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Finding the perfect solar generator for your RV, camper, van, or whatever vehicle you choose, can either be really hard or really easy. Building one from scratch is more of an endeavour than most are ready for. Solar generators on the other hand are all-in-one units that are no more complicated than plugging a solar panel into a box with a battery and power outlets. This post will explore how to pick the right size solar generator kit to power your time on the road.
What’s in a solar generator kit?
The main things at work are the solar panels collecting sunlight, a solar charge controller that optimizes the energy, and a battery to store it in. A solar generator bundle includes all of these, with the solar charge controller and the battery combined in the same unit. This unit containing solar input, a battery, and power outlets is called a portable power station as a standalone product. When combined with solar panels it is called a solar generator.
River 2 Pro
+ 220W Solar Panel
| 768Wh Capacity |
| 800W Output |
| 3-4 hours Full Recharge |
| 220W Solar Input |
| 10.6 x 10.2 x 8.9in Solar Generator |
| 32.3 x 72 x 1 in Solar Panel |
DELTA mini
+ 110W Solar Panels (x3)
| 882Wh Capacity |
| 1440W Output |
| 3.75-7.5 hours Full Recharge |
| 300W Solar Input |
| 14.9×7.2×9.4in Solar Generator |
| 16.5 x 20.2 x 1in Solar Panel (folded) |
DELTA
+ 160W Solar Panels (x3)
| 1260Wh Capacity |
| 1800W Output |
| 3.5-7 hours Full Recharge |
| 400W Solar Input |
| 15.7×8.3×10.6 in Solar Generator |
| 16.5 x 26.8 x 1in Solar Panel (folded) |
DELTA Max
+160W Solar Panels (x4)
| 2016W Capacity |
| 3400W Output |
| 4.25-8 hours Full Recharge |
| 800W Solar Input |
| 19.6×9.5x12in Solar Generator |
| 16.5 x 26.8 x 1in Solar Panel (folded) |
What size solar generator kit should I get?
To make things simple, we’ll look at three things: Available space, how many watt-hours you can’t live without, and how many solar panels you’re willing to invest in.
Available space
What might be the starting point to work backward from for many road warriors is how much room they can dedicate to an off-grid power solution. Watt for watt, portable power stations are more compact than 12V battery setups, so it may not be a problem for motorhomes and camper trailers that want to replace them. For vans and tear-drop trailers, how many solar panels and what size battery you need may be determined by space. Below are the dimensions for four of the best solar generators for RVs – though add a little room for airflow.
River 2 Pro
10.6 x 10.2 x 8.9in
DELTA mini
14.9 x 7.2 x 9.4in
110W Solar Panel
16.5 x 20.2 x 1in Solar Panel (folded)
DELTA
15.7 x 8.3 x 10.6in
DELTA Max
19.6 x 9.5 x 12in
160W Solar Panel
16.5 x 26.8 x 1 in Solar Panel (folded)
What you can’t live without
Find the watts (W)
Take the electronics you can’t live without – say a laptop, Wi-Fi hotspot, lights, coffee maker, and a skillet – and add up their watts. There are lots of ballpark figures on the internet, but it’s more accurate checking the watts printed somewhere on the product. Better still is going through your normal routine and using a wattmeter, so all of the power losses are accounted for. You’re in luck if you already have an EcoFlow portable power station because it shows energy input and output on its screen and app!
Find the watt-hours (Wh)
Just multiply the watts of a device by how many hours you plan to use it for.
| Device Watts | Hours Used | Watt-hours |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop 50W | 3 hours | 150Wh |
| Wi-Fi Hotspot 10W | 4 hours | 40Wh |
| Lights 40W | 4 hours | 160Wh |
| Coffee Maker 500W | 0.1 hours | 50Wh |
| Skillet 1500W | 0.2 hours | 300Wh |
While this adds up to 700 watt-hours, it doesn’t mean you’ll need a 700 watt-hour battery or that you’ll need 700 watts of solar panels, as you’ll see in the next sections.
Picking a solar battery
If you plan to use 700Wh throughout the day, you won’t need a 700Wh battery because you’ll be creating energy as you consume it. But, there are several reasons to get a battery that’s bigger than what you plan to consume in a day. One of those reasons is that it’s not ideal to use the battery from 100% to 0% all the time, and you’ll get more longevity sticking to the 80% to 20% range or 60% of the total capacity. Consuming 700Wh from the 720Wh River 2 Pro would age the battery faster than if you had the 1260Wh DELTA, not to mention that it wouldn’t offer a “rainy day fund” for days when there isn’t much sun.
River 2 Pro
| 720-1440Wh Capacity |
| x2 110W Panels 4-8 hr |
| x1 160W Panels 6-12 hr |
DELTA mini
| 882Wh Capacity |
| x1 160W Panel 7.5-15 hr |
| x2 160W Panels 3.25-7.5 hr |
DELTA
| 1260Wh Capacity |
| x2 160W Panels 5-10 hr |
| x3 160W Panels 3.5-7 hr |
DELTA Max
| 2-6Wh Capacity |
| x3 160W Panels 5.5-11 hr |
| x4 160W Panels 4-8.5 hr |
Picking solar panels
Find the output watts: The rated output you see on your solar panels (e.g. 110W or 160W) is what you’d get in an ideal scenario, and in all actuality, you should be happy with getting about 70% of the number on the box. For example, linking four EcoFlow 160W solar panels (640W total) generates 2000Wh after about 4 hours in excellent conditions but potentially twice as long when it’s overcast. The only way to be sure is through real-world tests, which you can see in the table above.
To get 700Wh of solar for the devices mentioned earlier, compare it with River 2 Pro to gauge how many panels it would take to get that many watt-hours. Keep in mind that 12 hours between sunrise and sunset doesn’t equate to 12 hours of usable solar energy. People in extremely sunny locations may be able to just get by with just a single 160W solar panel, but two 110W panels would be a safer bet for most people. How much the panels generate also depends on you.
Read our portable solar panel guide for more info.
Getting the most from your solar panels
- Environment: Obviously, much of this is up to the whens and wheres, but make sure panels are outside, not partially shaded, and not dirty.
- How often you adjust the panels: The carrying case for EcoFlow portable solar panels doubles as a stand that can be angled early/late in the day and lie flat around noon. Occasionally adjusting the panels to face the sun as it moves throughout the day will bring in more watt-hours.
- Efficiency: An MPPT solar charger is now the standard replacing the less-efficient PWM. All EcoFlow solar generators use MPPT so that fluctuations in lighting and other conditions won’t throw a wrench in the works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chances are, your shore power cable isn’t the same as a regular wall outlet – the prongs are diagonal. Even with a dog bone adapter, the amperage supplied by a solar generator might not be high enough to run bigger appliances. All of the portable power stations in EcoFlow’s DELTA series output 20A, which might be sufficient for a 30 amp RV if you have an adapter, but not for 50 amp. DELTA Pro, our flagship portable power station, has both a 20A outlet and a 30A outlet, meaning you can power everything in your rig with solar energy.
Check out this post for more on how portable power stations can integrate with your RV.
Yes, given a couple of things: the panel’s connectors and output. Finding a cable that links your solar panels to your solar generator should be fairly easy since most panels use solar panel connectors. However, matching the solar panel’s output to the solar-powered generator’s input has nothing to do with brands. Below we’ll go into if or how many panels you can hook up.
Let’s start with: Can you even connect one? Some solar panels output too much power for a small solar generator to handle. Check a solar panel’s output volts, amps, and watts and compare it with a solar generator’s solar input (different from AC input).
If a solar panel’s output current (amps) and power (watts) are above what an EcoFlow solar generator can input, the excess will be wasted but won’t damage the unit. Excess voltage can, however, and should be within the stated range. Pretty straightforward? Well, great, because when you connect two panels in series* the voltage doubles, triples when you connect three, and so on. Amps don’t change. In the above example, three 160W solar panels (21.4V × 3 = 64.2V) would be just inside DELTA’s maximum input (65V); a fourth would be too much.
*Likely what you’ll be using. It means panels are connected directly to each other instead of Y-shaped adapters.
Solar is quieter and cleaner, with the only drawback being how much energy can be produced daily. Solar can be the clear winner for those who invest in enough panels and batteries to meet their daily energy consumption.
Yes, but the problem isn’t about power, it’s about capacity. RV fridges consume around 1,000 watts a day (maybe less if it’s a small one). With 5 peak hours of sunlight, you’d need 200 extra watts of solar panels if your inverter and solar panels were 100% efficient. Since they’re not, two 160W solar panels could be enough to run a fridge assuming you have a battery with enough capacity to get you through the night.
EcoFlow has a solar panel suction cup kit that lets panels be attached to very smooth surfaces like the roof and side of an RV or van. Just be sure to stick a reminder on the dash!