What Size Solar Panel To Charge 80Ah Battery? (incl. Calculator)

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

Battery Capacity (Amp-hours)
Ah
Battery Voltage
V
Battery Type
Battery Depth of Discharge
%
Charge Controller Type
Desired Charge Time (in Peak sun hours)
hours

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
What Size Solar Panel To Charge 80Ah Battery

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.

Related Post: Solar Panel Output Calculator – Average Solar Panel Output?

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 TimeCharge Controller TypeRequired Solar Panel
4 peak sun hoursPWM200 watts
5 peak sun hoursPWM160 watts
6 peak sun hoursPWM130 watts
10 peak sun hoursPWM80 watts
4 peak sun hoursMPPT165 watts
5 peak sun hoursMPPT130 watts
6 peak sun hoursMPPT110 watts
10 peak sun hoursMPPT70 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 TimeBattery TypeRequired Solar Panel
4 peak sun hoursPWM350 watts
5 peak sun hoursPWM280 watts
6 peak sun hoursPWM230 watts
10 peak sun hoursPWM140 watts
4 peak sun hoursMPPT290 watts
5 peak sun hoursMPPT230 watts
6 peak sun hoursMPPT200 watts
10 peak sun hoursMPPT120 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

This guy has explained soo well about the PWM vs MPPT charge controller and which one to use and when. ( if you're a noob i suggest you watch this video! )

Related Post: How Many Watts Can A Charge Controller Handle?

80Ah Battery: FAQs

How many watts is an 80Ah battery?

a 12v 80ah means 960 watts. To calculate battery capacity from ah to watts ( watts = battery Ah * Battery volts )

How long does 80Ah battery last?

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.

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Chris Tsitouris is a renewable energy professional with 10+ years of experience as Director of Engineering at Solar Spectrum, previously working as Project Manager at SunPower and Energy Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. As a thought leader, Chris has authored numerous articles and research papers.

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