how well would this be for a off grid solar charged battery, i believe a deep cycle is required but also would like a very long lasting battery that would not have to be replaced every three or four years. thanks for any input you may have.
1108285
I do know these are one of the best batteries for cars because they are deep cycle and have a lot of cold cranking amps. I have had mine for about a year and have accidentally let it die a lot by leaving my lights on (because I am forgetful) and it charges back up to 100% flawlessly each time. I am not sure how well it would work with a solar array because I am not educated in solar power but it has been wonderful so far.
765122
Hi -- I am an electrical engineer and I use this panel to keep the three full size 12V deep cycle batteries wired in parallel on my camper charged. It does a really good job and I do not use a charge controller. I mount the solar panel vertically facing south so that in the summer when the sun is high in the sky and the temps are warm it receives less solar input, but in the winter the sun angle is low and I get relatively more charge and any excess battery heating will be less of a concern. The panel seems to be very good quality and has held up fine outside in Park City UT for over 9 months. The current from the panel in full sun should nominally be 5w/12v = .42 amps, which may be a little high for trickle charging a small motorcycle battery. Check for your battery specs on line. By mounting the solar panel vertically it will generate less current in the summer and avoid overheating. You can also probably mask the panel with tape to reduce output if needed. Also, I don't think charge controllers are too expensive for this size panel so that is an option. Hope this helps. ---Dan in Park City UT
1248021
This is a very nice solar panel that is mounted on a somewhat flexible metal sheet. I produces about 16v dc at the contacts in Florida sun (rated at 12v for a 12v battery), but I use a solar controller so it won't overcharge my battery. I have it hooked to a 12v trolling motor deep cycle battery on a small boat. I have not had to externally charge the battery since attaching the solar panel, and that gives me a few hours per week of power.
1660437
This is kit is for off grid that you need battery and inverter. We also have grid tie kit listed in our store. Thanks for your interest with Renogy.
778251
That's a hard question to answer,do you want to just keep the batterys topped off or is there going to be daily usage of the batteries also ? I would say with your constant sun 3-4 100watt panels would be enough. Mono or Poly panels don't matter with your amt. of sun. Go cheap ! They both will give you a life span of 25years give or take.Hope this helps.
1750028
This is not a deep cycle battery. It runs my lawn equipment with no problem but I seriously doubt if you could run an outboard motor with it. it would start it but that's about it. Good luck.
513949
I would think so, for as long as you have sunlight or daylight, you are charging with a couple of watts. You should measure the amp draw of your system though. My particilar vehicle has constant amp draw of 2 to 3 amps and with this solar charger, can extend the life of a full charged battery to about 3 weeks as it only charges during sunlight hours. If I were to disconnect the battery, thus removing the amp draw, it would stay fully charged with this solar charger.
205165
I actually use mine with a voltaic solar charger while biking. I find it charges faster than the computer and is free when it is very sunny. However, it could also depend upon the batteries. The batteries that came with it didn't last long, so now use the rechargeable energizers. The heat from the sun may have sped up the degradation of the original batteries, too. Love the recharger and gave a couple as gifts.
1958639
You would want to use this in conjunction with a deep cycle battery even a marine deep cycle like those sold under the blue "Ever Start" label at walmart even and a 10 amp or greater "Solar Charge controller" and a "ac power inverter" for running things like household AC lights/laptops/small appliances like blenders and coffee grinders and even short uses of a standard 700 watt microwave! Pending your geographical location (I'm in Oregon) I get about 35 to 45 amps of battery charge on a late spring through summer average sunny day.. (6-7 amps per hour) That's enough for me to keep my laptop running 24/7 and 3 or 4 8 watt CFL light bulbs in standard table lamps for 6-8 hours a day! You can add more panel and more batteries to expand your needs and to compensate for lower sun exposure areas.. I highly recommend searching the internet for a basic free "Solar how to and intro" page. and also a search about using and maintaining "Deep cycle batteries" (You never want to drain your batteries lower than 50% between charges) It all sounds overwhelming to a beginner but once you do a quick study you will be hooked! ~ Hope this helps ~ Nick
903315
I would say YES! This charger is extremely versatile and its charge cycle includes a "rejuvenation" mode that will desulphite cells in lead acid batteries such as typically used for your solar array which is a extremely handy function. Due to its charge modes you should have no problems with ANY Lead Acid battery no matter what size. Using it at night when you are running a generator should significantly increase the lifetime of your main battery bank (one 12 Volt battery at a time and rotating through multiple batteries one at a time) Occasionally, after charging, I like to jostle the battery I just charged to allow any loose scale to fall to the bottom of the battery. I would say YES! This charger is extremely versatile and its charge cycle includes a "rejuvenation" mode that will desulphite cells in lead acid batteries such as typically used for your solar array which is a extremely handy function. Due to its charge modes you should have no problems with ANY Lead Acid battery no matter what size. Using it at night when you are running a generator should significantly increase the lifetime of your main battery bank (one 12 Volt battery at a time and rotating through multiple batteries one at a time) Occasionally, after charging, I like to... » Read More I would say YES! This charger is extremely versatile and its charge cycle includes a "rejuvenation" mode that will desulphite cells in lead acid batteries such as typically used for your solar array which is a extremely handy function. Due to its charge modes you should have no problems with ANY Lead Acid battery no matter what size. Using it at night when you are running a generator should significantly increase the lifetime of your main battery bank (one 12 Volt battery at a time and rotating through multiple batteries one at a time) Occasionally, after charging, I like to jostle the battery I just charged to allow any loose scale to fall to the bottom of the battery. « Show Less
1157682
If you plan to use this with an inverter attached to the solar charge controller, the amount of current being drawn from the battery is dependent on the solar charger and the inverter. the solar charge cotroller i use does not allow for more than 20 to 25 amps (300 ac watts). If you run the inverter directly off of the battery, you can use larger wattage inverters. The simplest way to use these panels is to hook them to the solar charge controller and hook the batteries up to the charge controller. Then hook the inverter of your choice up to the batteries. I use a 2000w samlex sine wave inverter. This covers refrigeration and recharging sensitive products. If you plan on running these to your electrical panel, you need an electrician to figure that out. I used these panels for my solar generator project. They worked great. The 2 panels combined give you about 10 DC amps of continuous power (about 120 watts of continous power). Without getting technical, It would take about 8-10 hours to charge a 100 amp hr deep cycle battery. How long that battery lasts depends on how much power you draw. Definitely can't run central Air conditioner with 120V. You can run a fan, lights, refrigeration. Your limitation will be the alternate current 120V inverter and the max continous wattage.
887419
I would advise against running it in a two batteries to one panel setup. If one battery went bad it could/will cause the loss of the other battery. The charging controller in this unit is meant to work in a one to one relationship to a single battery. Properly wired it could possibly work as a temporary solution. Is it advised? No. Eventually there will be a massive failure when one battery in the circuit has problems and an overcharge hits the remaining good battery. I would suggest a Battery Tender 022-0165-DL-WH. This is a dual battery charger but is not solar powered.
1739231
Mine quit working after about a year, I don't really know how many amp hrs it could hold, it would not fully charge with solar panel only wall. i chrged it a couple of times and then it would not hold a charge!
2025934
No, you will not ruin the battery by a DOD (depth of discharge) below 50% the first time, or every time for that matter. You WILL reduce the lifespan by repeatedly taking it below 50% but in essence, the deep cycle battery is made for repeated discharge cycles followed by charging either by way of solar panels or AC battery charger. Batteries will last longer if you can manage to limit the DOD to a range between 70%-80%, for example, at 50% DOD you may get 450 charging cycles before the battery is dead but at 80% DOD you may get as many as 1,200 charging cycles. So while the greater depth of discharge is within the capability of the deep cycle battery, it does have a negative effect on lifespan. What can really damage the battery in very short order is slow recharging or leaving the battery depleted for long periods after the 50% DOD. Also leaving or allowing the batteries to operate at higher temperatures than 80 degrees takes its toll, so quickly recharging the battery will have mitigating qualities which will help to preserve the integrity of the battery. Overcharging and undercharging can result in the battery shedding active material or the sulfation of the battery so in addition to quickly recharging the battery after a deep discharge, you need to protect the battery from overcharging. This can be done with a charge controller if you are using solar power to recharge the battery or in the event of AC recharging, typically battery chargers have systems in place to prevent overcharging built into the charging device. So, I hope I have answered your question adequately as I have much experience with deep cycle batteries because I use them in my stand alone solar power station and have burned out several batteries due to my ignorance and clumsiness. Deep cycle batteries are tougher than the typical automotive battery with thicker lead plates and I think a little more tolerance to overworking than a much lighter duty auto battery. P. Minns Solar Tech DIY, Inc
896214
The quick simple answer is "not enough". A nearly depleted deep cycle battery may or may not be able to recover with this panel. If the battery was damaged slightly by a quick discharge, it may have more internal leakage than can be overcome by a one amp charge (the practical limit of this unit). This unit is more for maintenance than recovery.
877003
Bonnie, I can tell you that I ran this unit during a power outage that lasted over 12 hours and my neighbors did not even know it was running.It was not until they saw me plugging more things into it, that they asked me if I could run some of thier household appliances.Yes, the battery will charge on it's own when it's running.If you are not going to run this generator for long periods of time I would suggest that you purchase a "trickle Charger" for about $12;00 @ any Harbor Fright store or a Home depot etc...I hope this helps-I love my generator and i'm sure you will love yours should you decide to buy one.Good luck! Bonnie, I can tell you that I ran this unit during a power outage that lasted over 12 hours and my neighbors did not even know it was running.It was not until they saw me plugging more things into it, that they asked me if I could run some of thier household appliances.Yes, the battery will charge on it's own when it's running.If you are not going to run this generator for long periods of time I would suggest that you purchase a "trickle Charger" for about $12;00 @ any Harbor Fright store or a Home depot etc...I hope this helps-I love my generator and i'm... » Read More Bonnie, I can tell you that I ran this unit during a power outage that lasted over 12 hours and my neighbors did not even know it was running.It was not until they saw me plugging more things into it, that they asked me if I could run some of thier household appliances.Yes, the battery will charge on it's own when it's running.If you are not going to run this generator for long periods of time I would suggest that you purchase a "trickle Charger" for about $12;00 @ any Harbor Fright store or a Home depot etc...I hope this helps-I love my generator and i'm sure you will love yours should you decide to buy one.Good luck! « Show Less
160212
Mark: This company markets internationally. I am in the US and have 60 hz. I would go the web site and check, but I think that there may be a switch on the unit for either. I have found this unit to be highly reliable. I have been using it for a year and my batteries have been maintained at 13.7 V to 13.9 V. I am using the old standard lead acid batteries on a sailboat and charge a bank of 3 of the deep cycle batteries. One bank shares one 10 amp feed and the battery I used as house battery has the other channel. It is important to install the battery charger with stand-offs about 1.5 inches from the bulk head to allow circulation of air for heat dissipation. This unit has been reliable and trouble free. It has been on line 24/7 now for over a year. Hope this helps. James D.