How to charge my deep cycle?

[longwinterfarm]

Hellos! I live in a yurt, off-grid, with a deep cycle battery which I’ve been charging with a trickle charger from ac outlets, and it’s getting a bit old. I’m looking into solar panels, but as it turns out I’m a complete moron. Seriously, someone tries to explain the definition of a watt and I go into a state of mental hibernation. If I thought I could retain lots of specific technical information, I’d love to hear it, but as it is, could anyone recommend a size and output for me? And use little words? (pretend you’re speaking to a preschooler) Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If trickle charging is fast enough and the goal is to avoid dragging a battery between your yurt and where you can plug into AC, almost any panel will do. If you want more than a trickle charge, a 120W panel will recharge your battery in a day, or 30W in 4 days, roughly.

Get a cheap solar charge controller to avoid overcharging and don’t drain the battery too much.

If you’d like a better estimate, tell us 1) the number on the battery labeled amp hours or Ah; 2) what you power with the battery (e.g., lights, TV, notebook computer); 3) how long you use each item per day.

(Stop reading here to avoid mental hibernation. For solar geeks: Assuming 12V, 100Ah, 50% discharge, 5 hours/day standard insolation, no load during recharge.)

Ana Douglas

https://www.indie-green.com

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