Can Solar Panels Run Rv Ac

We wrote a post explaining all the tradeoffs and what it would take to fully run an rv ac off of solar.

Can solar panels run rv ac.

You will need at least 1 800 watts of solar panels to run your rv air conditioner. And of course we have also gotten the questions hundreds of times over the years about the potential for running the ac off of solar power exclusively. Let s take a look at ac energy requirements and typical solar production to see if solar panels can really run air conditioners in each setup. Directly provide electricity to run your 120v appliances such as air conditioning microwave electrical outlets etc.

Simple and fairly efficient in good direct sunlight. Caucasian technician installing cooling unit inside modern camper van. Solar panels do one thing they charge your rv s batteries. Solar panel systems have become increasingly popular over the past few years.

Ac for grid connected homes the fact that we are all able to access almost unlimited amounts of electricity 24 7 is a beautiful part of our modern electricity grid. And it is possible sort of. But let s say you don t. Most boondockers have between 200 to 400 amp hour battery banks.

This is assuming you are considering using 12 volt rv grade panels. This is also assuming of course you have a lot of battery power too. You can power your air conditioner with solar panels. The right size system can save you a ton of cash whether you have them installed on the roof of your home or the roof of your rv.

To size these solar components for regular air conditioning i determined how many amps my 13 500 btu rv air conditioner drew during operation. Can you run your air conditioner off solar panels. The more panels the faster your batteries charge back up. For a basic example let us assume you only have one 13 500 btu roof mounted ac that you want to run using solar power batteries and an inverter.

We ll begin with how solar panels on an rv work to give you a clear idea of what this type of setup entails. When you run your air conditioner for example that will run directly off of the grid power. So your solar panel system would need to have at least 3kw to power. Running an ac off of solar power for any extended period of time is going to be costly much more costly than most of us are able or willing to indulge.

The only electricity you can replace with a typical rv solar power system without significant rewiring and expense is on the 12 volt side. However it will require a lot of energy. Some air conditioners need 2 5kw. The size of your solar array battery bank and inverter determine whether or not you can regularly run an rv air conditioner with solar.

Rv recreational vehicle air conditioner installation.