Feedback on this solar kit?
Hello, I see Harbor Freight has this kit on sale for $140. Yes, I know it's probably the cheapest cheesiest thing I could probably buy because it's from HF, but it's my first endeavor into solar charg...
Forum Discussion
TomG2 wrote:
Not wanting to argue, but wouldn't the HF provide enough energy to keep a deep cycle battery topped off when it was only used to power a few occasional lights and maybe a small inverter for a couple of hours a week? Isn't 45 watts equal to at least a 2 amp charger?
45 watts is roughly equivalent to 2.5 amp charger working 5 hours a day IF there is plenty of sun on that day. Battery is not 100% efficient, so you'll get about 10 AH usable energy. Rainy day - no harvest. Low overcast - very little harvest, say, 2-3 AH. 200 AH flooded battery bank will lose 0.5-1 AH a day in self-discharge while in storage, so on some days you won't even cover self-discharge, while on other days you might have energy to spare.
Yes, a few occasional lights and small inverter to charge a phone - though you can charge it directly off the cig lighter socket. LED lantern, portable radio and a handful of AA batteries will work same well, no need to have a solar like that one. Not for a 3-4 days trip anyway.
