The most common portable off-grid system is a 12v solar panel system, which is used to power your electronic products and devices. A solar charge controller or a solar inverter, a battery bank, and solar PV panels are all necessary components of such a system. The 12 V solar panel system can be utilized in conjunction with or as a backup to your current energy setup at home, but you’ll need a lot more than 12v to power your entire home totally off-grid. A 12 V solar panel system is ideal for powering your equipment entirely while on the go.

Key Benefits of Using 12v Solar Panels 

There are so many advantages of using a 12v solar panel system that it’s nearly impossible for consumers to go back to the traditional means of powering their appliances after they’ve made the switch. Here are a few of the most significant advantages of purchasing a 12v solar panel system:

• The most obvious benefit of any solar panel installation is that it saves you money over time. Solar power is and always will be significantly less expensive than electricity. The initial expense of a 12v solar panel system will be more, but that will be compensated by the savings you will be experiencing later.
• Solar panel systems, in general, require extremely low maintenance and are rarely in need of repair. Even if they do, 12v solar panel systems are now so common that parts like inverters, batteries, and solar PV panels are quite easily available.
• 12v solar panels are efficient because their components are packed close together and waste relatively little energy in the form of heat.
• Another advantage of 12v solar panels is how readily they can be scaled. You may simply add another one or two to your current system to provide yourself with even more solar energy if you have space.

To charge a 12 V battery, the solar panel must provide an optimal operating voltage (Vmp) greater than 12 V, also known as a voltage at maximum power point (Vmpp). Otherwise, the battery will be drained rather than charged. This is why, at night, when the solar panel is not in use, you need a charge controller connected between the solar panel and the battery to prevent reverse current (not generating electricity). In most cases, the panel should have Vmpp starting at 16V.

Another significant factor to consider when purchasing a panel is its efficiency. It demonstrates how well the panel converts incident solar energy to useful energy. For example, a panel that is twice as inefficient as the other panel must have a surface area twice as large.

How Can You Figure Out How Big a 12v Solar Panel You Will Need?

To figure this out, you must first figure out how much wattage you require. This entails generating a list of everything you want to run, determining its watt rating, then multiplying that number by the period of time you need it to run. Your total watts draw value is the solution. Add it all up once you’ve done this for each item on your list. This will tell you how many watts you’ll need to run everything you’ve asked for. However, keep in mind that the more watts you require, the larger the panel will be. So, if you’re short on space, you might want to reconsider what you need to run off of them.

Reputed brands like Luminous offer 12v and 24v solar panels, and you can also select by wattage. Moreover, their solar panels are supported by the pan India service network.