What watt solar panel(s) would i need to keep the charge on the battery topped off?
480360
It depends on the level of discharge, sun exposure, etcetera. I keep mine connected to the solar panel during use.
480361
You can hook up a 30 watt solar panel directly without a solar controller. I posted a picture of my set up in the customer images section. If you had a regular 30 watt solar panel instead of the Goal zero like mine you could skip one of the wiring components.
480362
I use a 30 watt Instapark panel with the 2.5mm jack that fits right into the charging port of the power pack.
480363
When you say you want to "Keep it topped off", is that without using any power from it (like storing it in your car and wanting a panel to give it a bit of power during the day)? A panel that costs $25 or under 5 watt unit can do that job. You may not need a voltage regulator with a small panel like that, but still any panel can take the voltage above 15V and risk damaging the battery, so it may be best to include a regulator in your system (unless there is one in this battery pack and you can feed the power thru it).
480364
I purchased a 60 watt solar panel to charge this unit, but have not tested it. My son also has the Duracell DRPP600 and he purchased a 100 watt solar panel. The main difference is that he can charge the Duracell unit in a shorter period of time than i can. I have even seen this unit being sold with a 30 watt panel. I recommend a 60 watt or above.
480365
What brand of solar panels have the DC power port adapter for this version of this product? Instapark does not provide that adapter.
522527
A 5 watt solar panel will typically maintain a fully charged automobile battery with minimal parasitic loads but can't be counted on to do much recharging. If you want to do more than maintain the battery, you'll have to do the math to figure out what wattage solar panel you need for your: load, battery, location, weather, panel mounting location, etc. If you need more than a 5 watt solar panel, you'll also need a charge controller.
1784696
You will NOT need anything else. Any Solar Panel will not need a controller 5 watts and lower. Anytime you use a panel that is over 5 watts rated output, we recommend using a solar controller. Actually, a charge controller is a good idea in a majority of applications. A charge controller can provide several benefits such as preventing overcharge, improve charge quality, and prevent battery discharge in low or no light conditions. Some solar panels are made with blocking diodes pre-installed that prevent battery discharge during low or no light conditions. In most case where a 6-watt or larger solar panel is installed use of a charger controller is highly recommended. In a nutshell, solar charge controllersact like an on and off switch, allowing power to pass when the battery needs it and cutting it off when the battery is fully charged. Something to be aware of when selecting a controller is that they are typically rated in amps, while photovoltaic panels are typically rated in watts. So the morningstar SS-6, 6 amp controller will work with nearly every panel we sell right up to about 70 watts.
1558903
I have found it best to run a 10 watt solar panel and double the battery size. If all goes ok I can get about 2 years out of the battery. As others have answered, if the sun is not shinning the solar panel is not charging. When we get an extended period without sun I will pull the battery and charge it with a battery charger
1931478
these batteries should be charged at 35 amps or less, 15 amps is optimal. A single 100 watt panel is fine as it will charge at 8 amps max.
1957392
Some solar panel controllers need to have 5 volts above operating voltage to 'start' operating so you may need a 17volt 2.5 amp PSU to get correct nominal 12 volt operation. I have used a 7 amp solar power controller on a mains electric Generator's 12 volt 'battery charging' output that was putting out 16 or 17 volts and was able to charge a sealed lead acid battery at 14.4 volts.
1832902
Yes; in full sun one of these 15w panel will produce well over 800 milli amps close to 1 amp. 2 panels like these will double the charge rate and so on. My one panel easily maintains and keeps two 105 amp hour 12v deep cycle flooded batteries fully charge to over 12.6v month after month with about 6-8 hrs of full sun.
2171698
I can only tell you what I did. I have a 400W inverter and a 12V car battery. I use this in my small horse barn that I wired for three bulbs and an outlet. There are 3 small watt bulbs. The panel keeps the battery at full charge with no problem. I don't use the electric all the time, and for only short periods when I do, so I don't know how long the charge will last.
157431
I connect to 24v batteries rather than solar panels to get max 300w out. The batteries are solar charged.
392411
Hey James - you can use any size solar panel as long as you use a regulator between it and your battery or battery bank. I have a 30 watt panel with a little regulator going to a set of 5 of these 35AH batteries. The panel is 20V, the regulator allows that to charge the batteries until they get up to something like 14.2 volts, then cuts off. Keeps the batteries nice and topped off and active for when we need them. I will eventually add more panels in parallel with the current one for faster charging. Here is a link to the regulator I am using: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp-Charge-Controller/dp/B0006JO0XI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384291827&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+regulator This is the panel I am using: http://www.amazon.com/Instapark%C2%AE-Black-Mono-crystalline-Solar-Panel/dp/B004FWW44Y/ref=pd_sim_auto_2
1708384
All solar panels should use charge controllers. For this controller you need at least a 5-10 amp controller to support this panel.Let us know if you need any further help.Regards,AW
522526
The nature of your question suggest you are looking for a battery "charger". If this is the case you will need more than the 5 Watts this panel can provide. With the 5 watts provided from this panel, you won't need allot of wiz's bang circuit breakers and meters. This panel dose a great job of keeping a fully charged battery in top shape all by it's self.
1283054
Look at the max amperage of the solar panel and multiply it by 4 if this exceeds 30 amps you will need a larger charge controller. Without knowing the max amperage of the solar panels my best guess is that it will be close. I suggest getting a larger controller.
1983476
I use a 50 Watt Solar Panel to keep mine recharged, which goes thru a 30 Amp Solar Control. Hope this helps...
1583920
No, Anything over a 5w panel and you want to run it through a charge controller first. You risk overcharging a battery (which will eventually kill it) if you don't, even 5w is pushing it unless its a 70ah+ size battery and it has a constant small draw from it (Like in a car where electronics are being run even when the car is off)
1332096
The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle batteries. The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle... » Read More The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle batteries. « Show Less
2171697
not sure, have been using mine with a 15 watt solar panel and deep cycle 12v marine battery for entry gate to our property. it has regulated the charge to the battery perfectly without any problems. the reason i got it was to keep from overcharging the battery. i hope this helps.