Pros and Cons of Portable Solar Panels Compared to Rooftop Full Time RV Living

Pros and Cons of a portable solar compared to rooftop solar

Hi everyone, We had a few people ask why we did not mount or solar panels on the roof and I thought I would make a short video on the pros and cons of our portable solar panels now that we have been using it for a bit.

Pros

Flexibility We wanted the flexibility of being able to park our RV under shade and put the panels in the sun, also we wanted to be able to park the RV in any direction for the best views, if the panels were on the roof we might need to worry about A/C units casting shade on the panels

Easy installation by keeping the panels off the roof meant we would not need to figure out a way to mount them on the roof, which means no worries about drilling holes and running wires.

Getting the most from the sun Having the panels on the ground means it’s easy for us to turn and adjust the panels for the optimal amount of sunlight capture as you can see with our Victron Battery monitor I can read the exact amount of power coming in from the panels and direct them accordingly to maximize them
Keeping them clean is a breeze as well.

Our 200 Watt Renogy bundle including the Solar charger and wiring came to about $300 That’s relatively inexpensive to add solar to an RV

Portable solar panel is a great first step We can always add Panels to the roof later if we like the performance and results we see from the panels.

Cons

Storage When the panels are not in use we need a place to safely store them especially when traveling.

Only work when not on the go Because the panels need to be plugged in everytime we park and setup we are not collecting any power for these quick overnight stays, such as walmarts or Flying J’s not to mention your roof panels will be collecting power even while driving.

Set up setting up and connecting the panels at every new site could become a hassle compared to the set it and forget you get with roof mounted panels and because it is easy to adjust the panels on the ground you might find yourself constantly tinkering with the panels throughout the day trying to collect those perfect rays.

Limited by storage space Most RV’s have great real estate on their roof with plenty of room to add several panels and we have plenty of friends with 1,000 plus Watts up there because of this. If you wanted that kind of power from portable you are talking about trying to transport, store and set up 10 Panels and that’s just not practical.

Protecting the panels from damage, Here is a great example of that one day while parked out here the wind picked up drastically and blew the panels from the backside and threw them face down scratching one and completely shattering the other. Surprisingly enough this shattered one still works but instead of being able to pull 6 amps it barley brings in over 4 amps per hour. We replaced it with a new panel, not so much for that reason but we figure it will just be a matter of time know before moisture seeps in and ruins the panel completely or that we start to get chips of glass all over the place for Belle to step on later.

So those are my pros and cons
Did I miss anything? Let me know down in the comments and if you liked the video give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. If you disliked the video give it a thumbs down and share it with people you don’t like.

Take care everyone and safe travels!!

[nicksaccone]

“If you liked the video, give it a thumbs up and share it with everyone. If you didn’t like, give it a thumbs down and share it with everyone you hate”. I love it; clever !

[Hundert]

I agree 1000% I'm just in the process of solarizing my rig with portable. It's fascinating stuff and i need to learn more about it.

[seabliss]

Another con is the fact that they can walk away with a two legged predator. I do like the convenience of having them on the ground though

[ZeebNinja]

A few panels up top and a couple on the ground provides you an expansive way to keep those batteries charged up.

[asuarezjd]

Drill a 1/2 hole at the bottom of the aluminum legs, run a small wire like those for hanging picture frames and corners and get the itty bitty small stakes that Walmart sells for tents and tarps, they are thin and metal. This is how you hold anything you set up outside when camping anyway. Neither wind nor pets will knock them over. You could even drill holes at the top of the legs where the hinges are and meet both wires down at the ground with one stake wherever you notice the wires are a tad tight and it will hold it down.

[jeffreytull]

Great list... you affirmed the portable panel we just purchased and have yet to try out. I appreciated the sharing of the broken panel. We were planning to put the panel on the bed of the truck to reduce the "walking into it" or especially the three dogs we camp with. Now we are going to proactively anchor it in some way.

[GetGonewithUS]

We agree with everything you said, pros and cons. We will probably start with a suitcase kit then expand to the roof. Great video. 😃

[TheGlampingGuys]

Excellent Pros & Cons! Makes sense to me being able to just move them with the sun all day. For some people I imagine cost is very important and this seems to be a better inexpensive option. Thanks for sharing!
Have a Glamperrific Day!
👍❤️🌈😀🌈

[opaandomascampingadventures]

If you set the panel at the right angle and at 12 noon you won’t have to Mess with them constantly. Liked the video!! We have two suitcase style solar kits. Won’t mount any. They can still get damaged on the roof. Have to climb to clean them.

[marvhein]

Try one other thing with your battery monitor!

We have a couple of portable panels too and get about 12 amps of charging capability.

Our Winnebago, when generator is running, only provides about 10 amps.

Combined, we get over 20.

But when we start the coach, the alternator charges at over 60 amps!

Changed our whole boondocking paradigm. We don’t have to idle our coach for long to top off whatever our panels haven’t provided during the day and it’s much quieter than using the genset.

Of course, your coach may be wired differently, but it might be worth a look.

CAUTION: we have since learned this prolonged high current draw can damage your alternator. It doesn’t happen with lead-acid batteries. When installing lithiums in a charging system originally designed for lead-acid batteries, , you should probably also install a dc-dc charger between the alternator and the batteries. This will keep the current draw at a safe level. But you can still charge at a higher rate than you get from most portable solar panels (20-50 amps).

[haroldfitz]

I went with roof mounted. The panels keep the roof cooler and I charge while I drive. Renogy told me I lose about 20-25% not being able to aim them so I just added another panel. Great video!

[RVHabit]

I always love watching videos where the person has a cool shirt. You are spot on with pros and cons. It so good to see a video I've missed watching you guys. I see a lot more boondocking in your future. Tell Sabrina we said hello. Stay safe, Lou.

[averysmallcampervan]

I am planning to have a portable panel for my van build (minivan camper). For me the main pro is that by stowing the panel in the van when driving we minimize wind resistance and the main con is, as others have mentioned, what to do with the panel when we are parked but not with the van, say when parked at the beach for the day in the summer - lots of sun but I would worry too much about the panel disappearing. I am glad to hear you have not had any trouble with that.

[bobandmichellemurray]

We’re in the process of building our solar system on the roof of our RV. I was a little conflicted on whether portable panels or fixed roof panels would work better for us. Super convenient and I would adjust them all day. Once I saw what the wind did I was convinced. The roof is the best way for us. Thanks so much for sharing!

[Tom-fusf]

Ok. Just watched this again because I noticed that I missed giving you a LIKE. WELL HAD TO COMMENT. We are on our second rig that I have put solar on the roof. Not to belittle the PROS of portable, but that did get old fast. I put them on the roof and boosted it to a bit more than I NEED. Now it's up there. Other than climbing up and cleaning them once in a while I never think about my batteries. OK that's a lie. I still love checking my state of charge when ever I walk past the panel. But we use and abuse our meager little pair of 3 1/2 year old golf cart batteries (Didi mention unlimited hot spot a big smart TV) and still never wake up to less than 12.3 volts. And when I do, bye bye lead acid, hello Battle Born.

[ScottyP]

Great video! I have been using 200 W of solar panels that I set up each time I get to the campsite, it has worked very well. I couldn't resist the sale I saw for Earth Day I was able to buy another 200 W of panels for $200, I plan to mount those on top of the coach. at first I thought I might put three up and keep only one down but I believe I will be best off by using two up and two down for certain campsites I will not even need to bring the other 200. the panels I use on the ground are completely loose and they are not connected together like yours I may do something like that with hinges and aluminum brackets will make it easier for me to tilt them and not have to always find something for them to lean on. Thanks!

[mojavedesert]

Great video! You may not remember, but I was camping with Nomadic Native in Quartzite when you was there. I had a travel trailer with 400 watts on the roof. I would get about 10 or 11 amps of charge with them flat on the roof. I upgraded to a motorhome, and now have 200 watts of portable. Because I can place the portables more perpendicular to the sunlight, I still get about 10 or 11 amps of charge from them. I consume about 50 or 60 amp hours of energy a day, so this works. An interesting note, I watched a documentary awhile back by a physicist from England. He calculated that we get about a kilowatt per square meter of energy from the sun. Of course we'll never be able to capture all of that.

[fishwhisperer]

Great video. You might consider adding a couple horizontal supports on the bottom, then add some weight on top of the supports. This should hold them in place during most situations.

[roydavis]

One pro you didn't mention was, if you buy another RV, you can easily take them with you to use in your new unit. I saw one RVer who had a tie-down for his portable panels to keep the wind from blowing them over.

[JT-cfkk]

I have 150w solarpanel flat on my boat roof and 55w flexible solar panel to move around outside the boat windows. That 55w solar panel will produce almost the same amount of amps as that other panel on the roof, also, its good to have some extra "sunshade" from that smaller panel. For next spring i allready have one flexible (why flexible? Thinner and lighter) 100w ETFE panel extra, lets see how it all works out together, so portable solarpanels are win-win for me.
Almost forgot to say that all panels will be connected to the Victron solar smart controller in parallel.
Greetings from Finland☺️