connecting a solar panel directly
- Thread starter yodie213
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MisterSandals
Participation Medalist
How many volts are your 12V solar panels? Does the car heater have any electronic bits that would fry if they receive more than 15V? Or if its a dumb heater and fan, likely good to go.
Doggydogworld
Solar Enthusiast
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Yes, you can hook panels to a resistor. Electric heaters, including water heater elements, are basically just resistors. Some have switches and such designed to work with AC and some DC heaters have control circuits that require a certain input voltage. So you have to pay attention.
The amount of power you get will depend on sunshine and temperature, of course, but also on the amount of resistance. These guys measured panel output at short circuit, open circuit and 1 Ohm, 2 Ohms, ....... 10 Ohms. MPPT controllers vary the "resistance" presented to the panels to optimize output, but you'll need to manually choose a resistor that gets close under typical conditions.
Measuring the Output Power of a Solar Panel
Alternative Energy Tutorial about how to measure the output power of a solar panel using multimeters to measure the voltage and amperes generated by the photovoltaic Solar Panel
www.alternative-energy-tutorials.com
efficientPV
Solar Addict
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- Sep 24, 2019
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A 12V solar panel isn't 12V. A car heater isn't electric unless it is one of those accessary car defrosters. There are YT videos on them and solar.
energyprisoners
New Member
You can technically hook up a 12V solar panel to a 12V car heater, but keep in mind you'll need enough panels to meet the heater's wattage requirements. Also, think about adding a charge controller in between to keep things smooth and safe. Just don't forget to double-check the specs.
yea, I know it isn't really 12volts. a resistance heater has a voltage range that is tolerable to the voltages of a solar panel. il lgo yt it them and see what they say, thanks.
Yes, you can hook panels to a resistor. Electric heaters, including water heater elements, are basically just resistors. Some have switches and such designed to work with AC and some DC heaters have control circuits that require a certain input voltage. So you have to pay attention.
The amount of power you get will depend on sunshine and temperature, of course, but also on the amount of resistance. These guys measured panel output at short circuit, open circuit and 1 Ohm, 2 Ohms, ....... 10 Ohms. MPPT controllers vary the "resistance" presented to the panels to optimize output, but you'll need to manually choose a resistor that gets close under typical conditions.
Measuring the Output Power of a Solar Panel
Alternative Energy Tutorial about how to measure the output power of a solar panel using multimeters to measure the voltage and amperes generated by the photovoltaic Solar Panelwww.alternative-energy-tutorials.com
I thought so as well. This is purely hypothetical anyways.
chrisgraham
New Member
Car heaters are designed to draw a significant amount of power to provide efficient heating. Solar panels, might not be able to provide the necessary power consistently.
Can you add a charge controller without a battery to buffer ?
JBertok
Network Engineer
If you're looking for heat you might pick up a big hot water solar collector, build a simple circulation system with an ethyl/glycol solution run by a small 12v pump. Some of these pumps are built to run directly from a very small PV panel with a wide voltage range. Inside, an automotive heater core or PC radiator with a few PC fans. Lines would only need to be 1/2"
If you just need batteryless regulated DC, you can use a cheap PWM (not MPPT) charge controller to regulate the PV. A capacitor on the regulated side would help too.
It depends on what you're trying to do. Making heat with PV is expensive, so post the scope of your project and let the creative flow in.
If you just need batteryless regulated DC, you can use a cheap PWM (not MPPT) charge controller to regulate the PV. A capacitor on the regulated side would help too.
It depends on what you're trying to do. Making heat with PV is expensive, so post the scope of your project and let the creative flow in.
