Category Archives: Solar Q&A

How Many Solar Panels do I Need to Produce/Run a 500 Watt Inverter ?

How many solar panels you need to run a 500 watt power converter is a pretty easy question. A 500 watt inverter is capable of converting 500 watts of power from one source into another. A computer system with a few other small items will take that much during the course of an 8 hour day. So assuming that you’re going to be converting the maximum 500 watts, and you are going to need that power for 8 to 10 hours, then one standard solar panel should be all that you need.

Keep in mind that 500 watts is not a lot of electricity, so don’t plan on getting a lot accomplished with just one solar panel. One typical residential solar panel is 3′ x 5′ and produces 70 watts of power per hour for 8 to 10hours. Between the panel and the converter alone, you’re looking at roughly a $500 investment. Some people use this system to power their computer and a few other small items i one room, like a desk light and a printer. Considering the initial cost of the system versus how much money they are actually saving, they are not doing it for the money.

How to Recharge a Drill Battery with a Solar Panel ?

When working away from a electrical outlet to charge your electric drill battery can be a pain especially when you really need to use your drill on an important project. Fortunately it is possible to use a solar panel to recharge that drill and any other power tool or electrical device’s battery. The question is how to use a solar panel to be able to charge these batteries?

The answer to this question is by connecting a solar panel to a 12 volt battery and then by using an inverter connected to the 12 volt battery you can charge the cordless drill battery and any other electrical device that you may need. Charging a cordless drill battery in this way may take longer than normal.

You can get help setting up this kind of solar charging system by visiting a boat supply store, many people around the world use this kind of solar charging system when living on yachts and its simple to set up, all the components can be purchased at a boat supply store and are the best quality but a bit expensive, you can also find an inverter and solar panel cheaper online to save some cash.

How to Replace Solar Battery?

If it has been a long time since you first bought your solar lights, then you might be noticing that the lights are getting dimmer and not recharging like they used to. If this is the case then you might need to change out the batteries. Fortunately, learning how to replace solar battery is easy to do.

Before you start, you need to locate the battery cover. Usually the battery cover is located on the side or the bottom of the light. Now you can look and see what type of screws it has. Once you do that, locate the correct tool and you are ready to begin.

Use the screwdriver to carefully remove the battery cover. Now all you need to do is remove the old batteries and replace those with new ones. It is important to make sure that you are using the right kind of batteries for the solar lights. Solar lights use special rechargeable batteries. Once you are done putting in the new batteries, you can replace the cover and put the screws back in.

Now that you have changed the batteries, your solar light should be good as new and ready to be used again.

How to Use Solar Inverters

solar panels inverter dc to acThe inverter 12 to 220Volt transforms the battery current to 220V to use in equipment operating at 220 volts.  Ideal for television, computer, mobile phones, etc… , compressors, refrigerators etc. …

Most solar energy systems generate DC current which is stored in batteries. Nearly all lighting products, appliances, motors, etc, are designed to use alternating current, it takes an inverter to change the battery-DC stored at the standard power (120 V AC, 60 Hz).

In an inverter, a direct current (DC) is moving back and forth to produce an alternating current (AC).