As mentioned, to make this test more valuable to the majority of the readers I didn’t use my 3,000-watt home solar-panel system for lighting or charging batteries. I did, however, use a few smaller portable solar panels I have.
As you’d expect, the larger a solar panel is the more quickly it’ll charge a battery. For preppers who are currently without any solar panels, though not ideal, inexpensive 15-to-25-watt panels could be purchased and tucked away to be used if the SHTF. For those wanting to get more serious, I recommend a 100-watt solar panel which are currently available beginning around $50.
TRUTH LIVES on athttps://sgtreport.tv/
While many devices can be run directly off a solar panel, acharge controlleris necessary to make battery charging possible. The smallest ones are palm sized and generally cost $20+ depending on its capabilities. I currently have two and used both during this preps test. One is wall mounted to charge the aforementioned deep-cycle battery, the other I use for portable applications such as charging batteries outdoors with a solar panel.
One nice feature of some small brands of charge controllers is that they have one or more USB ports which can be used to either power or recharge various devices. One of mine also has two female barrel-plug outlets to plug in 12-volt devices.
One thing I tested was running some lights directly off a solar panel. While solar-powered lighting seems like an oxymoron, in reality many parts of the house don’t have adequate light during the day so we generally turn the lights on whenever we’re in that room. It’s also beneficial during the winter when certain blinds and curtains are kept closed all day to conserve heat.
One curious discovery during this test was that even when my 20-watt solar panel was turned around so the sun was only shining on the back of it, it still produced enough electricity to power to some of my smaller lights. This means with only the minimal sunlight that would hit a solar panel in the shade by my kitchen, I could power adequate light for the kitchen during the day. It also shows that even on the darkest overcast days, solar panels can still provide enough electricity for at least minimal lighting.
After inventories were taken, the first task was to bring all the large 12-volt batteries up to a full charge. It was early afternoon and the day was cloudless. Rain was predicted for later in the week so there was no time to waste.
The deep-cycle battery which runs my solar water heater and backup well-water system is always at a full charge from its dedicated 15-watt solar panel. While I didn’t use that battery itself in this preps test, you can see how even small 15-watt solar panel can keep a battery at full charge.
First, I used the 15-watt solar panel and charge controller to top off all the USB-charged lantern lights, large flashlight, headlamp, and two pocket flashlights. None were very discharged so all recharged fairly quickly.
Source: SGT Report
