Earthtech Products: The Authority in Solar Chargers & Solar Panels!

Earthtech Products has been researching and testing solar panels and solar chargers for five years now and believe me we have seen them all. We are featuring only the best solar chargers available today based on quality, efficiency, and durability in the real world. Earthtech customers who purchase our solar chargers and solar panels range from everyday people to the most die hard extremists who have used our solar chargers in the far corners of the world to the hottest and coldest locations. Whether you are looking for a carry along solar charger or panel or a complete solar charging station for hours of remote power we’ve got you covered! [Read Our Solar Chargers Buying Guide]

Solar Chargers Buying Guide:

When deciding which solar charger is best for you and your application there are a few steps to go through that will help you ascertain which type of solar charger you will need based on your specific needs.

The first thing to do when selecting a solar charger is to understand what your power needs are so you can purchase a solar charger that will not be too weak for your needs or too large (and too expensive) for your needs. The objective is to select a solar charger that can handle your equipment so you are not disappointed with actual run times and charging times. Equally it is not necessary to purchase a solar charger that can run a refrigerator and cost a lot of money when you only need to charge a cell phone or camera battery.

So, the first step is to take an actual inventory of the equipment and devices you want to charge with your new solar charger. We recommend making a list. On your list you should also indicate how many watts or amps your equipment draws when in use and for how many hours per day you will need to run those devices. For an example your list should look something like this:

Equipment needed to run with Solar Charger:

Cell phone 5 watts or 400 mah. Hours needed per day: 5 hours
Laptop Computer 50 watts or 4000 mah. Hours needed per day: 3 Hours

Ok, so now that we know what our actual power needs are, we are ready to select a solar charger. Based on the above example you can take the number of hours needed times the amps for total amp hours needed per day for that device.

Example:

Cell Phone 400 mah x 5 hours = 2000 mah needed per day to run your cell phone.
Laptop Computer 4000 mah x 3 hours= 12000 mah needed per day to run your Laptop.

Total Power needed: 14000 mah (or 14 amp hours) a day to run your devices.

Now we know that we need 14 amps out of a solar charger daily to meet your needs. While shopping at Earthtech Products you will find that generating 14 amps with a single solar panel is difficult as that’s a lot of power! Since you have high power needs a backup battery will be required with your solar charger system. With a back up battery you can store power from your solar charger inside the battery and then run your equipment right off the battery. The specification to look for on our site is the battery size, which will be defined by amps. You will need at least a 14-amp battery in order to run your equipment for the hours per day you specified.

You are probably wondering how many hours will it take to charge a 14-amp battery with a solar charger? The answer is quite simple: A 1 amp solar charger will charge up a 14-amp hour battery in 14 hours. Simply take the amp hours of the battery and divide it by the amperage output of the solar charger. Example: 14 amps divided by 1 amp = 14 hours. If you want to reduce those charging times simply pick a more powerful solar charger.

*Please note: If you do not have the amperage specification handy simply take the watts of your device divided by 12 to get the amps. Example: 5 watt cell phone divided by 12 = 0.400 (or 400 mah) Now you know your cell phone requires 400 mah per hour to run. If you just need to run a cell phone most solar chargers generate 400 mah an hour to run your cell phone with out back up battery. While shopping at Earthtech Products simply look for solar chargers that generate 400 mah per hour. This information can be found in specifications on the products detail page.

If you need further assistance in selecting the right solar charger for you don't hesitate to contact us via our live chat feature, email, or simply give us a call at 1-877-548-3387. Our solar experts are standing by!