Siege Media’s Jen Pedrozo shares learn how to arrange photo voltaic panels for tenting with out spending a fortune.
Part of the attraction of tenting is getting away from all of it. Unfortunately, that additionally means shedding entry to on a regular basis comforts like electrical energy. You can at all times hook as much as a generator to run electrical energy for any lights or home equipment you could have at your campsite or camper, however these aren’t environmentally pleasant and might pose a hearth danger. Fortunately, photo voltaic panels for tenting are an excellent supply of power.
Solar panels have change into extra widespread amongst campers, however buying a equipment can get dear. Instead, choose to make your individual photo voltaic panel. Read on to study extra about utilizing photo voltaic panels once you camp and learn how to make your individual.
The Benefits of Using Solar Panels While Camping
Solar panels for tenting are an effective way to energy your campsite whereas following the tenting adage of leaving no hint. Setting up a photo voltaic panel system at your campsite has the next advantages:
- Solar power is clear. Once assembled, photo voltaic panels don’t have any destructive environmental impacts. Unlike gasoline turbines, they don’t burn fossil fuels or launch poisonous byproducts into the air. Perhaps most significantly for campers, photo voltaic power is totally silent, so you may benefit from the sounds of nature moderately than the roar of your generator’s engine.
- Solar power is free. Once you purchase the photo voltaic panel and the battery to retailer energy, you gained’t should pay one other cent for photo voltaic power. With a generator, you’d should preserve buying gasoline on your generator or paying hookup and utilization charges for a campsite with electrical energy hookups.
- Solar power is straightforward to arrange. Using photo voltaic power is straightforward: simply put the photo voltaic panel in a spot that will get solar and join it to your battery for storage.
- Solar power is transportable. Wherever there’s solar, you may have energy with a photo voltaic panel. Want to camp beachside? No downside. Prefer the wilderness within the mountains? Do it. Unlike a generator, you’ll by no means have to depart your campsite to restock your gasoline for the reason that solar by no means runs out of power.
- Solar power is straightforward to keep up. All you must do to maintain your photo voltaic power system operating is clear your photo voltaic panel sometimes. No tune-ups or different upkeep required like with a generator.
How To Use Solar Panels While Camping
Before you decide to utilizing photo voltaic at your campsite, you must contemplate your wants.
- How do you intend to make use of your photo voltaic panel at your campsite? Are you simply making an attempt to maintain your cellphone charged, or will you be powering a projector for film night time in nature? How a lot power you want determines what measurement photo voltaic panel you’ll want.
- Where will you place the photo voltaic panel? Look for an area in your campsite that will get essentially the most solar through the day. While a photo voltaic panel can nonetheless generate power in partial daylight, it gained’t produce as a lot as within the solar. Before you head to your campsite, analysis the quantity of solar it receives and verify the climate forecast.
- When will you want the power out of your photo voltaic panel? Will you simply want it through the day, or will you employ it to energy lights at your campsite? If you intend on utilizing the power at night time, you’ll wish to put money into a big sufficient battery to retailer the power for when wanted.
Once you buy (or make your individual) photo voltaic panels, all you’ll have to do at your campsite is place the photo voltaic panels the place they’ll get essentially the most solar and join it to your battery storage. You may even mount them on the roof of your campervan or RV in order that they’re at all times harnessing power.
How To Make Your Own Solar Panel for Your Campsite
While you should buy photo voltaic panel methods for tenting, you may construct one your self when you have the proper instruments and know-how. If you could have the instruments at your campsite, you may assemble your photo voltaic panel there, or create it at dwelling earlier than you permit.
Step 1: Gather the required elements and instruments
The very first thing you must do is buy the required elements and collect all of the instruments you want for the job. Buy your photo voltaic cells first, as the dimensions of your cells will decide what measurement panel you must construct.
Necessary elements for the photo voltaic panel itself embody:
- Solar cells
- A sheet of plexiglass
- Four 1x2s
- A backing board (Choose one thing non-conducive, like wooden, cardboard, glass, or plastic. Wood is most popular because it’s simpler to chop and sturdier than the opposite choices.)
- A roll of tabbing wire
- A roll of solder
- A tube of silicone adhesive
- Bus wire
For the battery system, you’ll want the next:
- A diode
- A terminal block
- A cost controller
- A battery
You’ll additionally want the next instruments:
- Soldering iron
- A flux pen
- Wire cutters
- A noticed
- Deck screws
- Butt joints
- Screw gun/screwdriver
Step 2: Create the backing board
Lay your photo voltaic cells on the backing board in as few rows as attainable however don’t connect them to the board but. There ought to be a small area between every cell.
Measure an extra two inches of area past the ends of your rows, above the highest row, and beneath the underside row. That’s how massive your backing board ought to be.
Cut the board to the dimensions you measured.
Step 3: Cut your tabbing wire and join it to the photo voltaic cells
Your tabbing wire connects every photo voltaic cell to a different. Cut the wire to lengths twice the dimensions of the contract pads on the photo voltaic cells. You’ll want two of those per cell.
Use a flux pen to flux the trail of the wire to forestall oxidation whilst you solder the wire to the cells. Then use your solder iron and solder to attach two items of tabbing wire to every cell. Half of every wire ought to lengthen from one aspect of the cell. You’ll use that later to attach the cell to the following one.
Step 4: Connect your photo voltaic cells
Use a dot of silicone adhesive to attach the again of your photo voltaic cells to the backing board. Keep the tabbing wire straight to attach all of the cells within the row.
Each row ought to alternate wiring instructions. So if the wires within the first row join a cell to the one to the proper of it, then wires within the subsequent row ought to join every cell to the one to the left of it.
Then solder the ends of the tabbing wire to leads on the highest of the following photo voltaic cell. Remember to make use of the flux pen to prep the world earlier than soldering.
Solder tabbing wire to the leads on high of the primary photo voltaic cell in your row so it factors off the board. Connect these two items of tabbing wire to bus wire that’s an inch longer than the area between contact pads on the cells. This is the constructive finish of your photo voltaic panel.
At the top of the row, connect an extended piece of bus wire to attach the studying wire of the primary row with the tabbing wire within the row beneath it. Add two items of further tabbing wire to the final cell on this row, and join it to the row beneath it with bus wire. Repeat as wanted till all of the wires are linked.
The final photo voltaic panel within the final row ought to join to a different brief piece of bus wire, similar to the constructive finish. This is the destructive finish of your photo voltaic panel.
Step 4: Construct the panel field
You’ll have to create the panel field to guard all of the cells you simply wired collectively from the weather.
Measure and reduce your 1×2 planks to suit the backing board. Using deck screws, butt joints, and a screw gun, connect the reduce 1x2s to one another to assemble a body.
Drill holes within the 1x2s the place you could have the 2 shorter items of bus wire. The holes ought to be barely bigger than the diameter of the bus wire.
Finally, glue the backing board to the completed field. Be cautious to not disturb any of the cells or different elements.
Step 5: Wire your panel
Once the field is constructed, it’s time to assemble the wiring so the power from the photo voltaic panels can be utilized.
Start by connecting your panel to a diode, which directs the present from the photo voltaic panel to the battery. You’ll have to solder one finish of a wire to the bus wire on the destructive finish of your photo voltaic panel and join the opposite finish of the diode.
Solder one other wire (use a unique coloration) to the bus wire on the constructive finish of your photo voltaic panel.
Install a terminal block to the aspect of your photo voltaic panel field. Run each wires out of your photo voltaic panel’s constructive and destructive ends by way of the terminal block.
Connect your terminal block to a cost controller to control {the electrical} present to forestall overcharging your battery.
Finally, join the cost controller to your battery.
Step 6: Seal the panel field
Glue 1×1 blocks in every nook of the panel field. Be cautious to not disturb any of the photo voltaic cells.
Cut a sheet of plexiglass to the dimensions of your photo voltaic panel field. Then place the plexiglass sheet on the 4 blocks. Screw the plexiglass to the blocks. Seal the perimeters of the plexiglass to the partitions of the photo voltaic panel with a silicone sealant.
You’re prepared to begin harnessing photo voltaic power to energy your campsite!
Now take a look at Solartap’s full infographic to study extra about constructing your individual photo voltaic panel.
Have you arrange Solar Panels for Camping?
If not, have you considered making an attempt this on your subsequent journey? Perhaps you’re skilled with photo voltaic panels and their use within the nice outdoor. Please do share your ideas beneath.