PV Gap

Mary Said:

How many Watts of solar panels?

We Answered:

With an RV, you can find lithium bromide water chiller based refrigerators and air conditioner that run mostly on propane with just a little bit of electricity for a pump and fans. The oven, stove and heat, you can also run off propane. A Microwave is probably 750 watts but only operates for a few minutes at a time. You'll just have to go through everything item by item and figure out how many watts each one will draw and how long each will run per day to size your solar panel. Don't forget that the sun will only shine for a few hours each day. In general, for a camper, the target isn't to produce all the power you need but to slow down the drain on the battery bank to last till you get back onto the road where the engine can recharge the batteries. Keep in mind that the lithium bromide chiller systems only operate when stationary and level so some people opt for conventional electric systems just for convenience which sounds like what you're trying to do. Best way to figure out how much power each is drawing is by measuring it while in use. It may be worth it to put a meter on the battery bank and go camping one weekend with a generator or put a meter on the main circuit breaker panel and camp where power is provided, just to see what your typical use is.

You're far better off running as much as possible from propane.