Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

having 'solar' is and easy answer to your initial question, but the question of whether it's 'worth' it or not is highly debatable ... it really all depends on 'how' you camp, or rv, and/or how 'often' you are off-grid.

I realize that solar is popular, especially as a 'silent' charging for the battery bank, but the financial benefit may not be as easily ascertained, as they are so many variables when you are considering the use of solar for a 'mobile' environment, like your RV.

Here's what I mean:

- for many of us, who own motorhomes, the Alternator is usually connected to provide charging to your House battery bank, while driving, or while the engine is running.

- when plugged into shore power at a campground or rv park, or anywhere, you will have charging for your House batteries.

- when you run your generator, whether the onboard type many of us already have on our RV, or a separate one, it will be charging the House batteries.

- Solar, then, is only really employed when any of these other power situations are not in play. If you park at your favorite campground or rv park and plug in, you'll not really ever need it. If you overnight at a parking lot along the way, it won't really do anything for you since you usually are not parking during sunlight hours.

I agree that those who really off-grid a lot, and for several days or more at a time, can use Solar power to help offset their generator run time, but whether the upfront COST of solar can be financially offset by the relatively small amount of solar power you will ever consume, is the real question.
Many of us will do it anyway, just because it's the 'thing', and it makes us feel good, and gives us more 'quiet time' between generator runs.
Others will admit that while solar has some positive attributes, especially if you are at a ground-based home where the cost of Utility electric service can be offset by the use of the solar, and eventually become a cost savings, it is really hard for it to be a great effective power supply for the general RVing public.
There will be some special users of solar that can certainly prove that their 'set up' is giving them an almost totally off-grid existence, but the vast, vast majority of RVrs who do not 'live' in their home-on-wheels may find that it's simply a feel-good purchase, without much understanding of the true financial aspect.

I would suspect that most will have it because 'others' do and they don't want to be somehow left out of what everyone else is doing - it's part of the natural human reaction.

I have some, and I crunched the numbers before a two month journey to Alaska and back, with many off-grid overnights, and purchased it because I could better justify the 'offset' of diesel fuel costs, though that trip alone did not justify the full purchase, only the expediting of the 'break even' point, especially as we tend to off-grid overnights quite a bit more than the average RVr, and have put 20,000 miles a year on our coach. I will admit, though, that without the solar, our travels and overnights would probably not have been impacted with any great degree, with or without.