You can expect to power a range of appliances with the energy from a solar power when there’s no grid, depending on its capacity (watts) of course.
So, what appliances can you run off a portable 25-watt solar panel?
Should you even use a charge controller with it?
Read on to find out if you need a charge controller with a 25-watt solar panel, what size of battery (Ah) to use with it, and what appliances you can safely run with it.
Charge Controller for a 25-watt Solar panel – Does it Need one?
You should use a charge controller with a 25-watt solar panel to avoid overcharging it, especially when used with a low capacity (Ah) battery.
What Size (amps) of Charge Controller to Use?
You can use a 6 amps PWM charge controller to control the charging of the battery. Consider a larger capacity charge controller (larger than 10 amps) if you plan to add more solar panels later.
How Many Amps from a 25 watt Solar Panel?
The maximum output current of a 25-watt solar panel under full sunlight is about only 1.4 amps at 18V.
With cloud cover, the output current is considerably lower.
Battery Size (Ah) for 25 watt panel
You can use a 7- 10 Ah battery with the solar panel. This assumes about 100 Wh (6Ah) of daily energy from the solar panel with 4 hours of sunshine.
What Appliances to Run?
A 25-watt solar panel is a low power solar panel and only supplies about 100 Wh a day. It is best suited for use with low-power applications such as:
- Maintaining a Car battery
- Powering low wattage LEDs, remote cameras, 12v fans, 12V fountain and small hobbyist projects that use microcontrollers.
Related Questions
What Size of Charge Controller for a 20 watt Solar Panel?
You can use a 6 A PWM charge controller to control the charging of the battery.
It only supplies a maximum current of about 1.27 amps.
Closing Thoughts
Use a 6-10A charge controller with a 25-watt solar panel. You can use a 7-10Ah battery with the solar panel.
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