How to Charge Solar Battery Banks with Generators?

Last Updated on July 12th, 2023

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Think about a solar panel system with batteries like this. Consider your cell phone or smart device; most will have an indicator that tells the user how much battery life is available and, even more handy, how much power is left at the current usage levels. 

All you have to do to charge these devices is plug in a cord plugged into a power source. 

In this case, the generators will be the solar panels which will send direct current to a controller/inverter box, and from there, it will send power to the batteries to be stored for later use. 

How Does it Work?

Very simple setups will work something like this, the solar panels have these photonic collection cells inside the casing, which become heated in direct sunlight. These cells are stacked in a bi-layered parallel structure. 

As the upper layer heats up, it creates what is known as a P-N Junction, which allows for electrons to jump to the cooler panels below, only to be collected and sent as direct photonic current to the controller/inverter.

This unit will then convert the current into standard D/C flow and send the fresh electricity to charge the batteries. More complex systems will sometimes take the current from the panels and convert the flow into an active current to be used immediately.  

 

Do You Need Any Equipment for it?

The simple answer is yes; there will be a need for a few specialized pieces of equipment in order for a solar panel system to function but also be fail-safe. 

For example, consider that with each solar panel, a thirty-amp circuit breaker is required just in case of power failure or surge hazards that could fry the system as a whole. 

For the simple setup being used as an example, the components will include the following:

  • Solar Panel power generators – along with any fail-safe pieces of hardware.
  • Yards of cabling – the higher the quality, the more efficient the system.
  • Solar power controller/inverter box – to convert photonic D/C to storable direct current or usable A/C flows. 
  • Battery charger hardware and fail-safe equipment, and software

 

Step-by-Step guide for Charging Solar Battery Banks with a Generator:

  1. Conduct research, collect data and measurements, and find a certified solar panel installation service provider before making any other decisions or moves.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
  2. Have solar panels installed, and learn from experts about system components and pieces of hardware?                                                             
  3. During installation, be sure to have documentation of where the wiring is coming into the house and leaving it, and have diagrams available when home improvement projects or repairs are needed.                                                                                                                                
  4. Hook up the wiring, monitor the systems, and be sure that the batteries are getting a safe and reliable charge from the solar panel generators.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  5. Have monitoring pieces of hardware and software collect information that can be accessed from specialized equipment or the homeowner’s PC. 

 

How Long Does it Take?

For the most part, an expert solar panel installation crew service will need only a day or two to complete the job. However, as far as actually charging the batteries to full capacity will depend on a few conditions. 

For instance, the size of the battery will be important to consider but also think about the core components as well as the efficiency of the power being collected. 

Take a five-volt battery as an example. Using a one hundred-watt solar panel to charge would take around three plus hours for the lithium-ion core, twelve Ah capacity battery to charge completely after being completely depleted. 

 

Does it Work With Any Generator?

Now here is the trick: more than just solar panels create power; even stationary bicycle power generation stations are a thing, some with the ability to produce three hundred to five hundred watt flows of electricity. 

These will also be able to charge up the solar batteries, just so long as the circuits have breakers along the way, to prevent any overcharging or backward flow hazards. 

The simple answer is yes; even the standard local power grid connections will be able to feed the house and also help charge batteries if the software settings are set in such a way. 

 

Final Thoughts on How to Charge Solar Battery Banks with Generators

The fun part when it comes to producing your own power will be in the creativity in finding ways to do so. 

For example, having a workout facility or gym that has power-producing stationary machines might be a fun way to stay healthy but also produce power for the homestead or for sale. 

Solar, wind, heat-steam, hydro, and geothermal are only a few ways that the universe has provided renewable ways in which to produce electricity, which could allow folks to live by producing electricity as a product. Why not?

 

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