Reflecting on our trip to the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, there are some things we want to share.
One of the most exciting for us was the discovery that Habitat for Humanity has a longstanding program for RVers called the RV Care-A-Vanner program. At these builds, the nonprofit subsidizes the campsites for the RVs for two weeks. The Care-A-Vanners work 7-8 hours per day, starting early enough that there is time for recreation every afternoon and evening—plus weekends. We’re excited to do this.
We saw lots of other interesting things, including luxury RV resorts that we didn’t know existed. We saw some security cameras to give us some comfort that our RV is safe when we’re away from it. The show also featured mobile connectivity devices, leveling systems and tire pressure monitoring systems. Much of this is old hat to long-time RVers but we’re learning—sometimes even learning things we didn’t know we didn’t know!
We spent much of our time talking to people selling solar and battery systems for RVs. We still have a lot to learn but we’ve started to design our system.
This system design is for the little tiny trailer we hope to tow with our Chevy Bolt EV. We haven’t narrowed things down to determine final sizes and models, yet but we’re beginning to narrow things down.
For instance, we’re hoping to have a total of 1000 watts or 1 kilowatt of solar panels, split between those we install permanently on the roof of the trailer and some portable panels. That should give us about five kilowatt-hours of power daily. We’ll plan to start by charging batteries in the sun in advance of the short trips we’ll typically take in this little trailer.
We also need to see how much energy storage we can fit and afford in this little trailer. We’re hoping to get a total of two to three kilowatt-hours of storage to power the trailer when the sun isn’t shining. Weight is a key constraint with our little car.
We’ve got a lot of work to do to figure out all the options for charge controllers and inverters and such. So much to learn! Of course, that’s the challenge we signed up for and truly relish.
Learning How to Design a Solar Power System for an RV