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Month: April 2017

A Guide To Camping With Green Energy

April 11, 2017 • Edna Lyles

All of us rely on main grid all the time and it is quite impossible to imagine life without it. However, you can give this a break while you go camping, where you rely on solar energy to supply you with the fuel needed.

The basic things you need for a solar grid setup are solar panels, leads, a charge controller and, of course, a battery. A 4×4 car awning Australia also requires these for long trips where power source becomes a concern.Solar power can also light up the best led light bar whilst outdoors in the darkness. When starting out with camping with the help of solar panels, you need to figure out what to start without. The size of the panels matter a lot. They are available in all shapes as well as structures. You’ll get flexi-panels which meld with the roof of the caravan. There are also boat, rigid panels as well as foldable panels. Foldable panels have the advantage of portability and can be set up when you stop to camp and you can again store them away at dusk.You need to remember that the panel you choose has to be appropriate for the purpose. If you’re looking to trickle charge a battery in order to compensate for self-discharge, then you can go for a 5 or a 10 watt panel. You’ll need at least 100 watts of power if you want to use the energy to power television sets, lights and water pumps. In the case of a campervan, which is large, having all the facilities mentioned above, with the addition of a fridge that runs for 24 hours, you will have to go in for 150 watts to 200 watts of power at the least.

Once the question of the solar panel is settled, we have to choose the type of battery. This has to be calculated in terms of AH or ampere hour. You have to take a measure of the average watts required per day and then multiply it with the number of days you’ll potentially be without power generation at your disposal. Finally, multiply that number by a factor of two. That number is divided by the voltage of the system that you’ll be requiring. The kind of battery you choose is also important, there are gel, lead and AGM batteries to choose from. Out of the three, gel is the most suitable one for practical purposes requiring constant flow of low current, as well as a working capability from -10 degrees Celsius to 50 degree Celsius. Solar charge controllers are important for controlling charge leak which can cause damage to the battery. Consequently, the battery’s life increases.

Categories: Outdoor fun