What Is The PERFECT Amount Of Solar For Van Life?
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- We take a look at all the vanlife solar set ups we've toured in nearly 3 years and come up with the PERFECT amount of solar for YOUR van build. Let us know your opinion in the comments below! 👇
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Five years ago, we took an early retirement, sold everything, bought an older MH and hit the road FT. It was the best decision we ever made. We discovered that we enjoy boondocking and it helps stretch our budget too. We quickly learned the advantages of solar and decided to build our solar/battery system in 2 phases, a 12v system for our basic 12v DC needs and a 48v system for our 110v A/C needs.
We started with a pair of lead acid golf cart batteries and built a 620-watt liftable solar array mounted on the side of our motorhome. We lift the array to the optimal angle to improve their output by 20-30% vs flat mounted panels - even more in the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky. This size liftable array should be more than adequate for FT van use for most folk, coupled with 300+ah of lithium batteries. It serves as a nice bedroom window awning too, practically lifting itself to the desired angle with a couple gas struts, and it's easy to clean with a windshield squeegee, standing safely on the ground. This set-up, while far from optimal, allowed us to boondock till we could afford to do better.
We finished the 12v part of our build about a year and a half ago, with the addition of a 560ah LiFePo-4 battery that we built with 8, 280ah "A" grade prismatic cells. We use a Heltec 330amp BMS, and a 5a active balancer to keep the cells synched up. We typically used less than 20% of its capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for about a week of bad weather before we had to run our generator for charging. Now that our 48v phase is completed we barely scratch the surface of our 12v bank's capacity, so it's about time to upgrade our propane fridge to an efficient 12v model. We use an 80A Progressive Dynamics LFP converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy PSW inverter (as a back-up for our 55" TV, PC, ice maker, etc.), a 50a MPPT Epever charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor/shunt. This entire 12v system cost us under $3,500 to build and takes care of all of our basic off-grid needs except for air conditioning and microwave use, which was run by our generator, but is now handled by our 48v system.
I put 2x200w mounted flat to a roof rack - feeding into my Bluetti solar power generator. But we are weekend users so this solution provides all the power we need unless we need to run our portable AC unit in the hot summer months to keep the 6 dogs that travel with us safe. In that case I can power both the AC unit and augment the solar charging of the Bluetti with a small Predator gas generator feeding a 30Amp shore power connection.
I use two 150 Watt , thin, flat marine panels on my W907 sprinter 144wb. This 300 Watt solar power support my 2Kw Li Battery well. I use only a webasto heater, a small ice box, a micro wave, sometimes a water heater and a toaster. I get additional power over the alternator and a small 800 W gas generator when needed, that sits in the engine conp. The panels are low profile, aerodynamic and the do well on higher highway ( here in germany) autobahn speed 😊
sounds like that set up works great for you , props my friend
I roll with 600 watts mono, 60 amps MPPT controller. 400 amp hours LiFePo 4 storage.👍
Sounds great!
Same here works great.
Personally I have 4x 100w solar panels and 2 200ah batts I on average pull 250-300w when its sunny which is around 15-20ah/phr when I run games it sits at around 12-15ah/phr, which I don't mind I'm overall net pos BUT I have other stuff I need to run and can't really since the storage on my bats aren't that much. I am looking to get a new van and convert it I was looking at 2020-2022s ram promasters. I want the biggest panels I can on it and the biggest ah bats I can get (reasonably for van life) what would you recommend, would 1 or 2 550w panels and would they fit? I'm not to worried about the powers cost I just want to be able to run everything comfortably
was hoping to hear more about different brands and setups of lithium ion batteries. do you have a video on this?
1K watts with 500ah of lithium has made vanlife effortless (and stress less) for me! I started with 400w on rooftop and a 350 portable-never cut it. I work full time with Starlink and this was the game changer🎉
How did you mount 1k of solar and still have room for vents, A/C etc?
@@dfwvtxman I have 2 maxxair fans which I covered- there is still room enough to open them enough, but honestly I rarely use them. I have a portable ac in the ‘garage’ if when need be which is also rare as I camp high in the mountains in the summer generally.
@@dfwvtxman can always do like i did I put flexible panels on the side of my van lol, also I more on my small trailer.
I run a single 390w panel into a 12v 200Ah LiPo4 battery. Back up are 2x100w side out panels on 60ft of extension lead
I use a 7watt thunderbolt panel with a 45watt nature power solar controller with a single truck battery. I can get up to about 26/28 volts of power @ 12amps.
I have 720 watts (Tilted towar the sun)... That OK for 8 months of the year. Need some generator in November and a lot in Dec, Jan and Feb. However, I live alone and only use 1 laptop + Internet (All 12 volts powered).
This has been my takeaway as well. We originally built our van with 200w solar, and it was definitely not enough. We are filmmakers, and like you guys, are on our computers for work all day and have heavy battery charging needs. We're upgrading our 144 '07 Sprinter from 2x 100w panels to four Renogy 175w panels now, and will probably have around 13KW of battery storage. Hopefully it'll be enough haha!
Ahh yes the typical rich degenerates in their sprinter
Dadalaladafalala we're filmmakers isn't this fun??
I am installing 800 watt solar to my truck camper with 2 100 ah lithium iron batteries. Still learning this "stuff". I am running 400 now but just today bought 4 more 100 watt mono panels. I have starlink which is notoriously power hungry and my wife and I want to sell everything and go totally off grid... We are in Alberta and plan on winters in the southern states... BTW I subscribed to your channel!
I applaud you! I want to run 800w of bifacial solar panels to my (2) power generators, Lion Energy L-1500 with 530Wh and Fossibot F2400 with 2048Wh, and also charge an Ecoflow Wave 2 AC/Heat Pump battery. I plan to design a tilt and swivel mount for my 8-foot bed topper on Ol’ Blue, my 2010 Silverado. Best of luck to you Vrod!
P@@jamesfrederick99pretty much what I'm trying to figure out now
im thinking of having at least 2 independent solar power systmes wired up in my van so anything that MUST be powered 24/7 i want on one sustainable loop.
I have 400W of fixed solar using CIGS panels (2x200W @7 lbs each) on my 144" Sprinter. Planning on adding another 800-1200W with extendable "solar" awnings on both sides. I have a 15kWH Ecoflow Powerkit and just got my 48V/100A secondary alternator to charge that up in
Yeah all that energy is important specially if using ceramic heaters in a van in the midwest where the winters can get very cold.
I run 200 watts on my Odyssey with 210 watts portable. I keep a 50, 20, 18 Ah Lifepo4 batteries, and a small Bluetti. Runs my fans, lights, and fridge.
love to hear it - sounds like it works great for your rig and needs
@@VanClan I leave lights on all night to scare away wild animals, and thieves.
I have 2x 285 watt house panels i scored on craigslist for $120 total! I have them bolted to my roof rack in my yard just waiting for two friends to come over and help me mount it up because its pretty heavy. I have an econoline e150
4x200 watt panels - 2x100watt panels - (2X200watt portable solar panels) 600whr lithium battery bank. Plan for parking in tree lined camping spots. Whereas the roof has shade.
How long do panels Last?
380 here on flat panels (Promaster). I’ve got 600ah of lithium. If money was no object, I’d double that. I’ve got room for over 1,200 kWh. The “game changer” for me was the installation of a second under hood alternator. My 600ah of lithium are always fully charged at arrival. I converted all appliances and AC to 12 volt. With the power stroke of the V-6, the second alternator will charge at idle.. this was the game changer for me. I’m just not sure upgrading/expanding my solar would make a ton of sense. But I haven’t ruled it out.
Oh… almost forgot… I haven’t plugged in for over a year. But I still dream of massive lithium storage. A man can dream, right?
Love it. Bigger the better
Chevy Express 2500: 1620Wp (REC405, Manual Tilt to 40°), 4K 120V Inverter, 400aH 24V LFP or 10kWh, MNS 250V SCC, 350W 12 to 24V Charger, EPEVER SCC 40A for up to 800Wp deployable array, ICECO 75Qt Freezer/Ref 60W Max, Gree 22 SEER 120V 9K mini split with outdoor cabinet/fan mounted where spare tire sat. Insulation R-5. A/C consumes about 1 kWh/per hour set at 74° inside temperature while 95° outside. When panels are flat on a bright sunny day late July day at 38° parallel, my 1620W of solar produce about 1400W.
Bottom line...you can never have enough solar. I have 450 watts and in the winter I have to carry a Honda EU2200i generator for those times the sun is playing hide and seek. And yes, I can charge my batteries off of my engine but running the diesel engine for two hours is terribly annoying and wasteful, thus the Honda.
we do agree - you can never have too much!
I love running my little 2 stroke for less than an hour to recharge my Bluetti, and can do that 8 or 9 times on a gallon so theoretically if no sun my power bill is going to be over $12. a month. I suspect it is economics like this that contribute to nomads always feeling so relaxed with no worries or big utility bills.
@@gsp49 How many amp hours is your Bluetti?
Well don’t the mono crystalline work on cloudy days
If you need to have a generator..............you have build the wrong system !!!!!
How much watts do I need or how many solar panels do I need to maintain like 5 hours of me playing my ps5 and just having a fan on when I sleep and I’m doing it on a Astro van
I have 12 100w poly panels a 600 w vertical wind turbine and , dc to dc charger and 3 100ah lithium batteries... would this be enough power to run a rig
I had three 200 watt Rich Solar panels. Then I lost a panel. So as someone who is a gamer, uses his desktop for work, generally uses a lot of electricity and has had both 400watts and 600watts, I can confirm that you will want at least 600 watts. If you got a laptop or don't use electricity that much, then 200-400 will suit you just fine.
would you think that for a solo person living in a van, who would need to work with a laptop connected to internet, 400-500W would be enough? or perhaps it would be better to get up to 700W? without considering the amount of batteries
@ If your output is not greater than your input then you’ll never run out of batteries. Solar panels tend to give you 80% of its total wattage on the best days. At least the Rich Solar panels I had do.
A laptop doesn’t take up that much wattage so I assume you will be fine with 400w. But once you got everything going, pretend it would be an average day for you, turn on whatever you would have on and see how much wattage output you have.
@@foolsanticsstudio that is what I will do, thank you for the response!
@ no problem
I seen some panels with 1000w in one panel so you don't need a lot space i don't think but you do need to have the money as those would be more expensive
Would being able to tilt a 300W panel to face the sun, particularly during winter, low sun azimuth and intensity periods, keep you at 300W year round?
were building our first one right now, we put 220w solar to a 190Ah battery bank. Hopefully it will be enough. we only have a 80L 12v fridge, LED strips for celing lights and som USB ports for charging our phones.
Has it been enough for you? Have a similar plan
@@bigwilly3346 first trip right now, works great
😄👍Good To Know, Great Tips
Next build is a dual system for redundancy:
2x550w panels, one on a slide
4x12v, 200aH LiPo4 batteries for the 48v system
2x solar controllers
2x synchronized 3000w inverters
All to run a hair dryer, microwave, fridge and LED lighting 😅😅
1000 ah and 1800w on the rv
Why don't anybody make rails to move the Solar panels to sides? if you Stack them two high and have them ppen up like a drawer sliders.😅 That's the way i'm going to design minds
That would be sick af! Alot of weight and wind might break if its a huge sail.
I’m designing it now my man, making a rail system that allows me to use locking pins to hold in place. Panels on each side of the van, pins lock up at angles and can also move. Both sides can fold to the side of the camper and the sister panel can move in place as the previous. Difficult to explain but it’s possible
Folding may be an easier option.
There is a company that makes this idea
Wind is the thorn of vanlife… that is why portables suck also:)
Beard of a champion
1200w, wouldn't have anything less, because I don't use fossil fuels for power. If anything I'd go to 1600w and have the whole roof covered, but I wanted room for a chimney and a skylight. The short answer is as much as you can put up there.
I installed 1620W of REC 405W panels on my Chevy Express 2500. It works great.
Living with a total of 600W (3 x 200W) 😊
thats a great amount - especially with all the time you guys spend on the sun :D
Anyone seen solar panels that can tilt both ways?
Cant find your other channel
our personal one? @thisiswild
I have 480w of solar on my van roof.
800w? That's it? If there's less sun, you need MORE panels if you're off grid. I would more than double that on the bus --you have the roof space. Rack 'em up to expand and you're solid! While you've got a football field of space up there, why not try a wind turbine?
4x550 = 2200w 24v
Electric cook pot, laptop, ac, fridge, phone, small 7w fan. 600w about covers it. Having a battery to soak up the unused electricity for rainy/cloudy days is great 800watts is overly perfect.
Love to hear it - 600 is a fair amount for sure 🤩
The perfect amount of solar is as much as you can fit.
My van has 1,200 watts of solar panels
we agree, as much as you can get is good
Hi, Very curious which solar panels you installed, I’m guessing three panels of a whopping 400Wp as I see advertised lately?
@Trebstimla I used three 400 watt Jinko panels, house panels. 40 volt, 10 amps, wired in series. 79" X 39"
I installed four 405 W REC panels on my Chevy Express 2500. It works great.
400W (2 x 200W)
wowza! How does that work for you :D
@@VanClan 30 amps MPPT controller. 420 amp hours LiFePo 4 storage - works perfect spring to fall - in winter, ok, if I move from time to time (worked well while up in the Swiss mountains - really good insulation helps)
Just use alternator to charge
450 bendable solar panel but still not enough
do you know how much the bendable solars decrease efficiency? Genuinely curious
I don't have a clue how much I need I'm planning to do my 1st build to live in full time but I don't have a clue on how much power I need how meany battery's I need or how meany solar panels I will need.
You need lithium ion batteries in a quantity that will run everything that you want in your van.
Then you need enough solar to keep those batteries charged..
Or you could do what I did and make a homemade generator with a small gasoline engine and an automobile alternator.
It will fully charge to flattened lithium ion 100 amp hour batteries in about 45 minutes...
There are going to be cloudy and rainy days.
I have 700 watts of solar panels and most of the time that's enough.
When it's not I have to crank up my generator and charge my batteries when they get low.
I don't like the generator because it's heavy and it's loud and it takes up storage space. After trying several different options I've decided to use a DC to DC charger when my batteries get low ...and they're going to get low,regardless of your system.
You can't do anything with less than 2.3 kw, the rest is a pipe dream.
You sure? I was thinking 2.2kw is sufficient.