|
|
Sunforce Products has come out with a great solar battery maintainer or solar battery charger. Outside Supply is now selling this solar panel. This unit is 1.8 watts and has a pretty useful design. It includes both cigarette lighter socket connection and direct alligator clip battery connection as well.
Continue reading "1.8 Watt Solar Battery Maintainer or Charger" »
One of the fastest growing segments of Outside Supply's customer base is in RV solar. I believe this is partially because of the explosion in Americans wanting to hit the great outdoors. It is also, in my opinion, because it is harder and harder to find solitude in any park that has hookups. Therefore many of us are going dry camping or boon docking. RV SOLAR KITS
A solar panel in your RV can keep your batteries charged so basic functions like your water pump, 12 volt lights and other devices continue to run. While solar charging is not the most powerful choice when compared to running a generator, it is superior in the fact that it works without requiring any fuel except sunlight. It also requires very little maintenance except that the sun is required to rise every day to insure charging. (By the way if the sun doesn't rise, I think there may be bigger issues at hand, than worrying about your RV battery charging. LOL!)
The size of the RV panel or RV Solar Kit that you need is based on 2 basic principles.
More Solar means more Charging which means more Money:
The more watts of solar panels you purchase, the faster your batteries will charge and the more output in your system. However more panels cost more money, so most people get to point where they have enough solar power to meet their needs and not break the bank.
Solar Panels Require Space:
The more panels you buy, the more space you need to install them. More panels also require more wiring, larger charge controllers and also a better installation plan. In fact many larger solar arrays for RV's are designed to be set out once the RV is parked. This allows for better orientation of the panels to the sun and also allows for shaded RV spots since the panels can be moved away from the shaded area. They do not however charge the batteries until they are set out, unlike permanently installed roof mount panels. So find or make an installation plan or setup that works for you.
Here is a quick look at the new Foldable 5 watt solar panel from Power Film that is available at OutsideSupply.com.
These 5 watt fold-able panels are great for emergency packs. They can charge a variety of personal electronics like cell phones, GPS, fish finders, radios and much more. While the 5 watt panel does not have enough power to keep a laptop charged, it could be used to charge other battery powered devices.
We often get asked by OutsideSupply.com customers about easy ways of installing solar chargers in remote areas. While there are many ways to get this done, I usually find a Lean-to type installation to be the easiest for on ground mounting. If you have a clear south facing area where the panel can be placed on the ground without damage and shading then this may be a good choice for you.
*** Remember a leaning panel will be broken if stepped on, climbed on, or pretty much anything happens on the panel. Do not use this install if you have any issues with the aforementioned installs.
Voltaic Systems Solar Backpack Up Close and Personal
We finally got in our opening order from Voltaic Systems. Boy these solar bags are great. So what I did was take this solar backpack out and took a bunch of pictures to show each and every feature of the bag.
I first want to explain that these bags are top notch quality and have impecable workmanship.
At Outside Supply we carry a full line of solar chargers and battery maintainers. Our 5 watt line of Solar chargers for RV applications are great. These solar chargers are lightweight, thin, rigid, an nearly unbreakable. Much better than the 5 watt glass solar chargers.
Continue reading "Unbreakable Panels are great for RV use!" »
Ever wonder how people keep electric fences charged? What about f they arereally remote electric fences? 
Many people use batteries with solar panels to recharge the batteries. It usually doesn't take a whole lot of solar to keep a fence charged. My experience says between 5 and 10 watts is usually plenty.
Continue reading "Small Solar Panel for Recharging Electric Fence." »
