Solar panels are becoming more popular and they are the perfect option to give you more flexibility when you are caravanning or using your motorhome off-grid. Solar Power is also a great eco-friendly way of powering your electronics.
We want to make sure you get the right portable solar panel for your needs and one that works well as a battery charger. One that is going to deliver enough power in watts, fit in your budget and give you a good solar experience.
In this article you will learn about the following:
- Which solar panels are the best for your caravan
- The different types of solar panels that are available
- What size you need (watts)
- How to fit them to your caravan
- How to connect them to your battery
Table of Contents
What Are The Best Solar Panels for Caravans and Motorhomes?
This is Photonic’s universal folding solar kit which they believe offers everything you need to charge your caravan’s 12V battery.
With the idea of unfolding it and connecting the accompanying crocodile clips to your battery terminal, this model is great for those who aren’t keen on installing these panels to their caravan, preferring something which can be packed away when not in use.
This particular product is said to be more efficient and offer better performance due to its monocrystalline German solar cells, which work even in the lower light and shade.
With an automatic solar charge controller which protects the battery from overcharging, stopping the backflow of current into your caravan solar panel, this is fully waterproof and suitable for all types of weather conditions.
Customers purchasing this solar panel kit said that they like that it comes complete in a sturdy storage case and that it does the job it claims to do, even on the drearier of days.
At forty pounds cheaper than the Photonic is the Monocrystalline solar panel, which is once again a complete kit including installation accessories and a 10A charge controller as standard.
Direct Importer claim this panel can be installed in the quickest time ever as the kit comes pre-assembled.
This is a high-performance 100W solar panel and is aimed at caravans, working to offer high yield even in the most adverse of weather conditions.
The set itself contains a 10A charger controller which is for two batteries, alongside aluminium brackets, a cable pass, and a 6M anti-UV cable.
A superior product, this is a more quality product which offers certificated rated power.
Customers who bought this model find this a great panel which is of good quality, easy to fit and gets you up and running in very little time.
Eco-Worthy sells its highest priced of three kits on this list. This particular one is a high-efficiency solar panel offering 100W, which gives a fantastic performance during the harshest of weather cycles.
It comes complete with a 20A solar charge controller for using off-grid on a 12V battery system.
This is claimed to be the more simplistic of models to use and works perfectly with all caravans.
Installation should be smooth and straightforward, and there is even a pre-drilled hole with the Z style brackets, designed for added ease.
With a fantastic five-year warranty attached, covering workmanship and material, this model also boasts a 25-year warranty for transferable power output.
Customers of the Eco-Worthy panel have some great feedback on its ability to work well. The installation is said to be quick, and the blue LED display is also favoured by many!
Photonic once again provide a second solar panel offering, but this time it’s a rather simple design compared to its more expensive counterpart.
Consisting of just the caravan solar panel and an attached 5 meters of special solar cable, this model will need an additional solar charge controller or regulator to charge your battery.
However, it’s still highly efficient which works to offer exceptional performance every time.
With sealed aluminium, the frame is waterproof and indeed tough enough to withstand a variety of weather conditions, with the aim of providing you with many years of power.
Customers purchasing this solar panel kit rarely have any complaints with it, believing it does a great job and is a durable and, more importantly, reliable product.
This is a great piece of kit and includes a 100W solar panel, a regulator to control the power, USB ports and connectors to hook up to your leisure battery.
The LCD display that comes with this is decent as well. It shows you the battery voltage.
There are some cool features such as overcharging monitoring. It if detects that it will overcharge then it will stop to protect the battery.
When doing our research we found that people were really happy this product with a few users commenting on how good it was at powering up on days that were not that sunny. Another user loved the USB ports which made it easy to charge their phones.
This is a 100w solar charting kit with high-performance monocrystalline panels.
Each side is 50w in size, which gives you 100w overall. It also folds up nicely and comes with a case that it be packed away into when it’s not being used.
It is a great option for charging your 12v leisure batteries and will work fine with Gel and SLA batteries as well.
It has a charge regulator which means it will not overcharge and this will help protect the battery.
This one is aimed at being motorhome solar panels and for use with campervans but we see no reason why it would not suit a caravan. Again, this all comes down to what you need to power.
It comes with 100W of power but only weighs in at 2.7kg.
Comes with crocodile crips to fit it to the terminals on a battery.
When doing our research we found users to be pretty happy with this model. People did complain that the leads from the solar panel to the control unit were a bit short and you may need an extension. It is classed as a flexible solar panel but we would be careful when handling it.
Different Types Of Solar Panels
There are 2 main types that we will now discuss. All of these will do the job very well, it just depends on your needs.
Crystalline
Crystalline can be split into 2 categories. They are either monocrystalline or polycrystalline. This all depends on the purity of the silicone that was used when making them.
The easiest way to tell these apart is just by looking at them. Polycrystalline panels are blue and square in shape. Monocrystalline cells are black and have rounded corners.
Of the 2, Monocrystalline panels are slightly better but of course, they will cost a bit more.
Thin Film
These are also called amorphous solar panels. They are much cheaper as they are made from thin film panels. They are also less durable and efficient but do take up less space. If you only have a few things to charge and solar is a back up solution then these might be suitable for you.
What Size Do I need For My Caravan?
When we think of size, we often think of how big the surface area is and presume that the bigger the panel the more power it will give us. This is not the case and the power should be measured in wattage.
All solar panels have a Watts-Peak which will be labelled as (Wp). This is the maximum power output that they can produce.
You also need to look at the voltage that it runs at. Most will run at just 12v, but some will be 24v.
Let’s take a look at some scenarios of what you might need:
100Wp and 200Wp
If you have a caravan TV and a fridge then you will need a battery that is large enough to power these. These might be able to handle a water pump but you may want an even bigger one if you want to run one of those and a microwave.
50Wp
This will be enough to power and charge smaller devices such as a laptop.
10Wp
Perfect for just charging your phone or iPad.
Fitting Solar Panels to A Caravan Roof
Investing in any of the solar panels listed above will help you to save money benefitting from the power of the sun. Once you’ve got a good idea of the actual solar panel you would like to buy though, you need to think about how you might go about fitting solar panels to caravan roof.
However, if you don’t want to unexpectedly void your caravan insurance, it’s always sensible to check with your insurer whether fitting a solar panel would do that or not. It may even be that it needs to be installed by tradesmen who work for or are approved by the manufacturer of your caravan.
If it does not affect your insurance though and you don’t have to go with a specific firm, you are left with two options. You can either install the solar panels yourself or hire a professional solar panel installer to do it for you.
Know that installation will cost you somewhere in the region of £120 and £250 and will take around two to three hours to complete.
If you are going to be brave and want to try it yourself, check out the following link.
Connecting Solar Panels to Caravan Battery
Obviously, the next part of installing your solar panel once it has been fitted to the roof is connecting it to your caravan battery. Unless you are only getting a relatively small solar panel, it’s possible that you could overcharge the battery in your caravan, which can obviously damage it. That is why you need to invest in either a regulator or charge controller. This will also prevent the battery from overheating.
You need to make sure that the regulator features a blocking diode which stops the power running back to your solar panels at night time. Even if you are only using a small solar panel and it doesn’t require a regulator, you should still invest in a blocking diode. As we recommended with fitting it to the roof, we also recommend that you seek the help of a professional to connect the solar panels up safely to your battery.
If you are still interested in learning how to set up solar panels for caravan, we have found an informative video that shows briefly how to connect your solar panelling to your battery.
Final Thoughts on Solar Panels
Hopefully, this list has proved that solar power for caravans doesn’t have to be out of reach, price-wise and can help you enjoy off-grid adventures! We noticed that a lot of people are searching for portable caravan solar panels, but once you have mounted these solar panels to your roof, there is no reason to have them portable as you will not be carrying them around with you.
With all these products the simpler of solar panels to install, they all show how straightforward obtaining power from an alternative source is, even when travelling around the country and away from the home.
Though some of these models selected are great for unfolding and placing next to your caravan, it’s always a good idea to think about permanently installing your chosen caravan solar panel onto your caravan for continued security and, of course, continued solar power!
Final Thoughts on Solar Panels
Hopefully, this list has proved that solar panels for caravans don’t have to be out of reach, price wise! We noticed that a lot of people are searching for portable caravan solar panels, but once you have mounted these solar panels to your roof, there is no reason to have them portable as you will not be carrying them around with you.
With all these products the simpler of solar panels to install, they all show how straightforward obtaining power from an alternative source is, even when travelling around the country and away from the home.
Though some of these models selected are great for unfolding and placing next to your caravan, it’s always a good idea to think about permanently installing your chosen caravan solar panel onto your caravan for continued security and, of course, continued solar power!