Here it is, solar panel number 101! This is installed on our beloved truck camper, “Bertha”.
I got this 290 Watt surplus residential solar panel for $100. It turns out, residential panels are perfect (and inexpensive) for this mobile application, if you use the right charge controller.
An MPPT charge controller is able to step down the voltage of a residential solar panel so that it can be used with the 12 Volt battery in your rig. After trying several different ones, I now really like the Renogy brand charge controllers.
The Morningstar 300 Watt Silent Inverter (on the right) makes the 92 Amp Hour Battery usable for the laptop and other 120V appliances. This setup can ensure three days of power without sun, which is more than enough for our needs.
