Types of 12 Volt Solar Chargers
When it comes to reducing costs and eliminating emissions and reliance on foreign oil, a 12 volt solar charger is a surprisingly simple and convenient alternative. If you’d like to find out more about different types of solar battery chargers, please read on.
The simplest kind of battery charger functions by simply supplying a battery with electricity of a certain voltage. The battery placed in the charger, and disconnected once it’s completely charged. A 12 volt battery can be charged in a 15-18 volt charger. However, this kind of system poses the risk of overcharging.
When you overcharge a battery, it’s likely that the battery’s life will be decreased, sometimes significantly. A badly overcharged 12 volt battery can even lose its ability to hold a charge. Thankfully, you can use a charge controller to make sure that the right voltage is used to charge the battery and that the battery is not overcharged. A charge controller is equally important when you’re using a 12 volt solar charger, as it allows you to let a battery charge throughout the day without the possibility of overcharging.
For 12 volt batteries, the most widely used type of charge controller is the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) type. With a PWM charge controller, a switch is flipped on and off repeatedly in relation to the flow of the electricity. Initially, the switch stays “on” more. The switch gradually spends less time in the “on” position as electricity is transferred to the battery, and when it’s fully charged, the switch remains off. In a PWM charge controller, a microprocessor chip typically handles the task of monitoring and controlling the charging process. Thus, you can plug this type of charge controller into a battery all day long if you like, since it will only send electricity to the battery when necessary, without any danger of overcharging. Topping up a battery in this way is known as“trickle charging,” and it will allow you to ensure that a battery is completely charged for whenever you happen to need it. If you’re using a 12 volt solar charger, it’s useful to have this feature. This, in turn, will allow you to keep the 12 volt battery for your boat or RV charged for whenever you need it.
A 12 volt solar charger is just that simple. The source of the energy itself is the only thing that makes a 12 volt solar charger different. As you might expect, a solar panel is the source of the power for a solar battery charger. Building your own DIY solar panel for use in a 12 volt solar charger is becoming more common. Read more at DIY Solar Panel.
1/2 volt and 3-4 amp solar cells are commonly used in the solar panels that you might see on buildings. Several of these cells have to be connected in order to produce the 15-18 volts necessary for a 12 volt battery charger. Currently, there are small solar panels of many different voltages available. The charger will work properly when you match the voltage of the solar panel to your charge controller. On each charge controller, you’ll find a voltage rating, which tells you the correct voltage. If you aren’t using a charge controller, a solar panel of 15-18 volts is usually a fairly safe bet. However, if you are using a charge controller, it’s necessary to use the appropriate voltage. GreenDIYEnergy is the best guide to building your own 12 volt solar charger. To read more, check out GreenDIYEnergy.
The connector used by the charge controller determines the best method for wiring it to the solar panel. Whatever type of connector is used on your charge controller, just solder one onto the solar panel. If you can’t use a charge controller, use the type of connector that’s on the battery instead. Spring loaded clamps are a good choice with most large 12 volt batteries. Even if you’ve never soldered before, this procedure would actually be a good place to start, as it’s a very easy one. A soldering iron and solder, which you can get cheap at lots of places including Radio Shack, are all you’ll need to do this. Just twist the wires together, use the soldering iron on the wires, and touch the solder to the wires until it melts. You just need to be careful not to burn yourself, and to heat the wires, not the solder, with the soldering iron – you use the heated wires to melt the solder. Another guide to building your own 12v solar charger that I recommend is Homemade Energy. For more information, take a look at Homemade Energy.
That’s all you have to do! Then, you can put together a 12 volt solar charger. A 12 volt battery is the first component. Paying attention to the matching voltage, you’ll also want a charge controller. Next, you’ll require a solar panel that also outputs the correct voltage for the charge controller – you can build one, or buy one. The last step is to make all the connections– connect the solar panel to the charge controller, and the charge controller to the battery. That’s it; now, you’ve got free power forever! This will cut your energy costs, reduce your emissions, and let you do your part in reducing dependence on foreign oil.
