How Many Watt Solar Panels to Charge Deep

Cycle Battery?
Many find it convenient to go off-grid completely. However, regardless of your reasons, solar is
required for your energy needs. This self-sufficient energy will not have you dependent on public
utilities as you can tap from the gift of nature to provide your needs and yet not harm the
environment while at it.

After tapping solar energy from the sun, there is a need to store this energy by using batteries as
they are known to a stable and dependable source of power for the home. However, determining
the number of solar watt panel that is required to charge your deep cycle battery can be
confounding not with all the technicalities that seems to be involved. Do you wish to set up your
rig for your solar panel but don't have an idea of the setup size that will be needed?

Your questions will be answered as in this article we will educate you on all you need to know
about charging your deep cycle battery using solar energy.

Definition of Deep Cycle Battery

Deep cycle battery is a lead-acid battery whose capacity is regularly meant to be discharged; the
discharge can occur between 45% and 74% of the capacity, but this is dependent on several
factors such as a brand of the product and its design. However, the best lifespan will keep your
battery at a constant 45% discharge and are constantly used in off-grid situations.

This is not all; the deep cycle batteries can also be used in cars, boats, and RVs as they are
designed to recharge and discharge over a hundred times over.

Calculating Solar Panel Specifications

In order to know how best to charge your battery with the use of solar panel, there is a need to
calculate what your solar power requires. In this, there are three factors to consider ensuring your
result is accurate. They include:

1. How Much Energy Your Battery Can Save

Every battery has a maximum storage capacity that should be considered if you are in need of an
adequate and dependable power supply. Purchasing a battery with the ability to store more
energy is of paramount importance as this way, you are assured of your system’s efficiency and
dependability.

The capacity of a battery is measured in amp-hours. This can be done by multiplying the voltage
of the battery with the amp hours on your battery and can be calculated using the formula below:

Power (watts) = Capacity of battery (ah) x Voltage of battery

Example 1:

If your battery has a voltage of 12 volts and a capacity of 20 amp hours, then it follows that the
power in watts hours is the voltage of the battery multiplied by the capacity of the battery.

Power=12 x 20

Power =240

Example 2:

A battery capacity of 350ah can continuously supply 35amps for 10 hours straight of 17.5 amps
for a period of 20 hours.

On purchase of some appliances and devices, the amount will be clearly stated on the product so
you need not convert anymore in order to determine how much energy that device can store up.
However, note that this information relayed so far will be needed to discover that will be needed
from your solar panel.

2. Amount of Energy Consumed By Appliances over Time

Before you can be able to determine the amount of energy you will need, there is a need to
ensure your solar panel has the capacity to handle your home's electrical grid. One of the ways of
doing this is by taking a look at how much power your home devices consume over a certain
period. This analysis will give you a rough idea of how much energy is needed to keep your
home running at all times.
The standard unit of measurement for power is watt, so you will need to get the value of power
consumed by your appliances over a certain time (this is usually measured in WH), then
calculate the power consumed using the formula below:

Rate of Power consumed over time (WH) = power (watts) x Hours of Use (Hr)

Example:

If an appliance makes use of 20 watts of power for 5hours, then it follows that the rate of power
consumed (WH) is the time taken for the consumption (hr) multiplied by the power (watts)

WH = 5 X 20

WH = 100 WH

3. How much energy does your solar panel generate?

In the end, there is a need to consider how much energy your solar panel generates over time in
order to determine how much energy is generated. Solar panel's rating is usually calculated in
watts. However, to determine how much energy is delivered to your battery from the solar panel,
you will need to multiply power generation rating on the solar panel by the number of hours it is
exposed to the sun.

To do that, use the formula below:

Amount of energy generated over a period – solar panel rating (watts) x amount of time exposed
to the sun (hr)

Example:

If your solar panel has a rating of 10 watts and it bis exposed to the sun for about 10 hours, it
follows that the amount of energy generated over the period is the watt rating multiplied by the
exposure time.

Energy generated over a period = 10 x 10

This gives 100 WH. This is, therefore, the energy generated by your solar panel, which is used to
power your deep cycle battery.
If these factors and aspects are considered before installing a solar panel system, you will have
an idea of what to purchase to ensure you have a reliable system. Yes, an off-grid system
provides all the power needed to run your home every day is available, however, to have a highly
efficient and reliable system there is a need to work on all possible factors before going ahead to
set up your solar panel.

Inverters

This converts your storage battery 240 volts AC needed to run your home, and unless you only
run 12volt DC devices, you will need an inverter to supply your AC.

Two types of inverters exist, and they include

Pure Sinewave Inverter: This is similar to the power generated from the electric supply. It is
clean and can be used to power even sensitive devices.

Modified Sine wave inverter: This is said to be a dirty power, but this is not necessarily true as
there are there more improved and better versions unlike what we used to have in the past. This
inverter can be used for appliances that are not such a sensitive example of which includes
fridges, pumps, and cookers. However, you may need to be careful while using it for sensitive
devices like laptops, and TVs or better still avoid using it for that purpose entirely.

Charge Regulators

Solar panels of 30watts and above should have a charge regulator or controller. This is vital as it
protects your batteries from overcharging or over-discharging; rather, it supplies only the amount
needed in order to enable your batteries last longer. With a charge controller or regulator, your
cells are at a risk of been damaged.

What Every Solar Panel Should Use

It’s important to note that solar panels are all about numbers (power need versus power
generated). Before you even think about purchasing a solar panel, you should know the name of
amp-hours or watts that can be generated over some time. This can be estimated in days or hours.
Since we have 24 hours in a day, it is advisable you use that as a benchmark in order to get an
accurate result. Start by determining the aggregate electricity utilized in that day and age. During
this time, try to figure out the amount of direct sunlight the solar panel was exposed to on that
day and age and then try to think of an approximate sum of watts hours required.

Ideally, on a normal day, we observe four long periods of usable daylight during winter and six
long stretches of usable daylight during summer. Note that there are exceptions to these
estimates, and this includes factors such as shades, mists, angle of the panel, and so on. Having
gotten how to calculate the capacity of your solar panel and battery, then make use a solar
calculator.

Using a good solar charger will also ensure you get the best service available. If you want a
battery that is reliable and efficient that will not leave you with power shortage, it is
recommended you use the best solar chargers.

Conclusion
Generating and storing solar energy on your deep cycle battery is quite easy and not as difficult
as perceived. All you need is a few clean devices, and just like that, you can have safe, clean
power to run your home. This article has been able to answer the question on the amount of watt
solar panel needed to charge your deep cycle battery. It is an efficient and reliable system and
can be installed anywhere in the home for great service.