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Solar is not sized by van size alone. The right setup depends on what you use each day, how long you stop, the season you travel in and how much clear roof space you genuinely have.
Choose a straightforward panel kit to install yourself, or save the internal wiring with one of our pre-wired solar power boards. The electrical specification is the same. The difference is how much assembly you want to do.
Answer three quick questions for a recommended starting point. You can skip this guide and shop the full range anytime.
Select your daily power demand, panel preference and install format above for a recommended starting route.
For most campervans, one or two panels is the sensible starting point.
A single panel suits lighter daily use and gives you the simplest route onto solar. Two panels are the most common step up when power increases with a compressor fridge, device charging, diesel heaters, Maxxair fans and lots of tech as well as longer stops increasing overall demand. Three or four panels make sense for larger vans, longer off-grid trips and systems supporting electric cooking for prolonged periods or in shoulder seasons.
Bigger is not automatically better. In most builds, clear roof space becomes the limit before the battery or controller does.
Start with daily consumption, then check clear roof space, then confirm that the battery bank is suitable. That is the same order Rayne Automotive uses when designing a system.
A single panel is usually the right place to start. This suits lighting, phones, pumps and maintaining the leisure battery between lighter trips.
This is the common compressor-fridge, lighting and device-charging range. One panel may cover summer use, while two panels give more useful recovery and near year-around power.
For several days or weeks parked up, the system needs more roof generation rather than relying heavily on the alternator. Two, possibly three panels are a more realistic starting point, subject to roof space and season.
Regular inverter loads and electric cooking need the complete system to work together: solar array, battery bank, inverter, DC-DC charging and mains charging. The largest three or four-panel routes are designed for these builds and for trips lasting a week or more.
The figures below use the same seasonal-yield settings currently held in the Power Planner. They are planning estimates, not guarantees. Weather, shade, roof angle, dirt and temperature all affect real output.
| Planned Array | Summer Planning Output | Winter Planning Output |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid 130W | 311 Wh/day | 96 Wh/day |
| Rigid 2 × 130W | 621 Wh/day | 192 Wh/day |
| Rigid 3 × 130W | 932 Wh/day | 289 Wh/day |
| Rigid 4 × 130W | 1,243 Wh/day | 385 Wh/day |
| Rigid 190W | 454 Wh/day | 141 Wh/day |
| Rigid 2 × 190W | 908 Wh/day | 281 Wh/day |
| Rigid 3 × 190W | 1,362 Wh/day | 422 Wh/day |
| Rigid 4 × 190W | 1,816 Wh/day | 562 Wh/day |
| Flexible 150W | 359 Wh/day | 111 Wh/day |
| Flexible 2 × 150W | 717 Wh/day | 222 Wh/day |
| Flexible 3 × 150W | 1,076 Wh/day | 333 Wh/day |
A useful comparison is your daily consumption, not the panel’s headline wattage. If your van uses 600Wh each day, a system producing roughly 600Wh on an average day is replacing that use. In winter, the same roof produces much less, so DC-DC and mains charging matter more.
This is Rayne Automotive’s normal recommendation when the roof layout and weight rating allow it.
Rigid panels sit on mounts with airflow underneath, are mechanically fixed and are easier to replace later. They are the natural choice for larger vans and multi-panel arrays where durability matters more than keeping the roofline as low as possible.
Our rigid range uses Victron monocrystalline panels with the Victron warranty.
Best for: most conversions, larger vans, multi-panel systems and long-term durability.
Choose flexible when weight or a very low roof profile genuinely matters.
Our 150W flexible panels are Rayne Automotive’s own specification right down to the thickness of the solder joining the cells before the panel is laminated in our signature blend of polymers, designed to be as robust as a flexible panel can be, and carry a five-year warranty. They bond directly to the roof, so correct installation matters. The approved bonding pattern must be followed because poor bonding can damage the panel and invalidate the warranty.
Best for: lower vehicles, restricted roof profiles and builds where panel weight matters.
Practical rule: if you do not need flexible, choose rigid.
The standard kit and the power-board kit use the same electrical specification. You are choosing the build format, not buying a better-performing solar system.
Everything arrives as a complete kit for adding solar to your leisure battery or existing 12V board. You mount the components and make the internal connections yourself.
Choose this when: you are comfortable mounting the MPPT, wiring the PV isolator and making the internal connections.
We mount and wire the MPPT, PV isolator and internal connections onto a tested board. You still install the roof panels, but the electrical assembly arrives built and ready to connect.
Choose this when: you want the premium, lower-admin installation route or you are building vans repeatedly.
For either route, allow roughly half a day for the solar installation once the roof layout is decided. The roof work normally takes more time than the internal connection.
Select a category route to filter the grid, or browse the full range below.
Rayne Automotive’s latest range uses Victron SmartSolar MPPT controllers. We are not planning to offer BlueSolar because the saving is not worthwhile on these smaller systems, while SmartSolar gives you built-in Bluetooth for setup, live readings and historical performance data.
The controller bands are:
| Controller | Planned Array Capacity |
|---|---|
| SmartSolar 75/15 | Up to 220W |
| SmartSolar 100/30 | Up to 440W |
| SmartSolar 100/50 | Larger arrays, including three rigid panels where specified |
| SmartSolar 150/45 | Three flexible panels and four-panel rigid configurations where specified |
We do not automatically sell spare controller capacity “just in case”. We size the controller for the system being installed. If you expand later, the controller may need to change too.
Our standard approach is series wiring.
It uses fewer MC4 connections, allows thinner roof-to-controller cabling and raises the array voltage so the controller can begin useful charging earlier and continue later in the day. Fewer external connections also remove the most common source of solar faults seen in campervans: poor-quality MC4 crimps.
Every Rayne Automotive kit has its MC4 connections crimped professionally in our factory.
Do not position roof bars, vents or other fittings where they cast a permanent shadow across the panel. In the short term, shade can stop useful output from the series string. Over time, repeated localised shading can damage the affected panel.
Plan the clear roof area first. Fit the panels second.
Solar charges whenever usable daylight reaches the panels. DC-DC charging works while you drive. Mains charging restores the system when you plug in.
A touring van that moves regularly can use a smaller solar array because the alternator contributes. A van parked for a week needs more roof generation and battery capacity. In winter, solar contributes less, so the other charging routes become more important.
That is why the System Builder sizes the whole system rather than recommending panels in isolation.
Explore related system categories:
Measure the genuinely clear area around vents, skylights, roof bars and aerials. Leave access for future maintenance and do not create permanent shade across a panel.
Follow the Rayne Automotive bonding diagram supplied with the kit. Flexible panels need the approved bonding pattern so heat and movement do not stress the panel.
Rigid panels are simpler to mount correctly, but they still need suitable mechanical fixings rather than adhesive alone.
Poor MC4 crimps cause more avoidable solar faults than any other part of the installation. Rayne Automotive’s kits arrive with these connections professionally made.
The smaller solar boards connect through a compatible Rayne Automotive 12V board unless the leisure-battery adaptor is selected. The 150/45 and 100/50 solar boards pair with the HD Builder board family, including the Orion XS and HD 30A routes.
We have designed and supplied campervan solar systems for 12 years. That experience sits behind the panel choice, controller sizing, cabling and connections in every kit.
The same systems work in campervans, motorhomes and caravans. The sizing principles do not change: daily use first, roof space second, battery capacity third.
Start with daily consumption. Under 360Wh per day is light use, 360–600Wh is typical touring, 600–960Wh suits longer static stays, and regular electric cooking can exceed 1,200Wh per day. Then check how many panels fit without shade and whether the battery bank suits the system.
Rigid is our normal recommendation because it has airflow underneath, is mechanically fixed and is easier to replace. Flexible is the right choice when low weight or a very low roof profile matters.
Usually, but do not assume the existing MPPT has spare capacity. We size the controller for the system being installed rather than charging you for unused headroom. Expanding later may mean changing the controller as well as adding panels.
It can charge whenever usable daylight reaches the panel, including while driving. The DC-DC charger is the component that deliberately uses alternator power when the engine is running.
Yes. The MPPT regulates the panel output and applies the correct charging profile to the leisure battery. Rayne Automotive’s planned range uses Victron SmartSolar MPPT controllers.
For these systems, the practical difference is built-in Bluetooth. SmartSolar lets you configure the controller and view live and historical performance in the VictronConnect app. Rayne Automotive is not planning to retain BlueSolar because the saving is not worthwhile on the smaller systems.
Rayne Automotive normally wires them in series. This reduces connections, permits thinner cabling and gives a higher array voltage. Roof layout matters because shade on one panel can reduce output from the whole series string.
Much less than in summer. For example, the Power Planner’s current planning settings estimate around 359Wh per day from a 150W panel in summer and around 111Wh in winter. These are planning figures, not guarantees.
Solar supports the battery bank rather than powering a high-load appliance directly. Regular electric cooking needs the solar array, battery, inverter, DC-DC charger and mains charger sized as one system. This is where three-panel flexible and three or four-panel rigid routes become relevant.
Yes. Choose a standard kit if you are comfortable mounting and wiring the MPPT and isolator. Choose a pre-wired solar power board if you want those internal connections completed and tested before delivery. In both cases, the roof panels still need careful planning and installation.
Start with your daily use. Check the available roof area. Then choose rigid or flexible, single or multi-panel, standard kit or pre-wired board.
Need technical help with your solar setup? Call 01245 934 140 or email info@rayneautomotive.co.uk
