Solar Panels For Homes

Can someone please explain to me the basics of solar panels and power storage/usage?

I am in need of solar panels and the batteries that I can store the energy in. I need to be able to run a laptop, cell phone, and LED lights from it.
When I research I see all sorts of options with regards to watts, VMPs, and AMPs. I also see that I may need a controller, an inverter, and various other components.

Actually, to build a system you have described wouldn’t take very much, I’ll explain. Contrary to what you may have read, you do not need miles of panels, thousands of dollars, or even a lot of equipment. Solar panels can run day to day things, we know because our home is completely powered by solar panels, and the entire array fits nicely on the roof space of our single car carport.

Running a laptop, some LED lights and a cell phone charger is pretty simple, you could actually do it from your car by installing a second battery that can charge from the cars alternator while you drive, then run your small loads when you are at home. I did that for a year after first purchasing the property the home sits on now, living out of the back of our pickup truck with some 12 volt lights and electronics. The first thing I would suggest is getting a subscription to a magazine called, “Home Power.” They are the only periodical that gets into the nuts and bolts of this subject. It isn’t expensive, about $25 for a year. We started by reading it 12 years ago, and it got us to where we are now. The next thing we did was go to an energy fair, there are dozens of them around the country and the world, and we purchased most of our initial equipment on the spot. Our first system had 1 panel, a 50 watt unit, one small windplant made for a sailboat, and four batteries. Later we added two more panels for a total of 150 watts of solar.

Solar panels are very simple, most are wired to charge a 12 volt battery, you might see VOC, which is volts open circuit of about 18 volts, typical to charge a 12 volt battery. A 70 watt panel will have an amp rating of around 4 amps. Watts is figured by multiplying volts times amps, so 18 X 4 = 72 watts. Our 50 watt panels are rated at 3.1 amps. If you buy a panel with diodes built into the junction box, most have them, they will allow electicity to flow in one direction, from the panel to the battery, and not backwards at night. Most larger systems do use a charge controller, like ours, but there is a way around it. If your solar arrays maximum amps is less than 2% of the battery banks amp hour capacity, you do not need a charger controller, it will be impossible to overcharge you battery with that array. You can get a great book in the library called, “The Complete Battery Book,” by Richard Perez and read about it yourself. Probably the best battery for the buck for a small system is the Trojan T-105 golf cart battery, about $95 each, they are 6 volt, 220 amp hour. If you get 2, wire them together for 12 volts, you’ll still have 220 amp hours, X 2% means your array cannot deliver over 4.4 amps without a controller. If you get 4 batteries, wire them for 12 volts, you’ll have 440 amp hours, then you can go to 8.8 amps of solar, or 160 watts. We installed a small system in our cabin with 4 batteries, 3 50 watt panels and that small wind turbine, which had it’s own controller, and ran all the cabinet lights, radio, answering machine and a fan on 12 volts, it still works today 12 years later. Home Power liked our small system so much they featured it in an article once, if you subscribe, you can go to their website, use their search to look for, “Small System First,” and read about it. I think this sized system would be perfect for what you are doing. I would just add a small inverter to it, maybe 400 watts, like you might find in an auto parts store for about $40 to run your laptop and cell phone charger, then turn the inverter off when you’re not using them. Keep the lights at 12 volts if you can, then they will work without the inverter. A good place to look for 12 volt LED lights is online, or at a truck stop or RV place.

Lot’s of people will tell you solar doesn’t work, or you don’t know what your doing. Don’t let people tell you it can’t be done, we heard that 12 years ago too, I’ll list some other places to look for info below. Keep after it, try to make it to one of the energy fairs, and learn what you can, but be skeptical of people who tell you it won’t work who don’t have solar power, they really don’t know what they are talking about either. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo

Patented Energy Storage and Transport Technologies by Scott Douglas Redmond

Sunforce 60032 30 Amp Digital Charge Controller $78.52 The Sunforce 60032 30 Amp Digital Charge Controller prevents overcharging of 12 volt batteries. It is intended for use with 12 volt solar panels, and can handle up to 30 amps of array current and up to 450 Watts of solar power. The controller will continuously display the charging current or battery voltage on the LCD digital meter, and also automatically indicates the charged condition of your ba...

Sunforce 50012 1.8-Watt Solar Battery Maintainer $17.00 The Sunforce 50012 1.8-Watt Solar Battery Maintainer gives you another reason to love the sun--it can help keep your vehicle's battery charged. It provides up to 1.8 watts or 125mA of power to prevent the natural voltage drain of batteries over time. It includes both a lighter socket adapter and alligator clips to give you flexible connection options. The Sunforce 1.8-Watt Solar Battery Maintai...

Parmak Magnum 12 Solar Pak Low Impedance 12 Volt Battery Operated 30 Mile Range Electric Fence Charger MAG12SP $267.44 Parmak Model MAG 12-SP- 12 volt - Solar/Battery Operated Featuring the latest state-of-the-art solar panel with superior charging power, the Parmak Magnum 12 Solar-Pak eliminates battery recharging, thereby saving you time and money. The sun's energy charges the fencer by day and a sealed 12 volt rechargeable battery powers the fencer at night. Battery included. Made in the USA! Low impedance for ...

AIMS AGM 6 Volt Battery - 220 Amp $319.00 The Deka Solar series of batteries is designed to offer reliable, maintenance-free back-up power for renewable energy applications where frequent deep cycles are required and minimum maintenance is desirable. We offer AGM and gel technologies to fit all of your solar applications including: Solar Panel Electricity Collection, Water Pumping, Wind Generation, Cathodic Protection, Lighting Navigation...

Deka 12 Volt Gel Battery - 225 Amp $735.99 The Deka Solar series of batteries is designed to offer reliable, maintenance-free back-up power for renewable energy applications where frequent deep cycles are required and minimum maintenance is desirable. We offer AGM and gel technologies to fit all of your solar applications including: Solar Panel Electricity Collection, Water Pumping, Wind Generation, Cathodic Protection, Lighting Navigation...

Deka 6 Volt Gel Battery - 80 Amp $350.99 The Deka Solar series of batteries is designed to offer reliable, maintenance-free back-up power for renewable energy applications where frequent deep cycles are required and minimum maintenance is desirable. We offer AGM and gel technologies to fit all of your solar applications including: Solar Panel Electricity Collection, Water Pumping, Wind Generation, Cathodic Protection, Lighting Navigation...

Instapark® 10 Watt Solar Panel Portable Solar Charger with Dual USB Ports for iPhone, iPad & all other USB Compatible Devices $69.40 Converting virtually unlimited supply of solar power to much needed battery juice for your mobile devices such as an iPhone, iPad and many, many more USB portable devices while you are on the go or there is a power outage or disaster strikes, the Instapark Mercury 10 is a light and compact USB solar charging system that easily fits in your purse, messenger bag or backpack. It combines three solar ...

Etón Soulra Solar Powered Sound System for iPod and iPhone $0.01 ...

Ensupra Grid Tie Inverter 500W,New Design,1Yr.Wrnty,25-46VDC to 110V/120VAC,Power from Solar Panel, Wind Generator, Hydro or Storage Battery,1 Year Full Warranty $229.00 Ensupra grid tie power inverter can obtain the solar energy from solar panel, and can tie to the grid through its output cable with no extra equipment. The installation is Do-It-Your Self (DIY).When the sun shines, the PV panel will produces DC voltage, and the grid tie inverter will change the DC voltage to AC voltage and puts out power to the home grid, saving electricity. INSTALLATION: 1, Conne...

Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual $29.00 Producing electricity from the sun using photovoltaic (PV) systems has become a major industry worldwide. But designing, installing and maintaining such systems requires knowledge and training, and there have been few easily accessible, comprehensive guides to the subject.Now, with Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual, a world-class solar energy training and education provider—Solar ...