Solar panels are a valuable investment for any camper van or RV owner. Maybe you’re about to embark on an epic road trip, or maybe you’re interested in boondocking your way across the country.

Perhaps you’re just looking for a way to make your RV more environmentally friendly.

Having solar panel for camper van has many benefits, especially if you’re planning on spending a lot of time on the road or camping off the grid.

Not to mention, a high-quality solar panel for camper van a low-maintenance way to generate and conserve clean energy while saving you money in the long run.

But with so many different brands, styles, and types of panels on the market, choosing the right camper solar panels for an RV can be difficult.

EDITOR’S CHOICE:
Renogy 200W Solar Kit

We’re just going to come out and say it now – the Renogy 200w Solar Power Premium Kit is by far the best bang-for-your-buck product you can get if you want high quality and affordability.

Besides having a massive 98% efficiency rating and up to a 25-year warranty, the kit also comes with everything you need to get set up for an off-grid living.

The Renogy 200w Solar Panel Premium Kit is by far the best option on the market for van lifers who want to maximize the performance of their camper van solar system, go off-grid, and don’t want to kill the budget either (especially when you combine it with our exclusive 10% discount code we worked hard to get below).

This kit comes with everything you need to hook up your van and battery to solar, including 2x 100w panels, a specialized charge controller giving 98% peak conversion efficiency, and Z mounts, plus it even connects to Bluetooth so you can monitor your power input on your phone in real-time. Trust us, it’s a feature we always use!

These rigid panels can be used on the ground or van-mounted and combined with multiple units for extra power. While it’s suitable to charge 12V batteries, it can also be outfitted to charge 24V or 48V batteries as well.

In addition, it’s one of the quietest and more durable solar panels for camper vans out there. In the rare event that something does break, the Renogy panel comes with a 5-year warranty on material damage and a 25-year warranty on solar output.

When researching solar panels, you’ll see that most panels come in either 50W, 100W, or 200W power. The number of watts you need depends on what you’re using the solar panels for. This daily power consumption is referred to as watt-hours (Wh).

On average, a 100W panel will supply around 400Wh of power per day. To put this into perspective, powering a 60W lightbulb for six hours uses 360Wh while watching a 200W TV for four hours uses 800Wh.

If you calculate that you’ll need more power for your trip, you might consider purchasing multiple solar panels for RV electricity.

Of course, the amount of energy you get from your camper solar panel depends on the weather conditions; don’t expect to get a full charge in indirect sunlight or on a cloudy day.

The difference in weight between solar panels can be drastic. Some flexible panels weigh as little as four pounds, while large solar panel kits can be as heavy as 40 pounds.

If you’re planning on mounting a fixed panel to the top of your RV, you’ll need to make sure the roof can support the added weight.

When looking at flexible or portable panels, you should also consider the dimensions to make sure the panels can be easily stored inside your van.