Solar Questions
I'm interested in adding solar power and lithium batteries to our trailer, but I'm getting lost in the weeds. For starters I calculated what I think would be our worst case power need (without u...
Forum Discussion
A 100 watt solar panel will produce no more than 100 w / 12v = 8 amps if you are using an MPPT charge controller. If you are using a less expensive PWM controller then you will probably only get about 6 amps out of a 100 watt panel. Either way, this takes absolutely perfect conditions: bright sun, perfectly aimed panel, no shading, and cool temperatures. This hardly ever happens. How many AH (notice the difference, Amps vs. Amp Hours) this gets you depends on where you are and what time of year it is. Here in VA you get the equivalent of about 4 hours of full output per day (8 amps x 4 hours = 32 AH.) If you are in the desert southwest it's more like 6 hours. If your in the Pacific Northwest or New England then only about 3 hours. Of course this will be slightly more in summer and less in winter.
