Battery charging

[canadaelk]

I have virtually no knowledge with solar panels, but I have a van (my personal electronics warehouse) parked in an underground garage and would like to keep the battery of the van topped up. There is a single 40W flourescent tube 2' above the van. Would a solar panel designed for car battery charging do the trick? What wattage should I get?
Thanks folks! E
Sorry, this should have been under renewable e., but I do not know how to move it. E

 

[audioguru]

Sunlight is much brighter than a 40W fluorescent tube so I think the current from a solar panel sized for sunlight will be very low and maybe be useless.

 

[MikeMl]

The output of a solar panel illuminated with a 40W fluorescent tube will be a tiny fraction of what it would be in bright sunlight, not zero, but not sufficient to overcome the natural self discharge rate of a lead-acid battery, let alone the parasitic current used by the ECU in your van.

 

[canadaelk]

Thanks guys, you saved me some time and money! E