More popular than ever before, people are starting to realise the true benefit solar panels have to offer. With increases in technology solar power is becoming vastly more efficient and effective.  

One of the best applications for harnessing the energy of the sun is camping. This is especially true if you intend on traveling to remote locations for long periods. That’s because in the vast spread out land of Australia you can’t always rely on their being civilization nearby to top up your energy needs. What you can for sure count on in Australia is the sun, our hot blistering sun is always just around the corner. So therefore, it makes perfect sense to harness this power into solar energy. The fact you can always rely on the sun means creating an effective solar energy pack is the only way to create a true camping setup, capable of being of grid for as long as you like.  

A quality solar system will take the power created from your solar panel and use it to recharge your batteries, from there you can satisfy all your 12 volt needs. However, if you’d like to up your game then a suitable invertor will give you access to 240 volts.

A solar setup isn’t however limited to expedition campers, I love my solar blanket for my weekend trips that way I’m always confident I can top my batteries up on the go. My favourite part about my solar energy pack is that I myself can’t eat heavy foods in the morning. So, I love cooking up a huge bacon & egg brunch but for those early morning adventures it’s certainly not my cup of tea. That’s why I use a 115ah battery and a 1500w pure sine wave inverter, so I have access to 240 volt power. But so, I can keep topping up my battery levels I use a portable solar blanket that I plug straight into my battery box easy as that. The available extension leads that come with foldable solar blankets allows me to harness the sun even if I’m parked in the shade, giving me enough power for all my cooking needs and more.

The 1500w pure sine wave inverter allows me to bring my blender from home, so for those early morning starts I can whip up a light energizing smoothie instead.

Whatever they may be, you too can bring your beloved creature comforts from home with a 115ah battery and a 1500w pure sine wave inverter. Whether it’s the air fryer to crisp those sweet potatoes, an induction cook top to quickly poach an egg or your premium espresso machine so you can sip a hot caramel latte on the beach as the sunrises. Alternatively, maybe you’re someone that works remotely like a videographer thus the ability to keep your camera gear topped up is a must have. Or if you just need to make sure you can always check your emails whilst on holidays then a solar panel setup with the right battery and inverter will be your best friend. So, I’d certainly recommend grabbing yourself a portable solar blanket, 115ah battery and battery box plus a 1500w pure sine wave inverter to recharge on your next adventure.

Other than the ability to bring all your creature comforts to camp solar panels do offer another inherently large benefit which is cost. Once you’ve paid for the initial investment of your solar setup, from there you essentially have endless amounts of free power. Not only are powered camp sites rare they are also expensive, so a with a solar system your far better off. Alternately you could use a generator for your power needs, although effectively powerful they come with some large negatives.

Firstly cost, the rise of fuel prices is unfortunately here to stay so this makes running your generator quite expensive especially when compared to the zero running cost of a solar panel. Next is availability, a petrol generator will allow you to live off grid but that is however only until your fuel runs dry. Lastly is noise, a petrol generator is basically just an engine and thus whilst it runs it creates noise. So even the quietest generator is loud, compared to the silence of a solar panel. So, when your idea is to get out and go camping in nature and enjoy the tranquillity the last thing you want is a pesky engine buzzing away. More importantly your camping neighbours won’t be too please either, on top of that most camp site have a generator ban. So again, a silent solar panel is the way to go.

Another great benefit of solar panels and solar energy is in fact environmental impact. Global warming is becoming an increasingly larger threat every day, and to ensure the health of our children and their children we all need to be doing everything we can to help out. So in turn Solar power offers a green energy alternative, as harnessing the natural power of the sun solar power has an on going carbon foot print of zero.

Solar panels come in so many shapes and sizes that there is certainly one to suit your needs. The traditional and most common form of Solar panel is what is known as a fixed Solar panel. These are perfect to be permanently mounted to your 4WD, Camper Trailer, Caravan or even Boat. If you’re after more versatility then a portable solar panel is ideal for those that don’t want to permanently mount their panel. The folding design of a portable solar panel means it can be easily stored in the back of your vehicle. If you want even more storage options, then a portable solar blanket is the choice for you. Portable solar blankets are lightweight and fold multiple times making the extremely compact and thus can be store virtually anywhere.

I hope this article has opened your eyes to the true benefits solar panels have to offer for not only you’re camping but everyday needs.