Does anyone use one of the fold-up, 4w solar panels in the front window of their caravan to keep the battery charged through winter? The front of my caravan points due south, so thought a small panel on the chest of drawers in the front window could be effective. At the moment I connect the mains lead once a month, but thought that trickle charging via a panel could be better. Any thoughts?Thanks,Paul
4w Solar Panel
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Damian
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The power rating of 4w is the maximum the panel will put out in bright overhead sunshine.
In winter with lower light levels and the panel not being angled to the sun at all times the output will be a lot less than 4w, probably around 0.5w or less..
This amount is not enough to do any good at all as some will be lost in voltage drop over the cable length and the rest lost in natural standing battery discharge.
In winter with lower light levels and the panel not being angled to the sun at all times the output will be a lot less than 4w, probably around 0.5w or less..
This amount is not enough to do any good at all as some will be lost in voltage drop over the cable length and the rest lost in natural standing battery discharge.
I have tried this and it will extend the period between charges by a week mor two but is not the complete answer. You do need a lot more power even though our caravan window points roughly South and gets the maximum sunlight.
Considered the option also to keep alarm going when in storage, ended up dispensing with our 55w free standing that we used for holidays/rallies etc and just had a 120w fitted to the roof instead to cover all in one.
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