80w solar panel

80w solar panel

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Solar power can give fantastic benefits for people and the environment and no doubt, in the coming years, solar panels will become the most common form of micro-electricity generation, overtaking petrol and diesel generators. In fact the only real barrier to solar power immediately becoming the most usual form of micro-generation is that many people don't yet know how to use it. This article helps remedy this so that you too can benefit directly from this simple and free electricity production. In particular the article explains:

• How solar panels work;
• How you can wire them up simply; and
• How you can work out how many panels you need.

When panels produce electricity

First, a quick explanation of when panels work. As soon as any light hits a solar panel it begins generating electricity. The brighter the light, the more electricity it will generate. Solar panels are rated in Watts. This explains the maximum power they will give when sunlight shines directly on them. E.g. an 80W panel produces 80W of electricity when direct sunlight shines on it. Without light, the panel will not generate electricity. Also, the panel will not store electricity. It is like a generator that turns on when light shines on it and turns off when the light goes. So panels are generally used with batteries, particularly if the power needs to be used at night. However, for powering a pond fountain or fan during the day, batteries are not needed.

How to wire up a panel

If you have an existing system such as in a boat or caravan, shed or anywhere you use a 12V or 24V battery for power then simply wire the panel to the battery. If the panel is 10W or above it is best to use a charge controller in between. This prevents the panel from overcharging the battery when the battery is full. If you are creating a new system - such as wiring up a shed or summer house - then it is best to use the output from the charge controller. This can go into an inverter if you want 240V electricity like you would get in the mains or can be used directly by 12V appliances such as 12V lights, 12V fridges or 12V televisions.

How to choose the power you need

Finally, it's important to make sure you will have enough power. In summer, taking account for losses such as not pointing directly at the sun you get about 3 x the panel rating in Watt hours of electricity a day. In winter you get about 1 x the panel rating in Watt hours per day. So a 20 Watt panel (whether monocrystalline, polycrystalline or thin film) will give you about 60 Wh of electricity per day in summer and about 20 Wh of electricity per day in winter. Similarly an 80 Watt panel will give about 240 Wh in summer and about 80 Wh in winter. Simply work out how much power you will need on average, make sure your battery is large enough to store the necessary power and then buy the amount of panels you need.

Contact us for more information
Please feel to write to us if you have any questions. We're happy to pass on any information.

Simon Milward
Director, AKT Solar
Contact: +44 (0) 7722 465 643
Email: contact@aktsolar.co.uk
Website: www.aktsolar.co.uk

You may also want to check out our videos on how to install solar panels on a caravan and a canal boat.

Solar panel, 6x 80w