How long will it take to charge my power station with my solar panel?
How long will it take to charge my power station with my solar panel?
This depends on a number of factors. In general, charging time can be estimated (assuming full sun) as power station Wh rating / solar panel watts = charge time in hours. So, if you have a 600Wh power station, and a 100W panel, it would take approximately 6h to recharge the power station.
However- this assumes that the solar panel is in full sun, without any shade, and the panel is aimed at the sun. As you can assume, this will not always be the case, and performance can vary greatly as a result.
All of our panels (and most panels in the industry) are lab tested to determine their maximum rating. Solar panel output will vary greatly based on ambient sun. Testing in the lab simulate full sun at high noon, without shade, to emulate peak sun/max panel output conditions. The rated values can be figured as a sunny day, without clouds or shade, at high noon. Before/after noon, clouds, shade, etc will have a big impact. For instance, on an overcast day, output may only be 10% of full power. Shade has a similar impact. Even a small amount of shade can cause panel output to drop dramatically.
Keep in mind that even in direct sun, the time of day has a big impact. If the sun is at a low angle (morning or evening), it reduces panel output.
The power station can also be a limiting factor. For instance, a 100W power station can't charge a <100Wh power station (like the PS100) in one hour in full sun, because the power station may be limited on the amount of power it can take in. If charging though USB C, that will be limited to the max output of the panel's USB output. The same applies for the barrel jack input or other input methods on various power stations or power banks.
As long as the panel isn’t limited by the power station, it’s usually good practice to assume you will get about 4h of full output on a sunny, cloudless day, with the panel aimed at the sun. This will take into account in an 8 to 10h day with sunlight the several hours of lower output in the morning and afternoon.
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