Happy new year! This post has been updated for 2009.
Solar cells really shine at charging your batteries at remote location or on a boat. They are also useful for maintaining a charge on a 12V battery, such as a car battery. The best (and most expensive) solar battery chargers are flexible, thin-film solar cells. These cells can be folded and packed away easily.
Sunforce Solar Battery Chargers
You can find get basic solar charger for under $25, such as the Sunforce 1.8 Watt Solar Battery Maintainer. These solar charger are good for trickle charging or topping off the charge of a 12 V battery. Sunforce chargers get good reviews from owners at Amazon.
You can plug the Sunforce 1.8-watt solar charger into your vehicle’s 12-volt lighter socket and position the panel to pick up the most daylight possible. Or, if you prefer, use the alligator clips to connect it directly to the battery, so you can keep your lighter socket open for cell phone chargers or other accessories.
A higher wattage charger will charge your battery more quickly. When in doubt, opt for a higher power charger because owners are often disappointed with the charging times of lower wattage chargers. Sunforce offers a 5 watt charger, a 15 watt charger and a 60 watt charger. However, once you got over 15 watts, rigid solar cells start to get bulky, so you might want to opt for a flexible solar charger (see below)
Another good range of solar charger is the Coleman solar chargers, which are similar to the Sunforce chargers.
Brunton Solaris 26 Fleixble Solar Battery Charger
The Brunton makes a good range of flexible, portable solar cells. Brunton solar charger use CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide) instead of the usual silicon.
The entry-level Brunton charger is the Solaris 6, which produces 6 watts of power. However, most remote users opt for the Brunton Solaris 26. This flexible solar charger that generates 26 watts but measures only 21.5” by 37.5″ and folds down to 11″ by 8.5” by 1”. The Solaris 26 is available from Amazon
Solaris chargers can charge a laptop, video camera or 12V deep cycle battery. They are often used to charge marine batteries. It takes between 1 and 2 hours to charge a small device using the solar cells. It takes between 4 and 8 hours to fully charge a laptop computer. Brunton’s chargers operate well in low-light conditions such as overcast days.
Brunton Solaris 52 Solar Battery Charger
Brunton also offers the Solaris 52
The Brunton Solaris 52
Portable Power Station
A useful addition to a solar charger is a portable power station. A power station will store energy generated by the solar cells, so it can be used when needed (like at night). Brunton offers the Solo series of lightweight power stations. These units can be recharged by plugging them into a USB port, household outlet, vehicle DC outlet (cigarette lighter socket) or by using Brunton’s solar panels.
Brunton’s lightest power station is the Solo 3.4, which weighs just 12 ounces. It has a 3.4 Amp/H lithium-ion battery inside, and it can be used to charge a variety of small electronics. It comes with adaptors for iPod, mini USB Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericson cell phones, and Playstation PSP.
It’s available from Amazon
In November 2008, Brunton will be releasing the Solar 7.5 and Solar 15, which will have larger power storage capacities.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this review.
Were you able to test the Brunton Solaris charger yourself?
I’ve been testing a few products myself at 1GreenProduct.com and have thus far been satisfied with only 1 of the 3 products tested.
(Although in all fairness to the manufacturers, my testing takes place in an indoor environment with only moderate sun exposure.)
- Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
@ Aaron:
While I haven’t personally tested any of the Solaris line of solar chargers, I personally own a SolarRoll 14 Watt it is truly amazing! I’ve used it to charge my laptop while at the park and it’s also great for smaller electronics as well.
There’s more info here: http://ecogeekliving.com/solarroll14.html
thanks much, dude
Here is by far the coolest Solar Charger for Laptops, Cell Phone, Etc.. and is so much more portable. It’s called the Solar Gorilla Solar Laptop Charger.
You can find this item at: http://www.earthtechproducts.com/solargorilla-solar-charger.html
I would like to try a solar panel but I don;t know anything about it. I would like to use it to charge a cellphone, toothbrush and digital camera. Do I need some other components or will the solar panel have a place to plug all these things in?
Great post Justin and very helpful info. .. had the same idea to review some battery chargers. It’s nice to read that You posted some chargers I’ve liked too in the Solar Chargers Comparison Chart
Thx
Valery
If these products are meant to make us “greener” then we need to know more about what it took to make them. From energy to what by-products/fumes they produce during manufacturing/mining; How long they are expected to last; And any disposal issues.
I live in the Northwest (i.e. fairly cloudy) and it’s difficult for me to know if going solar is greener or not.
Thanks,
rk