Solar Panels and Battery Charges

Solar panels are sometimes thought of only as large units sitting atop a house or spread in a pattern in a field. But solar panels are more than that. Solar panels come in many sizes, and have a multitude of uses.

For example, solar panels can be used to charge batteries. Again, some will picture a large storage battery inside a house or garage, but solar panels charge other sizes of battery, too.

What Size Battery Will a Solar Panel Charge?

Solar panels are perfect for maintaining or extending the life of a variety of batteries. Many solar panels are portable, and can be taken to remote areas where power is not readily available.

What size battery will a solar panel charge? Here are some examples.

* 6 Volt Batteries: This battery size is becoming very rare, but there are chargers made specifically for 6 volt batteries.

* 8 Volt Batteries: We found several chargers for applications using 8 volt batteries.

* 12 Volt Vehicle Batteries: Portable Solar panel battery chargers are perfect for 12V power systems used in automobiles, boats, golf carts, motorcycles, mowers, trucks, tractors, ATVs, RVs, and snowmobiles. These may be the most popular solar panel battery chargers.

* 24, 36, 48 Volt Batteries: These battery sizes can be charged by wiring panels in series. You can also order panels made to deliver more DC volts.

Solar panels cannot charge a dead battery in minutes, of course. You cannot jump-start a vehicle with them. You should learn how many hours, and what sunlight conditions are needed to fully charge your battery.

What Size Battery Will a Solar Panel Re-Charge?

In addition to charging batteries, solar panels will also recharge batteries. Solar panels small enough to fit in your hand can handle up to 9 volt rechargeable batteries. Small panels will recharge 2 “AA” Ni-cad rechargeable batteries. They will recharge cell phones, cassette players, radios, and toys. You can use a small panel to recharge your digital camera, camcorder, PDA, iPod, Mp3 player, and GPS unit. Slightly larger solar panels can recharge laptop computers.

Some solar panels will recharge batteries while you are using the appliance. Others will not. Check the panel you intend to buy, and know what it will do.