Thursday, March 28, 2024

Best 12v Solar Battery Charger

Do Solar Car Battery Chargers Actually Work

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As long as you are using a solar battery car charger for the intended use, yes, they work.

Solar battery chargers do not typically have multiple amperage settings, which means that they only provide a small amount of current to the battery.

This means the solar charger is more beneficial for maintaining a car battery charge than fully charging a battery.

Best Small Charger: Allpowers Solar Battery Maintainer

Product Ratings

Tech Support 4/5

Dimensions: 13.46 x 5.59 x 1.54 inches | Weight: 11.4 ounces| Compatible: With most vehicles | Wattage: 10 watts

What We Liked

  • The charger comes with interchangeable connectors for flexibility
  • This charger will not overcharge your battery
  • This charger is weatherproof making it durable

What We DidntLike

  • There is no internal mounting to keep it from warping
  • The battery being charged cannot be less than 60% so you will need to monitor the battery
  • There have been complaints about the customer service

Here is our final entry of the best solar car battery chargers. The ALLPOWERS is an easy-to-use, easy to set up charger, and has 10 watts of output.

To use the charger all you need to do is to plug it into your cars 12 volt lighter socket or use the alligator clips to connect directly to your battery. What could be easier?

We loved the speed and output and thought it was steady and reliable. This product is water resistant and will take some rain drops and cold weather.

Its also made with a built-in blocking diode so that it will not drain your battery during the dark hours.

This battery does come with silicone cups to mount to your dashboard or windshield so that it can catch maximum rays.

The issue we had with the ALLPOWERS is the lack of internal mounting, and it doesnt come with plastic or rubber mounts or linings to support the freestanding panel. Because of this, it can warp.

4/5

How Does It Work

A solar battery charger for RV is designed for the maintenance of the batteries in vehicles such as cars, RVs or motorcycles, and other smaller vehicles. Portable solar chargers are generally used for trickle charging, providing your batteries with low-level current continuously. But how exactly does a solar battery charger do this?

Solar battery chargers are suitable for the off-the-grid type of living as it uses energy from the sun to charge your batteries. You dont need other energy sources, only the sunlight. Your solar battery chargers harness energy from the sun and convert it into DC electricity through a photovoltaic array. It is then stored in your battery and used to power it up.

Charging your battery with a 12v solar battery charger is made easy. You dont have to possess the professional knowledge to figure out which goes where. You can easily plug in the charger to your vehicles cigarette lighter.

But there are other vehicles that their cigarette lighter wont work if the ignition is turned off. Conveniently, in this case, solar battery chargers also come with alligator battery clamps and extension cables so you can connect to the battery directly.

Read Also: Is Solar Energy Better Than Electricity

What Makes A Good 12v Solar Battery Charger

Of course 12v solar chargers are one of the best in the market but these chargers must have some features that would make them outstanding and dependable. Features such as preserving energy and being able to work in extreme conditions.

Built It Diode

Solar panels are designed to charge up the appliances by converting the photo voltaic energy into electrical energy. They ensure that the appliances get optimum power and not over charged. The same methodology is used for 12v chargers where reverse discharge takes place. The incorrect insertion of 12v battery can cause to overflow or trickle backwards. This is why diodes are built in the battery chargers which prevent the trickledown effect and protects the chargers.

Sustainable Built

The solar panels are usually mounted outside where they is plenty of light and wind that can be converted into other forms of energy. This means the chargers need to be able to withstand tremendous weather and still give optimum result. The best panel chargers are light weight and portable.

Light weight chargers will not impact the surface it has been mounted on and will also be easy to install and maintain. Good panel chargers are durable and have aluminum or iron coating that protects it from strong wind current, heavy snow and rainfall. The thick glass coating also absorbs extreme heat and prevents from catching fire.

Charger Controllers

Solar Panel Charger Size

Maintenance

What Is A Solar Charger For Backpacking

Schumacher 12

The solar charger can be used to harness the energy of the sun. You can connect it to your phone or light for long-lasting power. They are lightweight and portable, making them ideal for hiking and backpacking. You can find many different sizes and types of solar chargers. These solar chargers aren’t always very expensive. The solar charger comes standard with panels and a battery. Before using the solar charger, you can charge it with a computer or by plugging into a wall socket. We recommend investing in these items if you are planning to backpack for long periods of time.

Also Check: Are Renogy Solar Panels Any Good

Solar Panel Connections For Charging Series Or Parallel

The normal open-circuit voltage output from a so-called 12 volt solar panel is about 22 volts in bright sunshine.

In some cases, with certain types of solar charge controller, its more efficient to connect two in series for small installations such as motorized solar kayaks or small boats.

Two panels connected together in this way would produce double the voltage but the maximum current output would remain the same.

The good news is that most solar charge controllers detect battery voltage and panel voltage, adjusting the charging characteristics accordingly. The charge nameplate normally gives details of the maximum voltages and current for that particular model.

Video Explaining Exactly How Not To Charge A Battery With Solar

Iclever Usb Solar Charger

Bottom line: We liked the build and compact design of the $60 iClever USB Solar Charger. It comes with an integrated 8000mAh battery that cannot be removed, which we generally dislike and makes the testing harder. When we eyeballed the panels up close, they look like the same panels in other products that performed well in our testing.

In a future iteration of this review, we may include more chargers with built-in batteries and develop a different testing protocol. The iClevers battery performed fine in these tests, however, with a very solid 4.8V at 2A.

Read Also: What Is The Best Solar Company To Work For

Ravpower Solar Charger 16w Solar Panel

Bottom line: Avoid the $50 RAVPower 16W Solar Charger. We never could get this compact charger to stay stable at 2A, and it underperformed even the Foxelli charger by most metrics.

The RAVPower claims a 5V and 2.4A output, but we never saw output even close to that in our testing. The panel was able to keep the voltage at one of its two USB ports between 4V and 5V pretty consistently, even going over 5V by a decent margin on a few occasions. But the amperage was all over the map, swinging between a little under 2A and zero.

This charger just couldnt keep enough current coming consistently to break 4Wh under a 2A load. However, if we dial the load back to 1A, we start to get more stability and the charger gets up to 5W consistently.

Looking at the brief periods in the test runs where it did well plus the less-formal spot checking we performed, where we watched the meters for a few minutes but didnt record, we could see maybe getting this panel up to 7W sustained under absolutely ideal sunlight and load conditions. But even then, its not going crack the top 5 in its weight and price class.

What Is The Best 12v Battery For Rvs

Best 12v Solar Battery Charger In 2022 – Top 10 12v Solar Battery Chargers Review

I recommend watching this video about the different lead-acid battery types often used in RVs and what each of them does good and bad.

What is not talked about in the video is lithium batteries which are becoming more and more popular, although at a much higher cost than flooded, AGM, and cell.

If you plan on living full-time in your RV it can definitely be worth the investment. I recommend purchasing 12V lithium batteries from reputable companies like Battle Born or Renogy.

Both of these are drop-and-replacement which means that theyre extremely easy to install on RVs. You should, however, make sure that the converter charger in your RV supports lithium batteries.

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Reverse Charge Blocking Diode

When I first saw this term, I was confused. I may know a lot about solar power, but Im not as familiar with cars. But as Ive looked into it, this feature immediately became a valuable option that I realized is important.

Reverse charge blocking diodes allow the charger to retain all the energy that it collects throughout the day from the sunlight. It then prevents it from leaking out that energy at night when its not in use.

The feature is present in most solar-powered battery chargers, though, so it shouldnt be too difficult to find. Just make note of a mention of the feature or not, as most manufacturers will include this in the description.

Who This Is For

USB solar chargers are a great option if youre taking an extended camping trip or if youre traveling somewhere with an unreliable power grid. Theyre also good for stashing in an emergency kit. In all those specific situations, a solar charger could charge a phone the size of an iPhone X using a few hours of midday sun. But in most situations, a USB solar charger isnt actually the best portable power source, and you may be better off starting with a USB power bank designed for phones and tablets, USB-C laptops, or AC-powered laptops. Our power bank picks keep a smartphone charged for hours or even days at a time, are the size of a paperback novel or smaller, and are not dependent on the weather.

But whether you choose a solar charger or a battery, itll work only with USB or USB-C devices, which limits these options appeal for anyone who needs power for a long-term, off-grid setup. If youre going to be mostly stationary and need to charge or run larger devices like laptops or televisions, or if you need to use more sophisticated communications equipment, youll probably be more interested in the larger setups that we cover in our guide to the best portable power stations.

Recommended Reading: How Much Do Commercial Solar Panels Cost

Ryno Tuff Solar Charger Dual Usb 21w

Bottom line: The $57 Ryno Tuff Dual USB 21W unit came out on top in power output, watts per ounce, and price. It was a great performer in every area, and though it wasnt quite as stable on all the test runs as its closest competitors, overall it out-delivered everyone else.

Test notes: The first two test runs showed this charger doing really well, and its clear that it would have scored an average of over 9W of output if the weather had cooperated.

There was a period of instability in the middle third of the second test. This may be related to heat buildup, but its hard to say. The third test run was done with a 3A load, and you can see that its significantly less stable than the other two that were done at 2A. This instability under a higher load is something weve seen in a few of the panels, and as in the other cases, we think the cause is probably heat-related.

Renogy 50 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Kit With Charge Controller

The Best 12V Solar Battery Chargers &  Maintainers

The Renogy 50W Solar Kit is the smallest wattage system we recommend for 12 volt battery charging. Anything less than 50W will make you frustrated. The charging speed depends a lot on the number of solar cells a panel has. The more solar cells, the more solar energy can be absorbed and converted into electricity in a given moment.

  • Best suited for small power consumers.
  • Compatible with 12V deep cycle battery types: sealed, gel and flooded.
  • Ideal battery capacity for the Renogy 50W Kit: 12V battery bank rated up to 70 amp hours.

Read Also: Cost Of Tesla Solar Battery

How Do I Get The Most Out Of My Solar Panels

  • Keep them clean If theyre on your roof, remember to clean them. If a storm comes through and it suddenly takes longer to charge your batteries, you might just have to clean them with some glass cleaner.
  • Angle Especially important during the winter months. Tilt your panels so they face the sun.
  • Kind of charge controller By using an MPPT charge controller you will usually generate more amperage when the sun is weaker. Like in early mornings and late afternoons, winter months, and when its cloudy.
  • Monitor your system By monitoring your system you will learn what generates the most amps. Tilt your panels and experiment to see which angle works the best in the winter or late afternoons.

Our Pick: Bigblue 28w Usb Solar Charger

You save $12

The BigBlue 28W USB Solar Charger is the USB solar charger wed pack for a week in the woods or a month in Malawi. It produced the most power of the models we tested and offers several standout featuresan additional output port, a weatherproof port protector, and an expansive array of panels to catch every last ray of sunlight.

At the sunniest point of our tests, the BigBlue tied with the X-Dragon 20W SunPower Solar Charger for how much power it produced at any one instant, reaching about 10.7 watts. But over the course of the day, the BigBlue had the highest cumulative wattage: 48.8 watt-hours to the X-Dragons 43.7 watt-hours. That isnt a huge gainyou could barely charge an iPhone X battery halfway with the additional powerbut every watt matters if youre far from an outlet, and the extra power costs little more in size or price.

The BigBlue stood out among the dozens of models we considered in part because it has two 2.4 A ports and one 1 A port so you can charge three devices simultaneously. Every other model we tested had just two ports. Plus, the ports on the BigBlue are the most protected from water and dust among all the models we tested, as theyre covered by both a cloth flap and a rubber cover. Thankfully the cover is connected by a small tether so you dont lose it.

Also Check: What Type Of Battery Is Best For Solar

Understanding Solar Charger Efficiency

Solar panel efficiency is expressed as a percentage of watts out divided by watts in. So we measured the watts/m^2 given off by the sun during each test run, multiplied that by the total area of each chargers panels in square meters, and divided the measured wattage output by the results.

We never got real efficiency numbers over about 14% for even the best of these chargers under the most ideal conditions. This is below the 20% to 25% efficiency numbers advertised.

It could be that the panel technology is that efficient under some ideal lab conditions, but by the time they package it into a charger and hang some USB ports off it, that efficiency is lower.

How We Selected The Contenders

SUNER POWER 12V Waterproof Solar Battery Trickle Charger & Maintainer 10 Watts

We created a spreadsheet of 26 panels after researching other reviews and scouring through preparedness, outdoor, and electronics forums for common recommendations. From there we chose the models that seemed like the best candidates, narrowing the field down to 15 for in-person testing.

Although size is always an issue, we focused on panels with advertised power over 10 watts, except for the Goal Zero Nomad 7, which we included due to its popularity among preppers. Most of the panels were provided by the manufacturer, but that never breaks our Prepared Promise.

How we tested

Besides normal qualities like price and durability, our goal was to isolate the panels and test their efficiency under different weather conditions, honing in on what kind of power output you can get depending on sunlight and changing environmental conditions.

Properly testing portable chargers takes a lot of time and specialized equipment. Weve yet to find another review online that does this properly .

We bought an irradiance meter to measure the energy of the sun hitting the panel, a multimeter to measure the output from the panels USB port, and a USB load tester that acts like a battery .

We laid each panel out flat in the sun on an elevated Coolaroo pet bed over a light-colored stone deck so that air could circulate underneath. We placed our testing apparatus in a small box underneath the bed/panel for shade, with the irradiance meters sunlight sensor in the same place for every test.

Also Check: Advantages Of Using Solar Energy

How Much Solar Power Do You Need For Your Rv

Simply put, your RV lifestyle is the main factor that comes into play when it comes to how much solar capacity you need. You might get by on living with just a trickle of electricity, or you might use as much electricity as you do at home. It all depends on how many electronics devices you are using.

To find out which solar battery charger is ideal for your lifestyle, first invest some time into finding out how much energy you use on an average day. Also, by learning how much energy usage you can control by adjusting your consumption patterns will most likely save you a lot of money on your solar battery charger kit.

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