Setting Up Solar Panels For Outdoor Lighting

Next connect the charge controller to the battery using battery cables.

Setting up solar panels for outdoor lighting.

We chose to use 2 150 watt solar panels to power our system. This instructable is intended to help folks set up a cheap lighting solution while keeping things simple. Without them nothing can ever be charged or used. It can either lay flat on the roof or can be angled upward to get more of the sun.

Clean the panel before you install the fixture to make sure it charges more easily. The panels on the other hand should be located in a place that maximizes the amount of sun they receive. This info is found on the label on the backside of the panel. After you install the panels connect them to the charge controller which should be close to the battery using low voltage wire.

Make sure each of the fixtures receives 12 to 14 hours of full sunlight before installation to charge the batteries within the light. This number is derived by multiplying the panel s operating voltage times it s current. The two panels are enough to charge our battery generator system completely in about 8 hours of. At the back sides of the solar panel a small junction box is there with a positive and negative sign for polarity.

In a large size solar panel this junction box has terminal wires with mc4 connector but for small size panel you have to connect the junction box with external wires. The panel for the solar lighting system needs to be installed on the roof preferably facing south so it gets as much sunlight as possible. Any solar power application starts of course with solar panels. How to install solar panel charge controller battery and night light.

Installing the solar panels to the roof without spending a fortune. Wire the solar panel.