The most effective way to achieve and maintain off-grid living is through solar power. Integrating solar panels into your camping or caravanning setup is essential for keeping your batteries charged and your entire setup powered for extended periods, ensuring you can enjoy the freedom of the outdoors without interruption.
You can integrate solar panels into your setup with portable or fixed panels. But how do you know how much solar power you need? You can easily calculate how much solar power you need for camping, 4WD, or caravanning by following a few easy steps.
Solar Size Calculator
You can determine how many Watts of solar you need by following the below equation. We will explain exactly how to determine this further in the blog.
Amps (daily load) x battery voltage = watts / 3.5hrs = solar size
STEP 1
Calculate your daily load
First things first, you need to grab a pen and paper and take a good look at your set-up. What will require power while you're adventuring and how long will you need it to be powered for?
Write a list of all the appliances and devices that you'll be using and note its load draw. The device's load draw will be expressed in either Amps or Watts and can be found on the label or the packaging.
For any device with an Amp load draw, simply multiply the device's Amp rating by the number of hours it will be used per day.
This will give you the Amp-hour (Ah) requirement for that device. To determine your total daily energy load, add up the daily Ah requirements of all your devices.
If you have devices with a load draw expressed in Watts, just divide Watts by Voltage to convert to Amps.
STEP 2
Confirm your battery voltage
This is easy. Just take a look at your auxiliary battery to confirm whether it's a 12V or 24V battery. Make a note of this.
STEP 3
Multiply Amps (daily load) by battery voltage
Multiply your daily load (this should be in Amps) by your battery voltage. The resulting figure will tell you how many Watts are required to charge your battery and cover your load.
For example, if you have a daily load of 100Ah and your battery voltage is 12V, you'd follow the below equation:
100Ah x 12V = 1200W
STEP 4
Divide Watts by sunlight hours
Once you've determined the Watts, we recommend you divide this by 3.5 hours. In Queensland, we receive 4.2 hours per day of peak sunlight hours.
3.5 hours is slightly conservative, but it's important to consider that when camping or caravanning, it's likely that you'll park in a shaded area or you'll be unable to utilise the full 4.2 peak sunlight hours every day.
Once you've divided Watts by 3.5 hours, you end up with your ideal solar size.
1200W / 3.5 hours = 343W
20V 350W Mono Solar Panel
- 350W monocrystalline solar panel
- Black frame & black back sheet
- 1560 x 1134 x 40mm
Always oversize solar rather than undersize solar
The most important recommendation we have when trying to size a solar set-up for your camping, caravan, or 4WD adventures is to oversize rather than undersize.
Install the biggest solar system you can on your roof that fits within your budget, because it will always be better to have more solar than not enough solar.
Not having enough solar can leave you in a pinch if you aren't able to charge your batteries sufficiently. Charging frequently with solar prolongs battery longevity, plus, solar self-consumption during daylight hours means that you don't have to discharge your batteries 24/7 either.
Adding solar panels to your set-up can change your ability to travel and stay off-grid, but you have to do it right. Solar is the best and the cheapest way to power your adventures - do it once and do it right.
How To Calculate How Much Solar You Need For Camping & 4WD