Global Energy Pulse Blog How Long to Charge 12v Battery with Solar Panel?

How Long to Charge 12v Battery with Solar Panel?

How Long to Charge 12v Battery with Solar Panel

Solar power is the primary resort to acquire energy at no cost. Since sunlight is abundant especially in the summer season, it is a great time to accumulate energy.

In a solar panel, you will see 12-volt batteries on it. It is where the converted energy is stored. So it only means that you have to charge it in order for you to use the energy from the sun. 

Knowing what a 12v battery is

If you are planning to use solar energy in your home, it is important to know how long to charge a 12v battery with solar panels.

If the battery is in good working condition, a fully-charged one has a waiting time of 4 to 8 hours. It primarily depends on the current energy level of the battery. That battery is mostly used in cars and it has the maximum output of 1 ampere. This might help us answer the question of how long to charge 12v battery with solar panel.

How to efficiently charge a 12-volt battery in a solar panel?

In order to quickly charge a 12-volt battery, there are some ways that you can utilize to make it happen. In this part of this article, we will enumerate some tips that you can use immediately.

  • The panels must have direct contact with the sun. You can achieve this by removing any object that prevents the panels from getting full sunlight such as branches of trees and etc.
  • Ensure that the batteries are fully-functioning. Defective batteries can have a subpar effect on your goal to reach the utmost efficiency. 
  • Solar panel size matters. The charging time of the battery also depends on how big the solar panel is. A larger solar panel has the ability to accumulate more solar energy which will result in quicker charging.

The Required Size of the Solar Panel for 12v Battery Charging

It is known that solar chargers are absolutely great for compact off-grid systems. They are multi-functional and can be used for various purposes such as for charging:

  • Cars
  • Cabins
  • ATVs
  • Boats

Some people even use a converter in order for them to be used for smart devices charging. It is an efficient way to reduce greenhouse gasses in the air. The most desirable size that a solar panel must have is 65 x 39-inches. It is perfect to use in charging a 12 volts battery. For business purposes, a solar panel must have a size of 77 x 39 inches.

Why you should not charge a car battery using solar panels?

Charging a car’s battery with solar energy might sound nice but if done incorrectly, it can damage your battery and the panels.

So in this part of the article, you will learn why a car battery is pretty sensitive. By knowing it, you will surely prevent bad things from happening.

The most important thing that you must do is not to plug the cable of the battery straightforwardly to the solar panel. This is because you do not want a spike of voltage from happening. High voltages can surely burn the battery which can result in permanent damage.

The Proper Technique

One cool workaround is by using a solar charge controller. It acts as a voltage regulator after you connect it both ways on the battery and the solar panel.

The process of width modulation is acted upon to ensure that the voltage will not go over the tolerable limit. 


Can a direct charge be done on a battery using solar panels?

Just be sure that you will put a charge controller so that you will avoid voltage spikes and overheating.

Is a 10-watt solar panel enough for charging 12 volts battery?

Yes as long as the solar panel is also 12 volts. This will give the panel the ability to have a peak of 13.8 volts while charging.

How long do I have to wait for charging a deep cycle battery?

Deep cycle batteries are the ones used in vehicles. Their cycle is to charge and discharge on a constant basis. So charging them will only take a few hours as the alternator of the vehicle will continue charging the battery when the car is running.

Why solar car battery chargers are good?

They are good as long that you take good care of them and you follow the proper use of those chargers. By keeping them on tiptop shape, charging using solar energy will be more efficient.

The Proper Use of Solar Panel in Charging a Lead Acid Battery

You need to things to make it happen, a voltmeter and solar panel. It must be a standard-size to avoid any hassles. The indication of a fully-charged battery is one you see that it reaches 14 volts using the voltmeter. After that, you must remove the connection immediately. This will prevent overheating to happen thus preventing damage on both the battery and the charger. There are also maximum amps written in the manual on how much your car battery could handle \, you must take note of it too.

Trickle Charging

This is a unique technique of maintaining the current battery life. You will need a specialized solar charger to make it happen. This is perfect if you are the type of person who always loves to idle their vehicles. This way of charging is mostly powered by low voltage operated chargers.


Now you know how long to charge 12v battery with solar panel, you have learned that there is no specific answer to that but most of the time 5 to 8 hours are the closest answer.

It all depends on the factors that we have discussed such as the sun’s intensity, time exposure, the voltage of the charger, and etc. The most important thing is that solar panels bring a lot of good things in our life.

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