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Camping Solar Panels
How to choose a camping Solar panel
The solar panels you see installed on you nieghbours roof will not be suitable for charging up 12 volt batteries. Why, because it output voltage is too high, it's not designed to provide 12 volts.
What size solar panels are needed? To calculate your camping solar panel size in watts, find the total daily watts used by all the camping appliances and lights. Note down the appliance's name plate watts and multiply it by the number of hours it will used each day. Find the total for all appliances and lights to be used. That is the daily power requirement in Watt Hours Divide this number by 5, the number of peak sun hours in a typical day, to find the size camping solar panel you will need.
How often will you use the camping solar charger? You might just want a small portable solar kit to run a pump or the bread maker only once a week, therefore you will be able to use a smaller solar panel to charge a larger battery through the week.
Will the camping solar panels need to be moved often? They can be mounted on a vehicle or free standing which is better because you can move them to face the sun ever few hours for maximum sunlight.
What size battery is needed to store the solar power? Choose a battery with enough amp Hour capacity to supply your needs for 2 to 3 days in case you have cloudy weather. Axillary power batteries are sized according to their Amp Hour (AH) capacity, not CCA like a car battery. The best are deep cycle batteries, they designed to be charged and discharged on a daily basis, while a car battery will soon fail if treated like that for several months. Deep cycle batteries will last for several years when deeply discharged and even much longer if only discharged to half capacity on a regular basis. To work out battery size convert battery Amp hours to Watt Hours by multiplying by 12 (volts). Don't skimp on batteries, they are the workhorses of a remote power supply.
Will you need a solar regulator for the camping solar panel? larger solar panels will need a solar regulator (charge controller) while smaller solar panels of less than 20 watts can usually be connected directly to a 12 volt battery becaue they only deliver a low amperage charge of about 1 amp which will not overcharge an average sized battery.
Will you need an inverter? If you intend using any AC household appliance you will need an inverter, some are cheaper then others, pure sine inverters are the best but for most appliances you can get away with a modified sine inverter. Inverters are inefficient though, and will waste some of the solar power too, so remember to add about 20% to the watts consumption of AC appliances.
Are the electrical cables thick enough? Long lengths of electrical wire cause a loss of voltage and energy, low voltage power (12V) need thicker cable than 240VAC because cables are sized according to their current carrying capacity in Amps. Look at this comparison: 100W at 240V = 0.4A, but that same 100 watts at 12 volts = 8.3 amps. That's 20 times the current flow through the cable for the same power consumption.
Are your appliances energy efficient? When running off batteries every little saving helps. If you want to conserve power then use energy efficient lights and appliances.
Will the solar panels be placed in full sun? Just a little bit of shade causes a big drop in solar panel current flow, try to ensure the solar panels are in full sun.
Have you planned for rainy and cloudy days? A good rule of thumb is have enough solar power to produce about 20% more solar power than your daily requirement and to have enough battery capacity to store enough charge for 2 to 3 days, so your batteries will normally be fully charged every evening and ready for the occasion when you will need to use more battery power for a day or so.
These are just a few considerations when selecting solar panels for camping power . There is nothing nicer than camping out while using clean solar power from nonpolluting solar panels that are quietly generating free energy. Send us an email or use the contact form if you need any advice, we'd love to hear from you.
How to choose a camping Solar panel
When choosing solar panels for camping it is important to make the right choice. Here are a few tips.
Choose the right type of solar panel
The solar panels you see installed on you nieghbours roof will not be suitable for charging up 12 volt batteries. Why, because it output voltage is too high, it's not designed to provide 12 volts.
What size solar panels are needed? To calculate your camping solar panel size in watts, find the total daily watts used by all the camping appliances and lights. Note down the appliance's name plate watts and multiply it by the number of hours it will used each day. Find the total for all appliances and lights to be used. That is the daily power requirement in Watt Hours Divide this number by 5, the number of peak sun hours in a typical day, to find the size camping solar panel you will need.
How often will you use the camping solar charger? You might just want a small portable solar kit to run a pump or the bread maker only once a week, therefore you will be able to use a smaller solar panel to charge a larger battery through the week.
Will the camping solar panels need to be moved often? They can be mounted on a vehicle or free standing which is better because you can move them to face the sun ever few hours for maximum sunlight.
What size battery is needed to store the solar power? Choose a battery with enough amp Hour capacity to supply your needs for 2 to 3 days in case you have cloudy weather. Axillary power batteries are sized according to their Amp Hour (AH) capacity, not CCA like a car battery. The best are deep cycle batteries, they designed to be charged and discharged on a daily basis, while a car battery will soon fail if treated like that for several months. Deep cycle batteries will last for several years when deeply discharged and even much longer if only discharged to half capacity on a regular basis. To work out battery size convert battery Amp hours to Watt Hours by multiplying by 12 (volts). Don't skimp on batteries, they are the workhorses of a remote power supply.
Will you need a solar regulator for the camping solar panel? larger solar panels will need a solar regulator (charge controller) while smaller solar panels of less than 20 watts can usually be connected directly to a 12 volt battery becaue they only deliver a low amperage charge of about 1 amp which will not overcharge an average sized battery.
Will you need an inverter? If you intend using any AC household appliance you will need an inverter, some are cheaper then others, pure sine inverters are the best but for most appliances you can get away with a modified sine inverter. Inverters are inefficient though, and will waste some of the solar power too, so remember to add about 20% to the watts consumption of AC appliances.
Are the electrical cables thick enough? Long lengths of electrical wire cause a loss of voltage and energy, low voltage power (12V) need thicker cable than 240VAC because cables are sized according to their current carrying capacity in Amps. Look at this comparison: 100W at 240V = 0.4A, but that same 100 watts at 12 volts = 8.3 amps. That's 20 times the current flow through the cable for the same power consumption.
Are your appliances energy efficient? When running off batteries every little saving helps. If you want to conserve power then use energy efficient lights and appliances.
Will the solar panels be placed in full sun? Just a little bit of shade causes a big drop in solar panel current flow, try to ensure the solar panels are in full sun.
Have you planned for rainy and cloudy days? A good rule of thumb is have enough solar power to produce about 20% more solar power than your daily requirement and to have enough battery capacity to store enough charge for 2 to 3 days, so your batteries will normally be fully charged every evening and ready for the occasion when you will need to use more battery power for a day or so.
These are just a few considerations when selecting solar panels for camping power . There is nothing nicer than camping out while using clean solar power from nonpolluting solar panels that are quietly generating free energy. Send us an email or use the contact form if you need any advice, we'd love to hear from you.
| Image | Description | Price | |
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Portable Solar Panels with Carry Bag 10 watt Portable Solar Panels with Carry Bag 10Watts This compact portable solar panel kit is ideal for charging small 12 volt batteries when travell… |
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