Is It Time For Solar Powered Battery Chargers?
Sunday, March 21st, 2010Have you given any thought to solar powered battery chargers? You may be surprised at what you find out.
Advantages
The next emergency may leave you without power. There would be no way to recharge any batteries. However, you may have a solar powered charger. Your batteries become a renewable energy source. You can find them for as little as ten dollars. They should be durable and last a long time. There is not much to wear out on them.
There may be times when your power is off. In some cases, it could last for days. You need to stay in touch with people and get the local news. If you can recharge your cell phone, flashlight, and radio, it would be a big help. You can have help, utilizing the power of the sun.
Disadvantages
Some of the inexpensive models will not recharge very quickly. If you want faster, you have to pay for it. A one watt charger is considerably cheaper than a four watt. Even the more powerful units may not be as rapid as you like. Moreover, less sunny climates may not be a good place for this type of unit.
A big variety
There are a lot of uses for solar household chargers. Everything from flashlights to cameras will fit into the category.
There are also models made for your car, truck, or recreational vehicle. Some of these are simple to use. You plug them into a cigarette lighter socket. After that, you simply set them on the dash. However, most of these units are not meant to jump start your vehicle. Plus, you will not get a rapid recharge, in most cases. The higher wattage units will give you the better performance.
Some chargers will shut off by themselves when the batteries are charged. Others will not. If it does not, be careful not to overcharge the batteries. Most of them have a blocking diode. This prevents battery current from entering the charger.
Most of the sun-driven battery chargers are portable units. There are stationary units. However, they are usually very large for housing and such. The expense involved with those may be cost prohibitive.
Summation
Solar powered battery chargers are a good choice for emergency situations. They will work well in areas that get a lot of sunshine. It costs nothing to run them. They are very kind to the environment. The portable models do not cost a lot of money. It will probably take longer for them to do their job. However, they could be a very valid option.

