What size solar panel to charge 80ah battery? Enter battery specs (ah, volts, and battery type), charge controller type, and desired charge time in our solar panel size calculator to find out.
Calculate solar panel size for 80ah battery
Note: Peak sun hours are not the total number of daylight hours, but the intensity of sunlight your location receives. Click here to read our guide on peak sun hours and how to calculate them.
Calculator assumption
- There's no load connected to the battery while charging.
Battery depth of discharge is the percentage of the battery that has been discharged relative to the total battery capacity. For half discharged battery ENTER 50, if the battery is fully discharged (which you can achieve on lithium battery), ENTER 100.
Example
Let's suppose...
- Battery capacity: 80ah
- Battery volts: 12v
- Battery type: lead acid
- Depth of discharge: 50%
- Charge controller type: MPPT
- Desired charge time: 6 peak sun hours
Result: You need about 110 watt solar panel to fully charge a 12v 80ah lead-acid battery from 50% depth of discharge in 6 peak sun hours.
Deep cycle batteries are designed to be charged and discharged at a specific rate. Use our battery charge and discharge rate calculator to find out.
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What Size Solar Panel To Charge 80Ah Battery?
12v 80Ah Lead acid Battery
Here's a chart about what size solar panel you need to charge a 12v 80ah lead-acid battery in different peak sun hours.
| Charge Time | Charge Controller Type | Required Solar Panel |
|---|---|---|
| 4 peak sun hours | PWM | 200 watts |
| 5 peak sun hours | PWM | 160 watts |
| 6 peak sun hours | PWM | 130 watts |
| 10 peak sun hours | PWM | 80 watts |
| 4 peak sun hours | MPPT | 165 watts |
| 5 peak sun hours | MPPT | 130 watts |
| 6 peak sun hours | MPPT | 110 watts |
| 10 peak sun hours | MPPT | 70 watts |
Summary
- You need around 130 watts of solar panels to charge a 12v 80ah lead-acid battery from 100% depth of discharge in 5 peak sun hours.
12v 80Ah Lithium (LiFePO4) Battery
Here's a chart about what size solar panel you need to charge a 12v 80ah lithium (LiFePO4) battery with different peak sun hours.
| Charge Time | Battery Type | Required Solar Panel |
|---|---|---|
| 4 peak sun hours | PWM | 350 watts |
| 5 peak sun hours | PWM | 280 watts |
| 6 peak sun hours | PWM | 230 watts |
| 10 peak sun hours | PWM | 140 watts |
| 4 peak sun hours | MPPT | 290 watts |
| 5 peak sun hours | MPPT | 230 watts |
| 6 peak sun hours | MPPT | 200 watts |
| 10 peak sun hours | MPPT | 120 watts |
Summary
- You need around 230 watts of solar panels to charge a 12v 80ah lithium (LiFePO4) battery from 100% depth of discharge in 5 peak sun hours.
PWM vs MPPT charge controller
Related Post: How Many Watts Can A Charge Controller Handle?
80Ah Battery: FAQs
a 12v 80ah means 960 watts. To calculate battery capacity from ah to watts ( watts = battery Ah * Battery volts )
80ah battery will last 8 hours while running a 10a DC load. After this your battery will be fully discharged, so if you're using a lead-acid battery which usually has a DoD limit of 50%. so it'll last 4 hours.
