Searching for appropriate Solar Charger
Just upgraded my 2013 Jayco Swift 18' TT with dual 6V batteries and LED lighting .. Now I'm looking for a "Very Portable" 100Wt Solar Charging system .. I've read many forum posts where folks talk ab...
Forum Discussion
My ugly graph applies to solar charging too. Charging is charging. However, the charging rate with solar is quite low, so the graph may not show that low. Also I don't show the 90-100 part.
You are at 90% SOC at about 5 amps per 110AH of bank as you can see at the very bottom going across at 10amps. By the time you are at 3 amps per, you are near 97% SOC, and some people define "full" as when you are 1-2 amps per. (Not me! 98-99 is NOT 100!!!) Solar is more into the part above 90% so you get into that where you don't with gen/charger stopping at 90%
If your solar can do 10 amps all day on your 220AH bank, that is only a 4.5% charging rate. In real life your solar amps go up and down all day, so you have to assume some average amps for the charging rate. It all works out pretty much the same way in the end.
What is different with solar from generator/charger near the end is the way the IV curve for a 12v panel can also taper the amps as battery voltage goes higher, which is super-imposed on the battery SOC factor that tapers amps.
You don't get much of that IV taper in real life because your high set-point is maybe 14.6, well before the I falls off the cliff at 15v
You are at 90% SOC at about 5 amps per 110AH of bank as you can see at the very bottom going across at 10amps. By the time you are at 3 amps per, you are near 97% SOC, and some people define "full" as when you are 1-2 amps per. (Not me! 98-99 is NOT 100!!!) Solar is more into the part above 90% so you get into that where you don't with gen/charger stopping at 90%
If your solar can do 10 amps all day on your 220AH bank, that is only a 4.5% charging rate. In real life your solar amps go up and down all day, so you have to assume some average amps for the charging rate. It all works out pretty much the same way in the end.
What is different with solar from generator/charger near the end is the way the IV curve for a 12v panel can also taper the amps as battery voltage goes higher, which is super-imposed on the battery SOC factor that tapers amps.
You don't get much of that IV taper in real life because your high set-point is maybe 14.6, well before the I falls off the cliff at 15v
