Our December 2014 Video Chat about Solar for RVs:

(Caution: This video is nearly an hour long.. make sure you have the bandwidth available before starting!)

The components of our Solar Electrical Setup

Here are the components we're using for our solar setup:

Victron Disclaimer: We selected Victron independently and purchased their inverter when we first bought our bus in 2011. Our main decision point was that, at the time, they were the only battery boosting inverter on the market (there are others now, such as the Magnum Hybrid) - a feature we highly recommend for maximum versatility. They are most well known in Europe and the boating industry, and aren't as popular for RVing. Over the years of contacting them for support, we've gotten to know the team, and have become unpaid beta testers for them to help evolve their product line for RV use. We love all our Victron can do (like remoting into check the battery status), and how they are constantly improving & advancing things. All of our current Victron equipment has been supplied by them as a test installation, but we are not affiliated with or compensated by them. We just really love the equipment and their responsiveness.

AMSolar Disclaimer: The folks at AMSolar have become good friends over the years since we purchased our components from them for our Oliver Travel Trailer installation back in 2008. We purchased and paid for our components and installation from them for our bus install in 2014. We have no affiliation with them otherwise, but simply have uber respect for them as a company and people.

We've designed solar twice before on our RVs, both our 16' T@B and 17' Oliver  Travel Trailer were designed with solar and we lived almost entirely 'off the grid' in those setups. With our bus, our aim is a setup that is versatile and gives us lots of flexibility for a variety of situations.

Flexible Panel 'Ground Deploy' Contestants

When we dove deeper into our research on flexible panels in summer of 2014, we asked all of our top contenders if they'd be up to a challenge and would send us panels to test out - head to head!

While we didn't find flexible panels were up to our expectations yet for a roof installation, we are continuing to test the panels we received as a ground deployable auxiliary setup. We will continue to test various models in a variety of conditions and see how they hold up over time.  We also like the combination of a roof setup, and a ground setup - which we'll get around to writing more about at a later date.

Here are the panels we are testing:

• Go Power "" Our friends the Wynn"™s have written about their experiences with Go Power panels, and they put us in touch with the company who agreed to send us 2x 100W Solar Flex panels for testing, as well as their basic PWM charge controller.
• Grape Solar "" Grape Solar was also excited by the project, and sent us 2x 100W Photo-Flex panels for testing.
• Renogy - They opted not to send us panels for the test, but we purchased two at our own cost so we could include them. They tend to the be least expensive flexible option. Reports are coming in from other RVing bloggers that their Renogy flexible panels did not survive a single hot summer, confirming our concerns about how these things in general handle heat. They have since discontinued the panels we have, and have come out with new ones that address the problems.

Additional Solar for RV Resources:

• RVSolarConsulting - Run by our friend Dan Heming, he does remote consultations to those building their own solar and battery installations.
• AMSolar
• Jack Mayer's RV Electrical Page
• HandyBob's Solar Page

Installers & Purchasing Resources:

• AMSolar - Springfield, Oregon: We had our panels installed here (we did the wiring and batteries ourselves), and they were awesome. This was however before Greg sold the company to his employees - so we can't attest to their current management. They can also install lithium batteries. They also keep their own list of recommended dealers/installers that are worth going through.
• RV Solar Solutions - Mobile: Greg is trained by AMSolar, and has a background in solar. He's been touring the country by RV for a few years now, and can do solar installations during his stops. We've met in person, and have heard from others who have had installations done from him and rave about his work. While we have no direct experience to share, we have no hesitation in recommending him.
• Precision RV Service - Mobile: Marvin is trained by AMSolar, and has done installs from their shop. He's an RVer himself, and splits his time in Oregon and Arizona. We've not met him in person, but have heard great things about his work from trusted friends - and have no hesitation in recommending him.