free and available much of the day . Plus , it ’ s non-polluting and makes no noise at all . What ’ s not to like ? If it ’ s properly sized and integrated , solar can be a thing of beauty , so don ’ t just go slapping a solar panel on the roof of your RV and expect it to deliver the power you need .
26 | EXPLORE Pennsylvania 2022
The basic components
All properly designed RV solar systems will have four basic components which need to be sized and integrated properly .
• Solar Panels ( rated in watts )
• Solar Charge Controller ( rated in amps and volts )
• Battery Storage ( rated in amp-hours )
• AC Inverter ( rated in watts , and type of AC power it produces )