Soler Energy. Use the sun to charge your leisure battery for FREE

 

For many people, camping and caravanning are about ‘getting away from it all’ and not being tied down – even to an electric hook-up point. Add to this the cost of a nightly electrical connection and the fact that many of us like the idea of reducing our use of fossil fuels (both through the national grid or a petrol-powered generator) and solar power seems to have much going for it.

 

Power, energy and capacity

Power, energy and capacityPower in watts (W) = current in amps (A) x voltage in volts (V)

Energy in watt hours (Wh) = power in watts (W) x time in hours (h)

Battery capacity in amp hours (Ah) = energy in watt hours (Wh) / voltage in volts (V)

 

Choosing the right panel for you

Finding the right panel for you can be a challenge. Unfortunately, some people are put off solar panels because they buy the wrong one. Too low an output and you’ll find you’re running out of power. Or you could spend a large amount on a top-of-the-range set up and only be using a small proportion of its output, making it seem excessively expensive.One straightforward way to find the type of solar panel that’s right for you is to go camping with a fully-charged battery in your unit, don’t connect to an electric hook-up and see how long your battery powers your appliances.When you return home, find the rating of your battery (it should be marked in amp hours – Ah) and calculate the average energy you’ve used during your trip. For example, if a 110Ah battery has lasted for two days, that’s an average of 110/2 = 55Ah per day. This is a slight over-estimate because you’re unlikely to use the whole of the battery’s capacity before your TV stops working or the water pump fades, but it gives a rough guide.You’ll therefore be looking for a solar panel to top-up your battery by a similar average, in this case by 55Ah per day – remembering that any solar panel will only be topping up your battery when sunlight is falling on it.