Every RV runs on one of three power sources, and most run on two. Shore power is the campground pedestal. A generator is fuel you carry. Solar with a lithium bank is energy you harvest and store. None of them is "best." Each one wins in a specific situation, and the mistake most owners make is buying for the trip they take least often.
This guide compares the three on what actually matters: what they cost to set up, what they cost to run, how much they weigh, how loud they are, and what happens when the weather or the campground does not cooperate.
The short version
| Shore power | Generator | Solar + lithium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Lowest (a cord and a charger) | Moderate | Highest |
| Running cost | Campground fees | Fuel and oil | Near zero |
| Noise | None | Constant while running | None |
| Weight carried | A cord | 45–110 lb plus fuel | Panels plus batteries (lithium is light) |
| Works at night | Yes | Yes | From stored charge only |
| Works off-grid | No | Yes | Yes, weather permitting |
| Runs a rooftop A/C | Yes (30 A or 50 A site) | Yes, if sized for it | Only with a large bank and inverter |
| Maintenance | None | Oil, filters, carburetor, exercise runs | Almost none |
Shore power: the default, and the cheapest
If you camp at developed sites most of the time, shore power is your primary source and everything else is backup. A 30 A pedestal delivers up to 3,600 W; a 50 A pedestal delivers up to 12,000 W across two legs. That is enough for the air conditioner, microwave, and water heater at the same time, which no reasonable solar setup can match.
What you need:
- A proper cord. The 30A generator cord, L5-30P to TT-30R, 20 ft, 10 AWG ($89.99) is the same cord you use at a pedestal with a TT-30 receptacle.
- A converter or charger that actually charges your battery chemistry. Old single-stage converters will undercharge lithium and cook AGM. A Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger ($52.50–$201.10 depending on amperage) has selectable profiles for both.
- Surge and ground protection. Pedestal wiring is often wrong. A 15 A tamper-resistant GFCI receptacle ($9.99) inside the RV is cheap insurance for the outlets people touch with wet hands.
Where it falls down: it is only available where someone built a pedestal. The moment you turn off the pavement, it is gone.
Generator: energy on demand, at a price you hear
A generator is the only portable source that produces power whenever you want it, regardless of weather. That is its entire advantage, and for an air conditioner on a 95°F day with no hookups, it is the only realistic option unless you have a very large lithium bank.
The costs are real:
- Noise. Inverter generators are quieter than open-frame units but are never silent. Many campgrounds enforce quiet hours, and some boondocking areas ban them outright.
- Fuel. You carry gasoline, propane, or diesel in addition to everything else. A Wavian NATO jerry can is the safe way to do it, but it is still weight and a fire risk in a compartment.
- Maintenance. Oil changes, air filters, stale-fuel carburetor problems after storage, and the need to run it monthly even when you do not need power.
- Carbon monoxide. Exhaust placement matters. Every RV running a generator should have a working 12 V CO and propane detector ($42.00) inside, tested before each trip.
Run time depends on load and model; check the manufacturer's rating for your unit rather than a rule of thumb. A generator paired with a good charger is also the fastest way to refill a lithium bank on a cloudy week, which is why many off-grid rigs keep a small one as backup rather than as the primary source.
Solar + lithium: quiet, light, and front-loaded
Solar does not produce power on demand. It produces power when the sun is out and stores it for later. That distinction drives every design decision. You are not sizing for peak load; you are sizing for daily energy in versus daily energy out.
A realistic mid-size setup:
- Panels. A Renogy 200 W 12 V N-type panel ($199.00) or a 4-pack of 200 W panels ($749.00) for 800 W on the roof. Black Series HQ19/HQ21 owners can use the pre-fit solar panel kit ($1,820.00).
- Controller. A Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 or 100/50 ($109.99–$179.99). Match panel voltage and current to the controller using the pairing chart linked below.
- Battery. A Victron LiFePO4 Smart battery ($444.00–$2,038.00 by size) or the Eco-Worthy 12 V 280 Ah LiFePO4 ($399.00) for a budget bank.
- Monitoring. A Victron SmartShunt (from $99.99) so you know state of charge instead of guessing from voltage.
What it does well: silent power, no fuel, almost no maintenance, and lithium weighs roughly half of what lead-acid does for the same usable capacity. Once installed, every kilowatt-hour is free.
What it does badly: cloudy weeks, winter sun angles, and air conditioning. Running a rooftop A/C for hours needs a bank in the 400 Ah–600 Ah class at 12 V and a 3,000 VA inverter, plus enough roof to recharge it. That is a $5,000+ system, not a weekend add-on.
How to choose: match the source to your camping
Mostly campgrounds, occasional overnight off-grid. Shore power plus a modest lithium bank and a smart charger. Skip the generator. A single 100 Ah lithium and a DC-DC charger from the tow vehicle covers the odd night without hookups.
Mixed, with a week off-grid a few times a year. Solar and lithium sized for your daily draw, with a small generator kept for cloudy stretches. This is the most common setup on Black Series HQ campers and the reason the Victron Off-Grid Power Starter collection exists.
Full-time boondocking, hot climates. Large solar, large lithium, a MultiPlus-class inverter/charger, and a generator you hope not to use. Design it as a system; the Victron Energy Systems collection groups the components.
Cold-weather camping. Lithium needs low-temperature charge protection (most quality batteries have it built in), and short winter days cut solar yield sharply. A generator or shore power becomes more important, not less.
Combining them properly
The three sources are not competitors inside the RV; they are inputs to one battery. The cleanest way to combine them is an inverter/charger such as the Victron MultiPlus (from $274.99), which accepts shore or generator on its AC input, charges the battery from either, and inverts from the battery when neither is present. Add solar through an MPPT and alternator charging through an Orion DC-DC, and every source feeds the same bank with no manual switching.
If you have both a generator and shore inlet and want both wired permanently, the Victron Quattro has two AC inputs and switches between them automatically.
Shop this
- 30A Shore/Generator Cord, 20 ft — $89.99
- Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 & 100/50 — from $109.99
- Eco-Worthy 12V 280Ah LiFePO4 — $399.00
- Victron MultiPlus Inverter/Charger 120V — from $274.99
- Off-Grid Power Starter — Victron (collection)
- Solar Power (collection)