Solar for Life!

In 2012, I began an adventure that would become a fond memory for the rest of my life. I sold my home in San Diego and purchased a Lance Camper for my Ford F250 Super Duty diesel-powered pickup. Since I had family in Oregon, I decided to become a Snowbird. I would head north in the summer months and south to Yuma in the winter.

I spent a full year researching everything I needed to know about full-time RVing and my main interest was RV Solar. Since the inception of solar panels, my fascination with the topic had grown exponentially as the idea just seemed logical and essential.

I read everything I could get my hands on and one piece, in particular, caught my attention. This was a site written by a full-timer who loved solar and hated all those he came upon using a generator.

He emphasized the noise, the pollution, and the unnecessary costs associated with using them. He was condescending and disdainful of all who used the noisy beasts and made several enemies in campsites where noisy generators, grinding away all night, prevented others from sleeping.

Generators run out of fuel and stop working and often break down like an old car. Solar is forever! Why wouldn’t you use solar for your RV whether for partial or full-time use?

I loved the idea and found a 100 Watt Siemens panel and controllers to accompany it. At some point in my travels, I sold my slide-in Lance Camper and upgraded to a larger unit. As it happened, this unit had two Siemens panels with the very same specs. I was stoked and the three panels worked wonderfully together.

I recall doing a little parking lot camping and noticed I was making power from the overhead street lights. Imagine that! I loved my solar even more after that night. Each time I came upon someone using a generator, I grilled them on the benefits and longevity of using solar. Since my confidence, knowledge, and skills in installing solar had become huge, I even made a little cash on the side helping others learn how to purchase and install them on their rigs.

Meeting other RVers with solar was a very uniting thing and was always a great icebreaker for making friends and starting a friendly conversation. Also, when it rained as it often does in Oregon, I was amazed to see that even the daylight through the cloudy weather was generating power.

I knew that after my full-time RVing adventure was over, I would keep my panels for the stick & brick life so I could be the only one on my block to have power when the grid went down. Solar has always been a huge part of my life and I am puzzled over all those who have no panels. Power is essential and so is solar!