Building a portable solar setup is an easy way to learn the basics of solar. You won’t even need to make any modifications to your RV. I’ll take you through the components and how to wire it up. Building your own portable solar charger also allows you to pick your own equipment and expand it as your needs grow.
There are many uses for a portable solar charging system even if you don’t own an RV. For RV owners, its primary use is for charging batteries while boondocking. All you need to do is connect it to your battery, then position the solar panel facing the sun in the early morning or late afternoon.
This portable solar charging setup was assembled for my RV. You could put together something similar to use as your primary solar charging solution or to extend your existing solar array.
See our terms of use for details.
You could buy a portable solar charging kit like this one, but why not make your own and learn something new in the process? Here’s what you will need.
Solar Panel
Start with a single 100 watt solar panel designed for a 12 volt battery system (a 17V-20V panel). A 100 watt panel is enough to keep a single 100 amp hour deep cycle battery fully charged. I used a semi-flexible solar panel for this project because it is easy to store in my RV, but any traditional solar panel will do just fine.
Solar Charge Controller
Solar charge controllers range in size and ratings. The maximum output of a 100 watt solar panel is typically 5-6 amps so a 7-10 amp solar charge controller should be adequate for this setup.
You can get a decent one with multi-phase charging capability like this one for less than $50 on Amazon.
Solar Extension Cables with MC4 Connectors
Solar panels usually come with attached cables, but they are short. You will need extension cables with standard MC4 solar connectors in order to move your panel around to where the sun is.
The length of cable you will need will depend on your battery location, size and layout of your RV. Consider getting enough length to reach either side of your RV.
Battery Connection
Use 10 or 12 gauge wire with alligator clips to connect the charge controller to your battery. I used spare cables and connectors that came with a battery trickle charger. Outboard engine charging cables like this one with 10 gauge wire are easy to wire up to your battery.
Fuses
Consider adding an inline fuse between your solar panel and the charge controller. This will protect your charge controller and RV in the event of a short circuit condition. A 10 or 20 amp fuse should be sufficient.
That is everything you’ll need. Be sure to watch the video and see how I hooked it all up. Enjoy!