| An RV is a great vehicle you can use to travel | | | | battery units and power inverter. |
| around the country with your family. It is basically a | | | | The function of the solar panel is to harness the free |
| home on wheels with all the amenities you will need | | | | energy from the sun and converts it into electric |
| for a comfortable dwelling. | | | | current. This is done by using Photovoltaic (PV) cells. |
| Many people like to bring along their every day | | | | PV cells have a natural tendency to generate an |
| electronic gadget such computer, television, | | | | electric current when exposed to sun light. |
| Playstation, hair dryer, electric tooth brush etc with | | | | The potential energy from the panels will then be |
| them on the RV. Unfortunately, the vehicle has a | | | | used by the charge controller to charge up the |
| limited on board power supply. Using the power from | | | | batteries. The type of battery suitable for the |
| the existing battery bank will drain it very fast. | | | | system is the deep cycle battery. |
| One solution to solve the energy issue for an RV is | | | | Since battery can only store Direct Current (DC), you |
| with a solar power kit. There are readymade solar | | | | will need the power inverter to change the DC into |
| power kits available in the market which you can | | | | Alternate Current (AC). Most of the modern electrical |
| purchase for your RV. | | | | appliances nowadays run on AC and you can plug it |
| Unfortunately, most systems are really expensive. A | | | | into the power output from the inverter. |
| generic 330 watt system will cost upwards of $2700! | | | | How much would it cost to setup a homemade RV |
| A cheaper solution is to build the solar system via a | | | | solar generator? All of the components are available |
| Do It Yourself (DIY) approach. | | | | from major hardware stores. If you can find a good |
| How do you power an RV with solar energy? The | | | | bargain, the system can be built with a budget of |
| overall setup is quite simple actually. The main | | | | less than $800. |
| components are the solar panels, charge controller, | | | | |