Is a 200W solar kit enough for an RV?
The answer depends on your fridge more than on anything else, and on which output number you trust.
Two honest figures for the same kit
Our calculator takes 200W, multiplies by sun hours and then by 75% for real-world losses. That gives 750Wh a day in five hours of sun. Renogy's listing for the 200W Starter Kit quotes an average of 500Wh a day on five hours of direct sun. The kit uses a Wanderer Li 30A PWM controller rather than an MPPT, so we would not assume the higher number if you are close to the line.
| Sun | Calculator budget | At 12V |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudy or winter, about 3 hours | 450Wh | 35Ah |
| Mixed, about 5 hours | 750Wh | 59Ah |
| Desert summer, about 6 hours | 900Wh | 70Ah |
| Renogy's figure, 5 hours | 500Wh | 39Ah |
Your rig against those limits
| Loads | Daily use | 750Wh budget | Renogy's 500Wh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights, pump, phones, fans, propane fridge, TV, coffee | 474Wh | Fits | Fits |
| Lights, pump, phones, fans, 12V fridge | 550Wh | Fits | Short |
| 12V fridge, TV, laptop | 730Wh | Just fits | Short |
| 12V fridge, TV, coffee | 755Wh | Over, calculator asks for 250W | Short |
Propane-fridge rigs have real margin, even after adding a small load. In 3 hours of winter sun, the same propane rig needs 250W, so even it runs short in that case.
The decision rule
- Propane fridge, weekends, good sun: 200W is enough.
- 12V compressor fridge: go to 400W. The fridge alone costs 25Ah of a 59Ah budget, and one cloudy spell or one added load puts you behind.
- Already own the 200W kit: its listing says it expands to 400W with more of the same panels, so you can start small.
When the 200W kit is out of stock, as it was when we wrote this, the calculator skips it and recommends the 400W kit, so check the product card on this page for current stock.
What else you need
The kit has no battery. On the calculator's 85% usable figure, a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery covers two days of the propane rig. Two days of the 12V-fridge rigs above takes 150Ah.
Check your own loads in our RV solar and battery calculator before you choose.
What you need
Want the full walkthrough? Read the complete guide.