Will a 50-watt solar panel charge a 12v battery? the answer is a big Yes, 50 watt solar panel can easily charge a 12v battery and will be the best match to charge your 20Ah, 33Ah, or 50Ah battery
How much power does a 50-watt solar panel produce? 50-watt solar panel will produce around 250-300Wh per day in 5 peak sun hours.
Now you might be wondering how long will a 50-watt solar panel take to charge a 12v battery.
Easy! i have made a calculator for you guys which you can use to calculate the battery charge time with any solar panel size - Solar Battery Charge Time Calculator
Now let's dive deep into what things you should keep in mind when charging a 12v battery with 50-watt solar panels, also I'll share a chart with different sizes of 12v batteries and how many peak sun hours it will take to charge the battery
What size cable wire should you use, suitable charge controller size, and much more...
How long will a 50-watt solar panel take to charge a 12v battery?
Here's a chart on how long will a 50-watt solar panel will take to charge any size 12v battery in peak sun hours
| 12v Battery (Ah) | How long to charge with 50W solar panel from 50% DoD | How long to charge with 50W solar panel from 100% DoD |
|---|---|---|
| 18Ah | 3.1 Peak sun hours | 6.2 Peak sun hours |
| 20Ah | 3.5 Peak sun hours | 7 Peak sun hours |
| 33Ah | 5.8 Peak sun hours | 11.6 Peak sun hours |
| 50Ah | 8.7 Peak sun hours | 17.5 Peak sun hours |
| 70Ah | 12.2 Peak sun hours | 24.4 Peak sun hours |
| 100Ah | 17.5 Peak sun hours | 35 Peak sun hours |
| 120Ah | 21 Peak sun hours | 42 Peak sun hours |
| 150Ah | 26 Peak sun hours | 52 Peak sun hours |
| 200Ah | 35 Peak sun hours | 70 Peak sun hours |
Conclusion
- 50-watt solar panel would take around 5-20 peak sun hours to charge most of the 12v lead-acid battery from 50% depth of discharge
- 50-watt solar panel would take around 10-40 peak sun hours to charge most of the 12v Lithium (LiFePO4) battery from 100% depth of discharge
Peak Sun Hours: are not the number of day sunlight hours but the number of hours when the solar radiations are 1kw/meter2
Visit here to figure out how many hours to total peak sun hours your city receives
Don't use batteries instead use this!
For camping or emergency use I would suggest using a jackery explorer 300 portable power station with a 50W solar panel instead of a battery (check price on Amazon)
it's easy to carry and you won't have to set up any charge controller or wiring stuff which most of us hate. Simply connect the solar panel to the power station and that's it
I'm using jackery 1000 for my 200W portable solar panel
Related Post: Maximum Charging Current & Voltage For 12v Battery
What size gauge wire & Charge Controller for 50W solar panel?
Every charge controller and wire size are designed to handle a specific amount of current.
Use this chart to select the wire size from the solar panel to the charge controller. To figure out the amount of current which will have to pass from the wire use this formula
Amp = Solar panel capacity (W)/Solar panel operating voltage (Vmp)
For example:
Normally a 12v 50W solar panel will have an operating voltage of 18V under ideal sunlight conditions 2.7 amps
16 AWG wire size will be the best suit for 50W solar panel to the charge controller
From the charge controller to the battery bank wire size.
Amps = solar panel watts/ battery volts
50/12 = 4.1 Amps
15 AWG wire size will be the best suit for 50W solar panel from the charge controller to 12v battery
Use this chart to find out what size cable (from the battery to the inverter) will be the best suit for your inverter
charge controller for 50-watt solar panel
I would recommend using a 10A PWM or MPPT charge controller for 50W solar panel
Renogy 10A PWM charge controller
Related Post:
- What Size Charge Controller For 50w Solar Panel?
- A Complete Guide about 50w Solar panel (What Can It Power)
- How Many Watts Can A Charge Controller Handle?
- Solar Panel Calculator For Battery
- Solar DC Watts To AC Watts Calculator & Formula
I hope this short guide was helpful to you. Still, have any queries? don't hesitate to leave a comment or contact us. Thank You!
