Gear Index

10 Things To Know About Solar Power
Tutorial Part 1 of 10: Balance of Power

You cannot run an air conditioner directly from a solar panel. You cannot run a fridge directly from a solar panel. You can't even run a notebook computer directly from a solar panel.
Here's why...

A solar panel is an important component in any portable power system. It is the silent generator. As long as there is daylight, a solar panel will be producing power. Often, a solar panel is the only way to generate power in remote places. But, solar panels often lack the power to 'run' many devices directly, and will need to be part of a more comprehensive system.

First things first. And this is important. A 5 Watt solar panel cannot run a notebook computer by itself, nor can it run a 25 Watt lamp for an hour in the evening after the sun goes down. And a solar electric panel is certainly not capable of heating your home in winter time.
So, what good is solar power you might ask.

Solar panels & solar chargers are ideal for the small stuff. Battery driven gear like laptops, cameras, mp3 players, GPS receivers, satellite phones, and more. Things like heaters consume a lot of power, and would require far more solar panels than you would want to carry. A simple rule of thumb would be to ask if you could run the device for any length of time from a car battery (without the car's motor helping). If not, than perhaps solar panels are not your best option, and a generator set would be better.

At the top of this article I said that a solar panel cannot run a laptop computer, but then I just said that it can power one... which is it? Well, it is possible for a 5 Watt solar panel to power larger devices like a notebook computer for at least a short period of time each day, when the solar panel has its power stored in a battery pack over the course of the day, and the battery is then used to power the notebook (the solar charging & powering of your laptop can happen at the same time).

So, if you have a device powered by a battery, or batteries, then there is a good possibility that a solar panel could be used to keep it charged far from home.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding your solar project... mail@modernoutpost.com

Next... Part 2: Power & Portability

Solar tutorial intro
Part 1: The Balance of Power
Part 2: Power & Portability
Part 3: DC not AC
Part 4: Clouding the Isuue
Part 5: Covering all the Angles
Part 6: Batteries not Included
Part 7: Amps & Volts
Part 8: Making Connections
Part 9: Weatherproof, but...
Part 10: System Design ABC's