Solar panels are an excellent way of generating environmentally friendly and sustainable energy. By using solar panels, one can get energy and do their bit to preserve the environment. The 200W solar panel can be used for recharging different devices like car batteries, smartphones, and battery packs. This is a fantastic alternative to using the power from the main grids.
What time is needed to charge a 12V battery using a 200W solar panel?
The 200W solar panel can produce 1 amp of current. It takes about 5 to 8 hours to charge a 12-volt battery completely. One must keep the solar panel at a perpendicular position to the sunlight. This must be done because the solar panel plays a vital role in charging efficiently and can affect the charging rate.
How to calculate the controller size for the 200W solar panel?
When you are charging a battery with the help of the 200W solar panel, you need to calculate the number of amps that the controller requires for safely charging the battery.
To do this, you need to divide the solar watt rating by the battery’s voltage. The voltage is mentioned in the body of the battery. Divide the number into wattage printed on the solar panel’s backside.
Suppose the solar panel is 200W, and you need to charge a 12V battery; divide 200 by 12. You will get 16.6 amps. The charge controllers are usually available in multiples of 30 amps. Hence you can get a charge controller of 30 amps.
How much power is produced by a 200W solar panel?
The 200W solar panel makes 200 watts of power. However, the amount of power it makes is dependent on other factors. It includes:
- Geographical location
- The season and the amount of sunlight the panel is getting
- Shading in the place
- What is the angle of the panel?
- What kind of solar panel is being used?
- How clean is the solar panel?
Suppose the solar panel is under the full sun for six hours at the right angle; it can generate 840 watts of power. If a person needs more power, they can place more than one 200W solar panel in a series. This will lead to more power generation.
The 200w solar panel can help in charging a battery and battery bank. This can be used to run different electrical appliances like a laptop, microwave oven, coffee maker, and even a lightbulb.
Using the battery bank to run the different electrical appliances requires a power inverter to convert the 12 V DC power into AC. It is not a good idea to run electrical appliances directly with power from solar panels. Overcharging from the solar panels can lead to damage to the electrical appliances.
What is the solar panel size needed for charging a 12V battery?
The solar battery charger can provide 13.6 V to 17 v of energy, depending on your chosen model. They can charge 12 V batteries and also 12 V devices as well. The chargers can be used for small cabins, boats, cars, and RVs for portable systems.
The standard size of the solar panel is 65×39 inches, and they can be used for charging a 12V 100-watt battery. The solar panel used for commercial purposes is 77×39 inches.
Why is a charge controller necessary?
A charge controller is essential because there is a chance of receiving high charges when you use the solar panel. The charge controller prevents the battery from receiving high charges and getting damaged. One end of the charge controller is connected to the solar panel, and the other to the battery.
Reducing the power created by the solar panel is known as pulse-duration modulation or pulse-width modulation. It is divided into different parts. The pulse-width modulation charge controllers use energy pulses to charge the batteries. They also help to take care that the battery is not charged more.
Maximum Power Point Tracking is also called Power Point Tracking. It is a process that Photovoltaic Solar Systems use to increase power extraction in all situations.
The charge controllers help regulate the maximum amount of voltage that the solar panel can send to the battery. The MPPT charge controller is more effective at storing energy. They are also better at transferring energy when compared to the PWM charge controllers.
What is the best charge controller for a 200w solar panel?
The best kind of charge controller for the 200W solar panel is the Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controller. Both the Pulse Duration Modulation and the Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controllers help to regulate the maximum voltage that a solar panel can send to a battery.
The Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controllers are more effective when it comes to energy storage. They can also efficiently transfer energy than the Pulse Duration Modulation charge controllers. Moreover, the Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controllers can be used with more than one solar panel.
What is the charging time for a 200W solar panel?
A standard solar panel of 200W is 65 to 77 inches long and 39 inches wide. Hence, one solar panel can be used for charging a 12V 100-watt battery. To get the best charge, it must be placed under the sun’s direct rays, and there must be no obstacles in the way.
The 12V battery has been designed for receiving charges at 12volts. This is equal to 1200watt hours. If the 12V battery gets charges higher than 12 volts, it will start to produce oxygen and hydrogen. This continual gassing can lead to the destruction of the battery.
To ensure that the 12V battery can be used for a long time, one must not discharge the battery below 50 percent, i.e., 600-watt hours. For fully charging the 12V battery, one needs 1000 watt-hours. This is required because 40 percent of energy will go into wiring, some for the battery charge controller and the rest to entropy the battery.
Main stages of charging the 12V battery
The bulk, absorb, float, and equalization stages can be called the four stages of charging the 12V battery.
In the bulk phase, the solar panel takes energy from the sun and converts it into AC. This energy then gets transferred to the battery.
In the absorb stage, the batteries attain a charge of 14.4 to 14.8 volts, and the charge amount of the battery is at 80 to 90 percent. There is an automatic stop option during this stage as the amps entering the batteries have gone to a particular level.
The float stage starts when the charge controller lowers the voltage to a certain level to save the battery’s life. When the battery is 100percent full, this part is completed.
The equalization stage becomes effective when the solar panel has not made enough power to charge the 12V battery completely.
Final words
Using solar panels for recharging a 12V battery is a sustainable and eco-friendly way of using natural resources. Though the time needed for using power might be slower than using it from the main supply, it is an environmentally friendly option.
Eng. Matthew Joseph Nandirio is the Founder of walkingsolar.
After graduating from the University of Houston in 2002, matt started working as a Solar Electrical Engineer for several multi-national solar energy companies.
He has a wide range of experiences including solar system requirement analysis, planning, maintaining, debugging and even solar device development through research.
He now shares his 20 years of expertise through his articles on the walkingsolar website.
Further, he is also the author of two books on Solar Technology, “Solar Power for Villages” and “DIY Solar System for Dummies”.
