Can I Power My RV Fridge With a Solar Panel

Question:

I have a 2021 Forest River Wildwood FSX The refrigerator operates solely off of the battery. I only have one battery. Would I be able to recharge the battery enough with a solar panel to operate the refrigerator? If so, what size solar panel would I need?

asked by: Susan L

Helpful Expert Reply:

A lot of this depends on how much power your refrigerator uses and the size of your battery. I'll also add that you're likely not going to be able to accomplish running the fridge completely on solar power with only 1 battery and you're likely going to need 4 batteries to provide you with enough juice to run the fridge for several days on the battery, even when being recharged with solar power.

A fridge like the Everchill # 324-000119 uses 11-amp hours of power, so it's going to consume 264 amp hours of power over the course of a day. Since you don't want to run the batteries too low, and you'll also need power for other appliances, you're going to need something like the Go Power Solar AE-4 All Electric System with MPPT Solar Controller - 760 Watt Solar Panels # 342-75010. This kit requires a 4 battery bank and can provide around 200 amp hours of power per day (in optimal conditions). With a 4 battery bank (200 amp hours per battery), you'd have enough power to run the fridge, other appliances and keep your batteries charged up sufficiently.

I've linked a review video of this 4 panel solar system for you to have a look at, as well as a helpful article on solar power for your RV that details how to determine exactly how much solar power you need for your coach.

expert reply by: Erik B