What size solar panel does it take to power this, or if anyone has tried it?
1188935
You need to provide 12 volts at about 45 watts. 1 square meter collects about 1300 watts and the average efficiency is about 15% equating to about equating to about 195 watts so you'll need about a quarter of a meter. The individual cells need to be connected in parallel and serial to produce to produce 12 volts at approximately 45 watts.
1188936
1 square meter of panel doesn't collect anywhere near 1300 watts. More like 200.
1411592
Hello,If you are charging 12v nominal battery bank you can input up to 400 watts of solar power.If you are charging 24v nominal battery bank you can input up to 800 watts of solar power.The wiring configuration of the 800 watt panel setup must be done so that you do not parallel all of them or not series all of them or else the panels will either go out of the 100 VDC or the 40A rating.The 800 watt setup must be wiring in series/parallel.Please let us now if you have any further questions.Regards,AW
1397705
Sorry Louis, I can't help you on the solar component. I didn't set mine up with one. I might be able to help you with other questions.
849772
Hi, I installed the Uni-Solar panel on a Lance 1020 camper and found it pretty simple, simply roll it out and remove the backing. It bounded extremely well so get it in the right place to start with. We traded the camper for a larger one a couple of months after installation so I had limited experience with performance but it kept the battery charged and put out the amps and voltage advertised. Bob
304630
I run mine on a 12 volt battery for 20 hours with no issues, I would think the right solar panel would work.
1644190
Ya you can run this with photovoltaics. The only thing is that this is 120VAC so you will need an inverter from the solar panel to the pump. More than likely there are DC pumps out there and you could hook directly to it. It will start pumping when the sun comes up and stop when it goes down. If you want it to continuously run then get a larger solar panel --&gt; charge controller--&gt;battery--&gt;pump. My estimate since pump is 6 watts get at least an 18-20 watt panel then a battery that will last you through the night, 6 watts * 18 hours * 2 (oversize it) = 216 watt*hour battery.
1523593
I purchased this after reading the other responses and can confirm. I'm using a single Solarworld 250w panel (24v) with two 6v Sun eXtender batteries (wired for 12v). Works great.
392410
There is no simple answer. Most solar panels have a fixed 12 volt output rated in amps. People who use several batteries use a device called a controller. For off grid small batteries like yours, one solar panel should work. I se a Solar5 panel and it keeps a battery like yours charged up. For me, it is stand by power only. the 5 means it has a maximum 5 amp output in full sun. The best way is to use a controller as the other folks wrote
1468499
Its only a 5 Watt panel so no. Running something from a solar panel, without a DC battery, isnt practical anyway if you need any sort of a constant voltage.
458390
It's a combination of solar panel size and the inverters self-contained in the Sentinel unit. The unit can accept 12v at 16amps from solar panels, so the recommended solar panel wattage is at total of 100-120 watts. That amount of power will charge the unit from completely depleted to 100% in approximately 8 hours.
2257378
Yes, I use a large panel at home and it can fully charge the batteries in about two hours in direct sunlight. I have a small 40watt panel that I used out in the field and it kept my ham radio running all day without a decrease in stored battery power.
1000763
How big was the diod it sounds like it's to small for the power your panel is making
1729374
It could be done, but 50 watts probably wouldn't do the trick. You could tie together more than one panel, though, for more power, or use a larger panel. If you do buy solar and plan to use a lead-acid battery, spend a little more and buy a PWM controller. (Look at Sunguard controllers). It costs a little more, but you'll get more output from the same panel. Controllers are used to prevent overcharging lead acid batteries. So, in short, it can be done. I love the Instapark panels. I dropped one from my RV and replaced it with the same model. Still need to see if I can have the glass replaced. They are not fragile, though. Have fun. It's a project. It could be done, but 50 watts probably wouldn't do the trick. You could tie together more than one panel, though, for more power, or use a larger panel. If you do buy solar and plan to use a lead-acid battery, spend a little more and buy a PWM controller. (Look at Sunguard controllers). It costs a little more, but you'll get more output from the same panel. Controllers are used to prevent overcharging lead acid batteries. So, in short, it can be done. I love the Instapark panels. I dropped one from my RV and replaced it with the same model. Still need to see if I can have the glass... » Read More It could be done, but 50 watts probably wouldn't do the trick. You could tie together more than one panel, though, for more power, or use a larger panel. If you do buy solar and plan to use a lead-acid battery, spend a little more and buy a PWM controller. (Look at Sunguard controllers). It costs a little more, but you'll get more output from the same panel. Controllers are used to prevent overcharging lead acid batteries. So, in short, it can be done. I love the Instapark panels. I dropped one from my RV and replaced it with the same model. Still need to see if I can have the glass replaced. They are not fragile, though. Have fun. It's a project. « Show Less
2072057
Bill, I cannot answer this. How much power does it draw? How long does it need to power it before you would consider it viable? Sorry.
616517
Funny you ask questions about this solar panel because I just ordered a new one for another feeder. The size of the solar panel itself is 4" square. It is attached to a mounting bracket that folds out being a 2 piece bracket 4" long for one piece of the bracked and 3 3/4" for the second piece of the folding bracket.
1802155
Here is a guy who found one and made his own adapter: http://irongarment.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/goal-zero-nomad-27-solar-panel-to-energizer-x/
925843
It needs a voltage regulator to keep from overcharging the powerpack. I have the cheap 10 amp ($15) controller. Output from this panel can exceed 20 volts in strong sunlight.