Portable Solar Panels
 Need to take something with you to harness
the power of the sun when you're out camping or in the
field? Consider taking not only portable solar panels, but
portable solar panels you MADE yourself!
There isn't that much time involved in making portable solar
panels. The secret is to get the cells from a 3rd party or
discount seller. These panels will likely be broken, but that's
okay. You can find cells with minor chips and dings on their
sides that sell for a tenth of the cost of even totally intact
used panels.
Click here for the
earth4energy guide on making your own portable solar
panels.
Consider making them yourself before you buy -
the process is NOT that time
consu
ming at all to put them together. See this page on
RV solar panels that
will outline the exact same steps you'll take to put together
your own portable solar panels, just on a larger
frame. If you're set on buying your
portable solar panels instead of making them, there are 2
things you'll want to consider really: The output current and
output voltage. Both are going to be important to figuring out
how well the cells will charge a certain battery.
Most portable solar panels are rated at 6 volts and several
hundred milliamps. A milliamp us one thousandth of an amp - the
unit used in electronics to measure current flow.
You can expect your portable solar panels with the specs above
to charge the average rechargeable 6 amp-hour battery in about
12 hours at full output. Don't think that a cell that isn't in
direct sunlight won't charge either - the technology in the new
portable solar panels allows for substantial output, even at a
50% light input.
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