March 9, 2009
What battery to use for a Solar Panel Briefcase?
Can you answer Chad R's question about briefcases?:
I have a 13watt Solar Panel Briefcase.
What is the best battery to charge with this panel?
A car battery? A golf cart battery? …. any suggestions?
I plan on making a small battery grid.
Thanks Ed, …but I still need a good reccomendation for what battery it can charge. I plan on using it to power my laptop and other small things in my non-electrical cottage. I don't want to run any of these things off of it directly, as I don't want to risk damaging them if there isn't enough current.
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Comments on What battery to use for a Solar Panel Briefcase? »
These devices are not really useful for charging large batteries, such as a car or golf cart battery. At the common size, they generate one ampere or less under ideal conditions. They are most useful to maintain charge on batteries powering light duty equipment, like laptop computers., portable radios or cell phones.
Go to bestbuy and get you a UPS battery. You could never charge a car battery or for sure not a golf cart battery with it. The most you could hope for on that large of a battery with such a small solar module, Is if you plan to put a fully charged battery in storage and want to keep it topped off.
You need a minimum of a 5% rate of charge on what ever it is you plan to charge. It would be great to charge your laptop, cell phone or IPod. Nothing more.