Solar Panels do work but you have to do the maths and be realistic. if you search on
Solar Panels you will find plenty of old threads on the forum where we have debated them.
But in short and IMHO, To achieve the ability to remove the need to run the engine, (remember everytime you drive you charge the
battery) and to remove the need to hook up then you need at least 50 - 75 watts of
solar panels and then live like monks
, these will be expensive and you will most likely need to fit them to the roof of the van. Also remember that this many panels is currently heavy and if your payload / diesel is a consideration don't forget this.
The suitcase panels are fine for topping up the
battery in summer to run some lights late at night and replace the power used by the water pump etc but in winter its possible to use far more power than small 15w - 20w panels can produce. As I said you need to do the maths and work out how much power your equipment uses before making an expensive mistake.
Personally I have a 15w panel fitted to the roof, Its small, I have kids and no realistic chance of using 100%
solar power in the UK so i decided not to try. But the 15w panel is great in summer so long as we are careful with what we use we can stay off of hookup for days. In winter it keeps the
battery conditioned when not in use.
One of the biggest uses of
battery power for most people is the lights, if you can replace your lights with LED's you can reduce your consumption massivley its a no brainer, 8 watt car lights replaced with less than 1 watt LEDS.
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