The factory-installed solar system in this motorhome consisted of a 100W solar panel, a 10A PWM solar charge controller, and two 12V FLA batteries. The owners wanted to be able to take this motorhome on longer trips without needing to rely as much on a campsite or the onboard generator, so we helped them out.

The single solar panel on the roof was removed to make way for smaller, more efficient panels that made better use of the available real estate. The two flooded lead acid batteries were removed and replaced with three lithium iron phosphate batteries that also made better use of the available space.

The rest of the system was designed to fit in a very compact side compartment on the side of the motorhome. With a lot of careful planning and measuring, we were able to build the system outside of the compartment and then slide it in. We managed to fit the DC busbars, a 50A MPPT solar charge controller, a 30A DC-DC alternator charger, a Cerbo GX communication hub, and a compact 2,000VA inverter/charger. To allow the air conditioner to run without the help of generator/shore power, we installed a soft start on the air conditioner unit. To monitor the power consumption and production, a 5" touchscreen display was installed alongside the existing motorhome control panel.

These upgrades allow the owners to power the entire motorhome with clean and quiet energy. The refrigerator can be powered via the sun, with enough extra power to cool off from the air conditioner for a couple hours while watching some TV. Overall it's a big improvement from the stock system!