PV Gap

June Said:

what's the point in a 15 watt solar panel?

We Answered:

It would deliver 15 Watts of DC power. Several can be arranged in series, parallel or a series-parallel arrangement to increase voltage, amperage or a combination of both. The most likely use would be to charge batteries so the power can be used when needed.

Ramona Said:

Estimate of how long I could draw 15 amps off a 12 volt battery with a 12 volt 15 watt solar panel?

We Answered:

You don't say where you are, that will affect the number of sun hours, and therefore how much power you can generate a day. Let's assume an average of 5 sun hours, which is different from the hours of sunlight, it is the equivalent of standard test conditions (STC) for a location in a day.

4A @ 12V = 48W for 12 hours = 576 watt hours (wh). You'll need about a 144 amp hour (ah) 12V battery to provide that much power, and 150W of panels. That's not taking into consideration any cloudy days.

There's a kit for about $3000 at http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-…

You can run the numbers through an off-grid calculator at http://www.altestore.com/store/calculato…

Carrie Said:

Can a solar panel charge a car battery?

We Answered:

What is the voltage of the solar panel? Car batteries require 12 volts. Solar panels vary from 1.2 to 120 volts. There are solar battery chargers available that can be used to keep a battery charged.

Stacy Said:

Do these High Wattage Solar Panel 15 Watt work? Can they really do what they say?

We Answered:

Sure, but 15 watts isn't much. You'll need to buy more than one panel if you want to be able to do all that stuff at the same time.