12v solar battery charger

[FarmerFrank88]

I was looking to buy a 12v solar panel and battery charger for some lights in my wife's chicken shed.the plan is that the panel will charge a battery enough to be used for about an hour each evening. I have ordered 2 12 watt leds and have a fencer battery but just need some guidance on the panel. Was wondering if anyone has bought a similar panel and could recommend me a good one and steer me clear of any that should be avoided. Also any suggestions on the panel output I would roughly need would be appreciated as seen ones between 20 and 100 watts and not 100% sure how much power I'd need. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Frank

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

I use 20 to 30w trickle chargers on generators and pump sets to keep the 12v car/truck batteries charged up. Seem to work well. But we have a s**t load more sunshine in Australia....

 

[Exfarmer]

Your lights will require 2 x 12 volt amp hours 1 watt = 1 volt x amps. think in in terms of units of electricity a unit is 1kWh ( 1000 watt hours)
so your panel will need to generate a minimum of 24 watts during the hours of daylight
the panel rating of 20 watts will be the output in full sun on a clear day.
However the output on a dull winters day will be absolutely negligable.
but a decent battery can hold several hundred watt hours.
but a cold clear day can also generate a lot of power , but only if the panel is at the right angle when the sun shines.
a 75amp hour deep dscharge battery will hold 12 volts x 75 amp hours = 900 watt hours which would run your lights for 36 days in theory at one hour a day.
do use a deep discharge battery a conventional one does not like being totally discharged
do ensure that the charger will not over charge again a good way of wrecking a battery.
battery size is more important than panel size. On a bad day big nor small will generate much if any power, on a good day the small panel will generate plenty .
do put you panel at a high angle 55 degrees plus to take max advantage of the winter sun
hope this is clear

 

[goodevans]

Your lights will require 2 x 12 volt amp hours 1 watt = 1 volt x amps. think in in terms of units of electricity a unit is 1kWh ( 1000 watt hours)
so your panel will need to generate a minimum of 24 watts during the hours of daylight
the panel rating of 20 watts will be the output in full sun on a clear day.
However the output on a dull winters day will be absolutely negligable.
but a decent battery can hold several hundred watt hours.
but a cold clear day can also generate a lot of power , but only if the panel is at the right angle when the sun shines.
a 75amp hour deep dscharge battery will hold 12 volts x 75 amp hours = 900 watt hours which would run your lights for 36 days in theory at one hour a day.
do use a deep discharge battery a conventional one does not like being totally discharged
do ensure that the charger will not over charge again a good way of wrecking a battery.
battery size is more important than panel size. On a bad day big nor small will generate much if any power, on a good day the small panel will generate plenty .
do put you panel at a high angle 55 degrees plus to take max advantage of the winter sun
hope this is clear

If you dont mind me butting in ,what size panel is optimum for a 2 stored joule electric fence energiser on 12 v car battery

 

[milkloss]

A cheapo pwm charger such as this might be the ticket. I have no affiliation, just did a google.

the light won't turn on if the battery is too discharged which might save the expense of a deep cycle jobby.

EP Solar Landstar 5A 12V Solar Charge Controller 60w

Compact and robust 12v solar charge controller for use with 12v solar panels up to 60w. Protect your battery, panel and electronic circuits. This model includes the very efficient PWM charging system to get great performance and longevity from your battery. EP Solar Landstar 5A 12V Solar Charge...

www.sunstore.co.uk

 

[Exfarmer]

If you dont mind me butting in ,what size panel is optimum for a 2 stored joule electric fence energiser on 12 v car battery

sorry you need someone a bit brighter than me for that one. I suspect a lot will depend on the amount of earthing

 

[Exfarmer]

A cheapo pwm charger such as this might be the ticket. I have no affiliation, just did a google.

the light won't turn on if the battery is too discharged which might save the expense of a deep cycle jobby.

EP Solar Landstar 5A 12V Solar Charge Controller 60w

Compact and robust 12v solar charge controller for use with 12v solar panels up to 60w. Protect your battery, panel and electronic circuits. This model includes the very efficient PWM charging system to get great performance and longevity from your battery. EP Solar Landstar 5A 12V Solar Charge...

www.sunstore.co.uk

Time your lamps wont come on a standard battery, will not be too happy.
One thing to note, as the charge level drops in any battery the easier they freeze and that wrecks them too.
So if it is likely they may get to a very low level of charge protect them from frost

 

[Wombat]

I put in a photonic universe 20w kit to keep a fencer going with a battery in May. I made all the brackets and wired it up. It kept the fencer battery charged till Oct with the fencer running 24/7 then it gave up. So for this l would maybe look at 40w at least.

 

[FarmerFrank88]

Thanks for the help. Can anyone suggest a panel they've bought which is good quality and good value. Thanks
Frank

 

[Kidds]

Thanks for the help. Can anyone suggest a panel they've bought which is good quality and good value. Thanks
Frank

I've bought a few off eBay with no problems.