Creating a solar-powered system for an RV or campervan used to be difficult. Now, anyone can install a solar generator to quickly and easily add solar power and battery capacity to any camper. The only thing you need is one of the best solar generators for RVs and vans.
There are many great options available. Sifting through all of the marketing nonsense can take a lot of time and understanding. You need to compare charging rates, battery sizes, warranty coverage, and price. But we’re solar generator experts who have already done that for you.
After reading this, you’ll be able to choose the RV solar generator that fits your needs and budget.
We carefully select the products and services we link to. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. There’s no extra cost to you and it helps us provide this information.
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BLUETTI AC500 + B300S Home Battery Backup |
AC500 on Bluetti AC500 on Amazon |
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EcoFlow DELTA Pro |
DP on EcoFlow DP on Amazon |
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Anker SOLIX F2600 Portable Power Station |
F2600 on Anker F2600 on Amazon |
The Shortlist: Best RV Solar Generators
The Bluetti AC500 is the best solar generator you can easily put in your RV or campervan. If your RV has serious electrical needs, this steps up to the plate and hits a home run. It comes with a 50-amp output and a 5kW inverter. And by adding on extra units or batteries, it goes above and beyond most RV needs.
The EcoFlow Delta Pro is our top choice for the best mid-level RV solar generator. It is still an extremely powerful system with a 30-amp output, ready for energy-hungry devices. You can pair it with a massive amount of solar panels. And it has serious expansion abilities.
If you want to power most devices without going overboard, the Anker Solix F2600 is our top pick for light-duty use. It’s a more affordable system that is still an excellent overall choice. It has sufficient battery capacity, inverter AC output, and solar input. But it’s not going overboard.
Bluetti AC500: Best Overall
Out of all the solar generators available, the Bluetti AC500 is an exceptional choice towering over competitors. It easily takes our top spot as the best solar generator for RVs and vans.
It outranks its rivals because it has:
- 5kW AC inverter with 50-amp and 30-amp outputs
- Up to 3kW solar panel charging input
- 3.1kWh battery with maximum expansion up to 37kWh
In real terms, that means it easily connects to your RV through your 50-amp or 30-amp shore power connection. You can crank on your air conditioner and microwave, at the same time. And plug in just about all the solar power you can fit on your RV roof (or use portable panels).
It’s a modular/stackable design that comes with one AC500 and one B300S battery pack. You can add up to 6 batteries to each AC500 main unit. If you want to go crazy, you can pair two AC500s together and run 12 batteries.
For RV needs, the 12-battery full kit would be unnecessary and very hard to fit in your rig, especially if you have a van. But one AC500 unit with 1 to 4 battery packs (3.1kWh to 12.4kWh) could be perfect. It’s tons of off-grid energy in a relatively compact package. You never have to worry about shore power again.
You can control and monitor your system through the Bluetti app. And it comes with excellent customer support and a solid 5-year warranty.
The Bluetti AC500 is an ideal way to instantly add extra battery capacity and solar power to your RV or campervan.
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BLUETTI AC500 + B300S Home Battery Backup |
AC500 on Bluetti AC500 on Amazon |
EcoFlow Delta Pro: Best Mid-Level
The EcoFlow Delta Pro comes in a very close second place on our list of the best RV solar generators. But it holds a commanding position as an incredible device from a high-quality company.
The Delta Pro comes with:
- 30-amp outlet to instantly power your RV (60-amp with two Delta Pro units)
- 3.6kW inverter can handle large appliances like a champ
- 1.6kW of solar input and EcoFlow Dual Fuel Generator connections
The single-unit specifications of the Delta Pro are very similar to the AC500 overall. The main thing it lacks for RV needs is a 50-amp outlet since it tops out at 3.6kW instead of 5kW. While not the end of the world, you’ll need to turn off your air conditioner before using the microwave.
An advantage of the EcoFlow Delta Pro is that one battery is integrated into the main inverter/charger unit. So you can just use one box inside your RV. It’s a perfect option for campervan builds because of this. It’s also has a slightly larger capacity than the AC500.
Yet it’s still a modular system. You can add external batteries if you need more power. And two Delta Pro units can work together to get 60-amp and 7.2kW AC output. The max system has 10.8kWh in total battery, more than your RV will likely ever need.
The solar input is 1.6kW, a large solar array but less than the Bluetti AC500. You can generate around 5kWh each sunny day pretty easily. If that’s not enough, another Delta Pro unit doubles it.
As always with solar generators, you can also charge it with a fuel generator. In this case, the EcoFlow Dual Fuel Smart Generator is ideal. It uses propane or gasoline and can charge your extra battery packs independently. It’s also a smart generator that can cycle on and off as needed. This is a very attractive solution for adding extra off-grid energy to any RV.
If you want an amazing solar generator that will open the doors to solar energy and off-grid adventures, the EcoFlow Delta Pro will be perfect.
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EcoFlow DELTA Pro |
DP on EcoFlow DP on Amazon |
Anker F2600: Best Light-Duty
The others on this list of RV solar generators are super-powerful systems with extreme expansion abilities. If your needs aren’t quite so intensive, the Anker F2600 is our top choice as the best light-duty solar generator.
It still has overall impressive specifications that can power most RV devices, including a 30-amp output. And it will charge from a lot of solar power (1kW). If you want to use a fuel generator to rapidly charge the battery, that will work too.
The main difference is that this model only pairs with one extra battery bank. The Anker F2600 has a ~2.6kWh battery and you can add one extra BP2000 battery to get up to 4.6kWh total.
In real terms, that’s still over 40 hours for a television, 400 phone charges, or 400 hours of LED light. But if you crank on a large air conditioner, you’ll use up the entire battery in a handful of hours. Hence why this is best for light-duty RV needs.
Many Anker solar generators fly under the radar in the industry, with other names gaining the lion’s share of marketing and brand awareness. But Anker is worth your time and money. The brand has been producing portable batteries longer than other solar generator companies have existed. Their prices undercut most, hitting nearly the same level as knock-off options yet coming from a high-quality brand.
You get full control and monitoring through the Anker app. It comes with an excellent 5-year warranty. And Anker sticks to industry-leading battery technology with a lot of in-house advancements built into each solar generator.
The Anker F2600 will serve any RV owner well, instantly boosting battery and adding solar power to your rig.
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Anker SOLIX F2600 Portable Power Station |
F2600 on Anker F2600 on Amazon |
What to Look for in RV Solar Generators
To find the right solar generator for your RV or van, there are a few things you want to keep in mind. First is the way it connects to your system. Then you want to inspect battery size, charging abilities, and AC output. You also want to consider how to control and monitor it.
Connections: High-Amp Output
If you are adding to an existing RV or campervan electrical system, connecting a solar generator is a breeze. You can use your RV’s shore power input to funnel energy from the solar generator.
The most important thing to have is a solar generator (or power station) with a high-amp output. Just like the connections at most campgrounds, you want to look for a 30-amp or 50-amp connection. Not every solar generator has these, but many of the bigger ones do.
Then you can just plug one cable from the solar generator to your existing shore power input. If you want, you could have a separate shore power input added to your RV. You could have this installed inside one of your storage compartments, right next to the solar generator’s spot.
If you are building a system from scratch, you can use the AC output plus DC outputs to meet your needs. Some of the best RV solar generators have a powerful Anderson Port (30-amp). This can handle a lot of 12V DC devices and would be ideal to send to a DC fuse box.
Battery Capacity
Batteries are measured in watt-hours (Wh). The higher the watt-hours of the battery, the longer it can provide power to your devices.
1 watt-hour is powering 1 watt (W) for 1 hour. To run devices totaling 1,000W (1kW) for one hour, that will use 1,000Wh (1kWh) of energy. It’s a straightforward calculation. Throw on a ~20% cushion because there are a lot of inefficiencies.
Running lights, charging phones, and using other small electronics doesn’t take too much energy. Air conditioners and induction stovetops are heavy-duty devices that will suck up energy.
How can you know how much your RV needs? Smaller RVs with few electrical appliances can be as low as 500Wh per day. Most others are closer to 2,000Wh to 3,000Wh (2kWh to 3kWh). If you want to run an air conditioner for many hours each day, you might need closer to 5kWh to 15kWh or more.
Charging Abilities
Battery size goes hand-in-hand with charging rates and sources. One of the best things about solar generators is that they accept charging from regular outlets, solar panels, and fuel generators. If you wanted to build a battery system on your own to do this, you’d usually need multiple devices.
Charging rates are rated in watts (W), just like solar panels. It’s the rate of electrical flow. Charging is just the flow of electricity into the battery. Solar panels create that flow to send to your battery.
The solar charging rates for the solar generators on this list are all very impressive. In many cases, it’s probably more solar than you’d ever need. But that’s much better than it being too low. The important thing is that the maximum solar charging input is more than the solar panels you want to install.
To learn more about how much your RV needs, head over to our post on Calculating Solar Panel Needs.
AC Inverter Output
The other main feature to look for when shopping for an RV solar generator is the AC inverter output. Once again, this is a rate of electrical flow that is measured in watts. This time, it’s measuring the most watts that can flow out of the AC outlet. For your RV, this should be a 30-amp or 50-amp outlet.
The higher the AC output, the more devices you can run at one time.
Small devices like phones and lights won’t put a dent in an AC output. They’re 5-10W each usually. It’s the big appliances to watch out for. Air conditioners can run at 3,000W. Induction stoves are usually around 1,500W to 2,000W. Microwaves are around 1,000W.
You want to make sure the AC output of the solar generator is enough to power your largest device. And if you want to run devices at the same time, you add up the watts to make sure it’s less than the AC inverter’s maximum. For example, to run a 3kW air conditioner and a 2kW stove at the same time, your inverter needs at least a 5kW rating. And you’d want one larger so that it doesn’t run near 100%.
App Control
The industry standard for solar generators is to include full control and monitoring through an app. This makes it ideal for RV use because you can stuff the solar generator wherever it fits, such as in an exterior storage compartment. Then you can control it from anywhere.
Many use WiFi and Bluetooth connections. So if your solar generator is close to a WiFi connection, you can monitor and control it from anywhere. If you don’t want to deal with WiFi, you don’t have to. Bluetooth connections make it easy.
Many solar generators also offer options to run a physical cable to remotes, if you want to skip the wireless options entirely.
There’s nothing to worry about here. And these apps are one of the great things about these innovative systems. No need to install a complicated monitoring system that you don’t understand. These are true plug-and-play devices.
Alternatives: Other RV Solar Generator Options
The competition is fierce. We know the solar generator market well and scoured the available options to curate this list. But there are plenty of other products that might fit your needs and budget.
BougeRV Rover 2000
This device missed the top pick by the width of a hair. The BougeRV Rover 2000 is pushing past most other brands by using a next-generation semi-solid state battery. This is a safer and more dense battery technology, meaning that it’s a smaller and lighter device compared to similar alternatives. And it has a very attractive price.
The biggest catch to this system is that its AC inverter is rated at 2.2kW and it lacks a high-amp output. It’s fine for RVs if you don’t want to run heavy-duty appliances, but doesn’t cut it if you do. It doesn’t pair with multiple units to boost this capability, unlike our other top choices.
The main unit has a 2kWh battery, also on the smaller side. But you can add on more battery packs to reach 8kWh in total, plenty for most RVs that aren’t using heavy-duty electronics. And it’s designed to be one of the most compact and lightweight units in the market, ideal for road-tripping adventures.
This solar generator is perfect for vans or RVs with tight spaces that want to minimize the cost and don’t want to power air conditioners, induction stoves, or anything over about 2kW. BougeRV is building a name for itself with camping and RV devices like fridges and portable air conditioners. The power stations have been good, but this product is showing that this brand is ready to pave the way ahead of others.
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BougeRV ROVER2000 Semi-Solid State Portable Power Station |
Buy on BougeRV Buy on Amazon |
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus
It’s hard to talk about solar generators without mentioning Jackery. It’s one of the most well-established names in the power station industry, especially for camping use.
The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus could be perfect for RV use. It has a powerful 3kW inverter and starts with a 2kWh battery but can expand up to 6kW inverter and 24.5kWh of battery storage. The solar input can also go up with each battery, all the way to 17kW. Downright massive overall expansion capabilities that go beyond the needs of most RVs.
It also has a 50-amp outlet that makes pairing this power station to your RV a breeze.
The biggest difference is that Jackery sticks with NMC battery technology, while the top choices all use LiFePO4. NMC offers higher density, but the expected lifespan is shorter.
In general, the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus is still an excellent choice for an RV solar generator.
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Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station |
2000 Plus on Jackery 2000 Plus on Amazon |
EcoFlow Delta 2 Max
EcoFlow’s entire lineup of power stations and solar generators is solid. And if the Delta Pro is too much for your needs, the Delta 2 Max drops the price and specifications a little.
The battery goes down to 2kWh, but you can add two external batteries to get up to 6kWh. The AC output is also lower, now at 2.4kW maximum. And you lose the high-amp output. This is why it’s a little tough to use the Delta Max for RVs. It’s going to be a fairly low-powered device, even if the battery can be pretty big.
You still get all the top-tier EcoFlow aspects, including high-quality engineering, a great app, and superior warranty coverage. If you just want to increase the lightweight electronics use away from shore power, the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max will fit right in.
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EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max |
D2M on EcoFlow D2M on Amazon |
Anker Solix F3800
This is currently Anker’s largest option. The specifications are downright impressive and perfect for large RVs with intensive energy needs. It’s overkill for most though.
It has 30-amp and 50-amp outlets to send massive amounts of power to your RV. And comes with a 3.8kWh battery and a 5kW inverter to back it up. Solar charging is at 2.4kWh.
Best of all, this is all from one single unit. Yet it’s a modular system that can use two F3800s and up to 12 additional batteries. This maximum system would go well beyond the needs of any RV. You could use it as a home backup system as well.
The largest downside is that the design is taller than others. To use it in an RV, you’ll probably have to put it on its side. As long as you leave vents open and don’t block the ports you need, this shouldn’t cause any issues. A benefit of an electronic device and not a combustion engine.
On top of all this, the price beats out most too. By many metrics, the Anker Solid F3800 is one of the best RV solar generators on the market.
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Anker Solix F3800 Portable Power Station |
F3800 on Anker F3800 on Amazon |
Bluetti AC300
The Bluetti AC500 is a great choice, but if you don’t need the high-amp output and can handle 3kW AC output, the smaller AC300 will do the trick.
It has an identical battery capacity of 3.2kWh and uses a modular design to add up to two AC300 units with four batteries for each unit, maxing out at 24.6kWh. While it’s not as impressive as the AC500’s 36.9kWh maximum, it’s unlikely you’ll max out either option for RV use. Just too many different parts and an excessive amount of electricity.
The biggest downside is that even though the AC300’s batteries are very similar to the AC500’s, they are not identical. For RV use, the biggest downside is that these batteries don’t have integrated heating pads, making cold-weather charging difficult. If your adventures take you into cold weather and you want to keep your system in an unheated space, then the AC300 will not work without a separate heating element.
But if the AC300 is enough for you, then you can save some cash compared to the bigger AC500. The Bluetti AC300 is still a top-tier system, ready to take your RV or van to a new level of energy independence.
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BLUETTI AC300 + B300 Home Battery Backup |
AC300 on Bluetti AC300 on Amazon |
Wrap Up
Solar generators are ready for adventure. Use one of the best to boost your RV’s ability to travel away from the grid or create your campervan electrical system.
For most people, the Bluetti AC500 or EcoFlow Delta Pro will be an ideal fit. Big batteries, high-amp outputs, and a modular system offer everything you need.
Once done here, head over to our article on Solar Panel Connections. We cover how to wire them together (series vs. parallel) as well as how to install fixed solar panels on RV or van roofs.
