I want to buy a solar charger for a 12v 10ah battery but solar panels are rated in watts. .?
Can anyone tell me what wattage I need. I done some calculations which i dont know is correct but I got 12 watts. Can anyone help
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Tagged with: watts
Filed under: Solar Charger Forum
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Watts is a unit of power (energy/time) where 10ah@12v is a unit of energy. If we knew HOW FAST you want the battery, you can answer this question (usually depends on the battery). Conceivably, you could run a 12 W solar panel or a 1.2 W solar panel but it would take (ideally) 10 times longer to charge the battery.
I suggest looking up the recommend charging current and voltage for the battery and from there you can calculate the desired power requirement and make a decision from there.
Remember, P = V * I
Most batteries are designed for a 10 hour charge rate. In that sense 12 W is right for a 12 volt 10 ah battery. The catch is that the panels are usually specified for peak wattage. Since you can expect only about 6 hrs of sunlight even on a clear day with an average output at about80% peak wattage, you will be safer with 12 x(10/6)x(1/0.8) = 25 W.
Most batteries are designed for a 10 hour charge rate. In that sense 12 W is right for a 12 volt 10 ah battery. The catch is that the panels are usually specified for peak wattage. Since you can expect only about 6 hrs of sunlight even on a clear day with an average output at about80% peak wattage, you will be safer with 12 x(10/6)x(1/0.8) = 25 W.
I suggest looking up the recommend charging current and voltage for the battery and from there you can calculate the desired power requirement and make a decision from there.
Remember, P = V * I