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What solar panel should I get?

How to get power from a solar panel?

  • i got a 12v solar panel for charging my cars battery and it works ok but why when i connect a 12v bulb or a motor to the end of the leeds nothing happens? is there a different solar panel i need or are all solar panels the same? really do not get it.

  • Answer:

    Those panels only supply 1 amp or even less, just enough to trickle charge the battery. Actually, it would take weeks to charge it, they are only good for replacing leakage current, so if you go away for a month, the battery doesn't run down. A motor or 12 volt bulb usually needs a lot more current. Get a voltmeter, you can get a multimeter for $10 and check the voltage, to be sure you are connecting to the right point. Or a small 12 volt bulb, one that is rated for 5 watts or less, and it should light. Solar panels come in all different sizes. Generally, the larger they are, the more power they supply. .

Robert graves at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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What is the wattage capability of your solar panel? The wattage divided by the voltage equals current. If this is a small panel it will not have enough power (wattage) to run a light bulb or motor. You need to match the wattage of the panel and the unit you want to power.

Brutus

There is a mismatch between the impedance of the solar panel and the impedances of the bulb and motor. Luckily, the cars battery seems to have impedance that is near desirable. Look up maximum power point of a solar panel. Also look up the V-I (voltage current) and P-V (Power Voltage) characteristics of a solar panel. For sufficient energy to be generated by the solar panel, they need to be operated at the knee of the curve (See the characteristics to know what I am talking about). To match the impedances, of the loads to the solar panel, you will have to use a dc-dc converter, most likely a boost converter in order to operate the solar panel at the maximum power point. Also look up maximum power point tracking for a solar panel.

Solar power is generating electricity from sunlight. This can be direct as with photovoltaics (PV), or indirect as with concentrating solar power (CSP), where the sun's energy is focused to boil water which is then used to provide power. search google for more types of solar panels and find out.

Sali

The amperage is not there, you are taking milliamps, very weak. But, for example, a 12 volt 60 watt solar panel measuring about 20 X 44 inches has a rated voltage of 17.1 and a rated 3.5 amperage. ...and that's bigger than yours.

Beacher

If you wanted to just hook a light to the end of the wires you would need more solar panels. Hook them up in parallel. But then, why would you need to run a lightbulb directly off a solar panel?

Flivver

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