How much solar power do I need for my camper?

Are you planning to install solar panels on your campervan, but don't know how much power you need? No worries! We'll explain step by step how to calculate this, so you know exactly what you need for a carefree trip.

Step 1: Determine your daily energy consumption

Start by listing all the electrical appliances you use in your campervan. Note down the power (in watts) and the time you use them daily. You can use our consumption calculator on our homepage for this. Here are some examples:

• Laptop: 100 W, 2 hours per day = 200 Wh per day
• Maxxfan roof vent: 50 W, 8 hours per day = 400 Wh per day
• Refrigerator: 60 W, 24 hours per day with a 33% duty cycle = 475 Wh per day
• Lighting: 10 W, 4 hours per day = 40 Wh per day

Add up all these values to get your total daily energy consumption. In this case, that's 1,115 Wh (1.1 kWh) per day.

Step 2: Calculate the Required Solar Energy

Solar panels don't produce energy all day; you need to account for the available sun hours. In the Netherlands, you can generally count on approximately 4 full sun hours per day with horizontal mounting of the solar panels.

Required solar panel power = Daily energy consumption / Effective sun hours

For a daily consumption of 1115 Wh and 4 effective sun hours per day:

Required solar panel power = 1115 Wh / 4 hours = 279 W

Step 3: Account for Efficiency and Losses

Also, account for losses due to inverters, cables, and battery efficiency. Use a loss factor of 20%:

Required power with losses = 279 W * 120% = 335 W

Step 4: Choose your Solar Panels

Now that you know you need 335 W of solar panels, you can determine how many panels you need to install. Suppose you choose solar panels of 100 W each:

Number of required solar panels = 335 W / 100 Wp panel = 4 panels

So, you need 4 solar panels of 100 W to cover your daily energy needs.

Conclusion

For an average daily energy consumption of 1115 Wh, you need approximately 335 Wp of solar panels, which equates to 3 to 4 solar panels of 100 W. This ensures you have sufficient energy, even with a buffer for less sunny days.

With this information, you can confidently make the right choice for your campervan adventures. Would you like to know more or do you need help with the installation? Feel free to contact us!