[MLB-WIRELESS] Solar Power - How much battery?

[gregsonm at aanet.com.au]

Thanks to all the comments... I also found a great website that has helped
with some calculations, see below.

http://www.rpc.com.au/products/services/faq-info/calc/calculator.html

> On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 11:06:10AM +1000, gregsonm at aanet.com.au wrote:
>> Question... how do you calculate the amount of battery a solar panel can
>> charge?
>>
>> I know some of you will say it depends on how much sun there is... which
>> would be right. But I am looking for a basic calculation to make sure I
>> have the maximum battery capacity possible.
>>
>> For example, if I use an 80 watt solar panel, what would be the amount
>> of
>> battery amp hours I could charge?
>>
>> All advice greatly appreciated... Mark
>
> Electrical energy in Watts is calculated by Volts x Amp (P=VxI).
>
> This mean if your solar panel outputs 14 volts, 80W would be about
> 5.7Amps.
>
> This is theory though. In practice, you'll be getting less than that due
> to regulating the output etc. Get your figure, and assume about 60% of
> your panel output for usable charge current. Anything more is just a bonus
> :)
>
> --
> Steven Haigh
>
> Email: netwiz at crc.id.au
> Web: http://www.crc.id.au
> Phone: (03) 9001 6090 - 0412 935 897
>
> "The most likely way for the world to be destroyed is by accident.
> That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause
> accidents."
>    -- Nathaniel Borenstein
>
>