Effectiveness of this solar panel?

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revans

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Hey there, presently I'm using this circuit here: 12V powered, 12 V battery charger to charge a 12v 5ah SLA battery. It takes a 12-15v input and uses it to charge lead acid batteries. At the moment my input is a 12v AC-DC adapter but I've been looking to also find a cheap solar alternative. I found these: **broken link removed** and was wondering if this would work fine with the above circuit for charging a 12v SLA if I was to wire 4 panels in series for 14.4v (on a sunny day) and use it as the input.
 
The tiny 60mA solar panels are used in solar garden lights to charge one or two AA cells.
They might charge your much larger lead-acid battery in weeks.

I bought a 12V/150mA solar panel on sale for 10 bucks. It will charge your battery in a couple of days.
 
I stole your noon at the equator phrase.

I think it's going to take more than a couple of days at 150mA as that's only a few hours a day of direct sunlight. Doubtful the OP is willing to invest in a solar tracker.
 
blueroomelectronics said:
I stole your noon at the equator phrase.

I think it's going to take more than a couple of days at 150mA as that's only a few hours a day of direct sunlight. Doubtful the OP is willing to invest in a solar tracker.
Click to expand...
My solar garden lights notice that it is dark outside later in the morning and earlier in the evening. The sun is gone until spring.
 
Yeah, I get the feeling that for my uses solar panels are just going to be a waste of time compared to how much I would spend on it. Thanks for your help though anyway guys.
 
Willbe said:
At the equinoxes. Otherwise it's not directly overhead.
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By golly, you are right!
At noon on the equator the sun is almost anywhere in the sky depending on the season.
The sun is directly overhead at noon on only two equinox days each year.

In my part of Canada (southern, near the USA) the sun is almost directly overhead at noon for only one day in the summer, the June 21st solstice.
 
It's not true anyway, the standard test for solar panels isn't conducted at the equator but in California.

https://www.beyondoilsolar.com/solarpanels.htm

 
Hero999 said:
It's not true anyway, the standard test for solar panels isn't conducted at the equator but in California.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the cheap Chinese manufacturers send their panels to California to be tested!

I doubt you will ever see a panel with such a rating - they all quote peak power in full sunlight. I don't see as the test you quoted is in any way 'standard', just one manufacturers method - certainly not a worldwide standard.
 
I don't know, if they test it at all they'll test it in a laboratory with artificial light sources.
 
All the brands of solar panels they carry are "Maximum Power" and "Peak Power" rated.
Just like a cheap amplifier for a car that advertises "200W" when its is actually only 14W RMS per channel at clipping.
 
blueroomelectronics said:
I stole your noon at the equator phrase. I think it's going to take more than a couple of days at 150mA as that's only a few hours a day of direct sunlight. Doubtful the OP is willing to invest in a solar tracker.
Click to expand...

I wonder why everybody hammers around on the equator when solar power is discussed.

It's a matter of fact that the sun is overhead the equator just two days of the year.

At all other times it appearantly moves North (good for Canadians) and South - exactly 23.5 degrees North and South latitude.

To measure the effectiveness of a solar panel the sun's latitude has to be known - to move there and test.

Ever heard about the topics of cancer and capricorn as well as the first point of Aries (meaning an equinox occurs)?
 
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