What portable solar PV kits are people using?

I think a better investment is to go for flexible panels on the roof , a lot less flaff

How does solar energy capital cost work out against the rental differential between EHU pitches and non-EHU?

Well, my solar set up cost nearly £700 to buy and instal so it will be a fair few years before I recoup this investment. But these days electricity hook up can cost £5 per day which is a fair wack. One of the joys of having your own electricity supply is that you can choose a pitch in a far corner of a site and thus be away from the hussle and bustle .I have no regrets whatsoever .

What system idi u for fro Robert?

I'll dig out the bumph in the next few days and post again. I had the set up professionally fitted by a company in Worthing on the South Coast. It is necessary to make a couple of holes in the roof so obviously its important to make sure its all water tight and if the van is new that the warranty is not adversely affected . T

So £700 to save a fiver a night comes in at break even after 140 nights. As we average 35 nights away per year, if they were all EHU free, payback would be after four years. Trouble is as we have no shower we tend to use sites with facilities and the EHU is normally included in the pitch cost. So, going back over the last 10 years, we've pitched about 5 nights without EHU, normally at dog show Showground venues. That would mean payback in 28 years and as we no longer show the dogs, probably even longer. As I'll be 98 before pay back, I think I'll give it a miss.

I totally agree with you, but just pointing out that such projects can eat money for no appreciable return. Whilst if you always pitch in fields with no facilities it may be highly relevant.

Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #8

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I don't think everybody looks at doing things to their van from the standpoint of recovering their outlay as soon as possible.

If we sell our van, we'll never get anywhere even remotely close to the money and time we've put into it over the years, but you know what?

It doesn't matter.

We enjoy having it, and we enjoy using it. Bugger the expense. We're only here the once.

If we were genuinely concerned about it giving us value for money, or if we'd recoup our 'investment' two, five or ten years down the road, I'd flog it tomorrow and have done with it.

But that's only my opinion.

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The other thing to consider is that having solar vastly increases your pick of sites, whilst EHU pitches are fought over especially in peak season non electrics are almost always available.
If you want to go one stage further and put up a toilet tent with a trug and shower with a submersible pump the world's your oyster !

Le Pew is right.If you don't have a hot water facility you are not really a candidate for a fixed panel set up. If you have interior LED lighting then probably a portable system costing £300 will do the trick . Jez is also right ,you can nearly always find a pitch if you don't need electricity .

So Robert, are your panels on the popup roof or somewhere behind? The problem for newer vans is that there is now a raised vent behind the popup which makes it awkward to place a panel there. Of course if it's mounted on the popup then the it becomes a question of how to get the cables neatly down to the fixed part of the van and into the wardrobe (assuming that is where the electrics are).


I've been giving this a lot of thought over the last few months but haven't yet decided the best location for the PV panel.

I've been solar powered for the last 4 years with my Eriba and a couple of years before that with an Elddis caravan. I wouldn't have it any other way. I prefer grass only pitches and don't want to be lined up with all the others on site. This is particularly important with a van with the door on the "wrong side", you can usually swing the van in any orientation.

My 60W folding panel has never let me down over the 6 years of ownership, I generally have a maximum of a week on any one site before travelling to the next and getting a recharge from the car. I have fitted led lamps and have a couple of hours TV if required plus charging phones and tablets. Always enough at the end of the week for the motor mover.

My panel cost £150. (Photonics Universe) I ran a permanent cable from the battery to a point under the van near the tow bar. Panel plugs in and is chained to the A frame for security, takes seconds to set up. A portable panel is generally more efficient than one mounted flat on the roof as it can be angled to suit the sun. Also, on a longish tethering chain, it can be set up away from the van's shadow.

I didn't do this for cost but for improved camping experience but nonetheless with my camping frequency I would say the payback was a couple of years if that's important.