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Richard Mackney

Creative Technologist

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Oct 23 2011

The Really NOT Very Mobile Solar Project


The caravan has been put away for the winter so I decided to try and use my 50W solar panel for something at home.

First thoughts were based around a test project to see if a 50W panel could be used to keep all my tech charged during winter in the UK. But then my thoughts turned to my current electricity usage and I started thinking what would be the best use of the Sun’s power on a daily basis.

I’ve decided to rig the panel in the garage and power an external night light that is on from dusk till dawn. Currently the light uses an 11W CF bulb but I’m planning to switch it to a 3W LED bulb running on 12 volts.

I’ve rigged the solar controller to two batteries in the boot of the Mini! and this provides a charge to the batteries but also has a dedicated regulated 12v output for connection to the lighting system. The controller will not overcharge the batteries and will shut down the output if the battery level is too low. The batteries also let me start the Mini up every two weeks.

Stay tuned for results, I’ll post about the power generation and nightly usage as I learn more about the system. I’ll also post links to the items when I get off the iPhone!

(Sent from iPhone)

You might like:

    • Portable Folding Solar Panel Review
    • Campervan Solar Panel Installation
    • Powermonkey eXtreme – Mobile Power Review

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Solar

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  1. Campervan Solar Panel Installation says:
    April 28, 2017 at 11:59 am

    […] been running a rigid frame 50W solar panel at home for a number of years to provide 12V lighting with the intention of using it on the caravan and […]

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