ARTICLE
What You Don’t Know About Solar Power Could Leave You Powerless
By Kent Anderson | August 4, 2025
Read Time: 4 Minutes
It seems simple enough to leverage solar power for RV road trips. Just calculate the amount of power you need and make sure you have the right panels, controllers and batteries in place to support it. In this article, Wesco’s Kent Anderson discusses why ensuring solar power for off-grid RV customers is not as simple as it seems and how new advancements can mitigate the risks to reliable solar power.
Traditional solar power resources were not designed for moving, dynamic RVs that may come across too much shade or too much sun and heat. Both scenarios can cause major issues. For example, the bypass diode, a critical safety feature, can immediately reduce power output by 90% if one cell stops working or becomes shaded. This can be detrimental to off-grid RV customers, especially in today’s RVs that typically have more “smart” appliances and power-hungry features.
New advancements in solar, like patented balancing technology from Optivolt, can make solar power more reliable for those heading off-grid. Reach the article to learn how this innovation works to reduce the risk of failure without decreasing safety.
This article was originally published in August 2025 by RV PRO. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kent Anderson
Senior Business Development Manager, Wesco
Kent began his career with Wesco in our Manufactured Structures division and has since held positions in administration, sales and management. In 2019, he helped establish a business development team focused on offsite construction, retail/commercial and specialty vehicles. Kent sits on the Modular Building Institute Board of Directors and serves as treasurer.