camping

[haj]

Morning Gentlemen
I have had no involvement in solar we do a scout camp for a week every summer and was thinking can we get a 12v system going on for charging phones lights ect ? Would it be expensive to set up?
Cheers for any advice

 

[telectrix]

you can buy 12V solar panels from boatyards, caravan shops etc. how good they are, i've no idea.

 

[Octopus]

You need something along the lines of:

Solar-Powered 12V 12W Battery Charger : Amorphous Solar Panel Kits : Maplin Electronics

Or may be a few!

 

[haj]

Thanks guys how hard would it be together 230v ?

 

[ruston]

Do you have a van?

 

[Gavin A]

yeah best bet would be to use the car / van battery, and cigarette lighter sockets with a socket extension kit (for multiple sockets) and just clip a panel to the battery to keep it topped up.

Don't do anything silly like leaving the radio on full time, or lights, and you should be ok (probably switch the internal lights off to be sure they don't end up coming on every time someone opens the door to charge the phone etc)

 

[haj]

Thanks gents we shall haves look at your suggestions.

 

[Worcester]

Just a cheap panel to clip to the battery: Solar Powered 12V 2.4W Battery Trickle Charger : Solar Trickle Chargers : Maplin Electronics (cheapest I could find, when I did a boys toys browse today in the shop )

 

[ruston]

oon a camp

yeah best bet would be to use the car / van battery, and cigarette lighter sockets with a socket extension kit (for multiple sockets) and just clip a panel to the battery to keep it topped up.

Don't do anything silly like leaving the radio on full time, or lights, and you should be ok (probably switch the internal lights off to be sure they don't end up coming on every time someone opens the door to charge the phone etc)

Top it up with a couple or more of hobby batteries on a split charging system save the van battery for starting the van . Forget about 230 volts on a camp site , as you will be aware you will be opening a can of regs lol.

 

[Vegelen]

An adjustable, retractable aluminium camping frame with clamps / floor spikes would be useful to mount your solar panels onto.
Install a Solar PV Optimisation App onto an Android or Apple Smartphone with Compass / GPS functionality.
Use this smartphone app to optimise solar panel generation for a given camping location, azimuth and inclination.

 

[Worcester]

@Vegelen that's dead complicated!
Just go for the shortest shadow at 11 am / 3 pm to give the LONGEST period of charge (1pm for peak (i.e 12 noon GMT) ) and point it square to the sun at 1pm (widest shadow)

That's what sticks and sundials were for before complicated apps !

Today:
Sunrise at 5:29 AM in direction 60° East-northeast
Sunset at 8:43 PM in direction 299° West-northwest
Duration of day: 15 hours, 14 minutes (3 minutes, 14 seconds shorter than yesterday)
Sun in south at 1:07 PM at altitude 56° above horizon

 

[Vegelen]

Suncalc:

SunCalc - sun position, sunlight phases, sunrise, sunset, dusk and dawn times calculator