Solar Panel Size Chart for RVs, Vans, Campers

July 10, 2020 | Andrew Jay | FAQs How To Outdoors RVs & Vanlife

Solar panel size chart for RV camper motorhome

An example of 500 watts of rooftop solar. Three larger 150 watt panels plus one smaller 50 watt solar panel on the roof of this RV generates more than enough power for the 4 Dakota Lithium house batteries they are charging.

Are you looking to camp off-the-grid? To unshackle from shore power you will need a way to easily generate power. The cleanest, and easiest way to re-charge your Dakota Lithium batteries is via solar power.

Here’s a size chart for what solar panels you need by size of RV/van/camper & how many Dakota Lithium batteries you have.

To connect solar panels to a lithium battery you will need a lithium compatible solar charge controller (a deep dive on RV electrical systems is available here). To connect lithium batteries to charge from an engine’s alternator you will need a DC-DC battery charger. Every Dakota Lithium battery includes a free lithium battery charger for charging via shore power.

For a complete lithium power system kit that includes the solar panels, batteries, chargers and accessories needed check out the recommended off-grid power systems.

Size of RV | # of Batteries | Recommended Solar Panel Capacity | Recommended Off-Grid Power System

10′-14′ | DL 100 Ah x 1 or DL+ 135Ah x 1 | 100 watts of solar (100 watts x 1) | 12V 100Ah Off Grid Solar Power System
15′-20′ | DL 100 Ah x 1 or DL+ 135Ah x 1 | 100 – 200 watts of solar (100 watts x 1 or 2) | 12V 200Ah Off Grid Solar Power System
21′-30′ | 2x DL+ 135Ah or 1x DL 200 Ah or 1x DL+ 280 Ah | 200 watts of solar (100 watts x 2) | 12V 200Ah Off Grid Solar Power System
31′-40′ | 2x DL+ 135Ah or 1x DL+ 280 Ah | 400 watts of solar (100 watts x 4) | Dakota Lithium 12V 400Ah Off Grid Power System
40’+ | 2x DL+ 280 Ah, or 1x DL+ 560 Ah | 600 watts of solar (100 watts X 6) | Dakota Lithium 12V 400Ah Off Grid Power System

Please note, RVs and vans tends to have multiple small solar panels instead of a single big solar panel. This is because the roof top of a van or RV tend to have vents, like a kitchen vent, or an air conditioner, or a fan or skylight that makes it hard to install a single large panel. To better use the rooftop space consider connecting a number of smaller, 100 watt panels together. This will achieve a higher solar panel capacity while offering redundancy — if one of the panels gets damaged the rest will still be able to power your system

A deep dive on how to choose a battery for RVs/vans/campers is available here. More on lithium batteries and solar panel efficiency is available here.