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Post by hoghunter41 on May 26, 2017 16:12:12 GMT
I have a 12v 18ah lead acid battery that I will be running 2 LED light pods using 16awg wire. The pods are 9 watts each and I want them to run anywhere from 8-10 hours a day off of my battery. I will have them run from dusk to dawn from a photocell. My question is what size Solar Panel do I need to replace the energy that the LED lights draw on a nightly basis, in order to make sure the battery is recharged every day to produce enough energy for the following night. I understand the weather plays a factor. You input would be very much appreciated.
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Post by tytower on May 26, 2017 21:36:36 GMT
My approach would be to add up how much energy they will consume in a week then make sure the panel can produce twice that regularly , Then put a controller on the supply because if you just keep charging the batteries they will quickly die. There are many ways to calculate it but the main thing is that you have more coming in than you need with a controller switching it in and out depending on a preset state of the battery/
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Post by dennis4611 on Jun 8, 2017 3:31:01 GMT
If you are going to stay with the battery you have, a rough estimate would go like this.
18AH will need something like 4 hours at 5 amps to charge. 5 amps x 12 volts = 60 watts.
Panel should be at least 60 watts.
I have a PWM controller which has a function to turn the load on at dusk, and can be set to stay on for a number of hours.
I have a single battery and 45 watt panels, lights an incandescent light over a pond.
You should not have to use a photocell.
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