​You might be wondering why people add a solar panel to their caravan or motorhome, well there can be several reasons, depending on how they use their vehicles.

At its simplest, fitting a Solar Panel will ensure that your leisure battery has a full charge when you come to use it (provided it’s not stored under cover), so those motor movers will work when you need them.  Helpfully, the electronics needed to charge your battery from a Solar Panel are  more sophisticated than the chargers that come with most Caravans or Motorhomes as standard.  This has the effect of extending the life of your battery.
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If you normally have a pitch with an Electric Hookup when you are using your vehicle, that’s probably as much as you will need a Solar Panel to do, so for you, a smaller panel which is lower cost is ideal.

Optional MT50 display shows state of charge of battery and output from Solar panel/s

​Things to note:

• If you do not have an Electric Hookup, you will be relying on your 12v systems and Gas.  
• Your Fridge will not work on 12v (unless it’s a compressor fridge) so you will need to use Gas.
• An Inverter can be fitted to provide limited 230v electricity (though not enough to run your fridge for long without flattening your battery).
• If you plan to use your vehicle away from mains electricity, look to purchase 12v appliance where possible (TV, DVD, Kettle, Toaster etc.)
• I recommend full installations rather than temporary portable systems as they are always there and working, don’t require carrying and setting up and are far more difficult to steal!

120 Watt slimline Solar Panel fitted across caravan roof.

Off Hookup benefits

If however you do visit sites with no Electric Hookup, this is when a Solar Panel or two can really enhance your trips.  In this situation, the idea is that during the day, the Solar Panels are charging up your Leisure battery (or batteries), replacing the electricity you used the night before.  If you have no Electric Hookup, the only other way to charge your batteries would be with a noisy Generator or remove the batteries to a battery charging point if one is available.
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In this case the panel/s you would need would be bigger and more expensive.  The exact requirement can be calculated based on the things you use in your caravan and the size of your existing battery.

Charge controller (middle left) fitted in same area as motor mover and other caravan electrics.

I fit Solar systems supplied by SunStore one of the UK's premier suppliers of tried and tested systems.  I aim to fit the panel/s and associated components and wiring as discrete as possible, most of the time you won't know its there, you'll just have ample power for your needs.

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