Solar Panel(s) as power while car is off

**mattst88** · 07-01-2006, 01:56 PM

Would a 10 to 15 watt solar panel act as enough to counteract the battery drain by a computer in standby?

Other than that, would there be any benefits of a solar panel recharging the gas powered car's battery?

**psyrex** · 07-01-2006, 02:15 PM

Well, does your setup need 10-15 watts or more?

Since there exists 10 watt solar panel trickle chargers for car batteries, I would assume that if you set it up correctly, it shouldn't harm anything (though I'm uneasy about the idea of constantly recharging).

**84RegalRider** · 07-01-2006, 02:43 PM

yea it would help. might not be 100% tho cuz of clouds and what not.
but when the car is on you should disconnet the solorpanel, so like with a relay to ign.

**DarquePervert** · 07-02-2006, 06:58 PM

Your system in standby isn't going to draw anywhere near to that.
Sure, the solar panel idea will work, but you wouldn't need it unless you park your car for extended periods of time....

**Bugbyte** · 07-02-2006, 07:07 PM

What about when it's standing by overnight?

**DarquePervert** · 07-02-2006, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

What about when it's standing by overnight?

It still shouldn't dar enough power to drain your battery....

Now, if you have TWO computers in your car in standby, it might not make it through the night...

**kevpriest** · 07-02-2006, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

What about when it's standing by overnight?

You get a lot of sunshine overnight there in VA?

**RedGTiVR6** · 07-03-2006, 10:48 AM

there have been people use solar panels in SQ comps for bonus points. We all know that they are absolutely useless. in order to get enough juice to charge your battery you would have to have a HUGE solar panel.

If you just want to trickle charge it while it's in the parking lot at the air port say, then sure, it's possible, the VWs came with them for a while, I've got one even.

Else, you're looking at a VERY expensive, very large panel for something like this.

**DarquePervert** · 07-03-2006, 10:54 AM

I think that was the idea....
If he has a
PC in standby mode, using a trickle charge to keep the battery at a full charge while the PC is in standby mode...
Again, I think it's a workable solution in theory. In real-world use, I don't know. It's certainly an interesting idea.

**RedGTiVR6** · 07-03-2006, 11:01 AM

I'll put it this way, the VW solar panel that VW released to be used on their cars while in the lots waiting to be sold, was about the size of a normal sheet of paper. You would probably need one larger to cover the carPC drain on top of other electronics. Where would you put that? How would you secure it? How would you make it look nice and not like some ghetto rigged piece?