How To Power An Electric Motor With A Solar Panel

And we used a suite of panels for testing including.

How to power an electric motor with a solar panel.

For 24v trolling motor batteries it becomes even more difficult to recharge the battery pack with a solar panel. Under direct sunlight the solar panel generates up to 6 volts of electricity with maximum current up to 270 ma. The solar panels charge the battery when the motor is not running. Connect the two positive wires from the solar panels to the positive terminal of the dc motor.

Special schottky diode is used as it has minimal voltage loss going through it usually less than 0 2 v. Connect the two negative wires from the solar panels to the dc motor. In order to power an electric engine with solar power you must match the capacity of your solar power system with the requirements of the engine. Another benefit of marine solar panel systems is the quietness of operation.

Although it s not an established fact it seems that the currently available trolling motors draw more power than today s solar panels are able to put out constantly. Use either a capacitor or a small battery in the circuit to get the motor started then the solar panels keep the motor going. It s either that it is impossible to develop one or technology hasn t gone that far yet. Alternatives to electrifying your boat like gasoline powered generators require purchasing fuel on an ongoing basis.

Here is the electrical diagram of the solar panel connection to the motor. If you are using a group 27 to 31 battery you need a panel double the wattage of the 12 volt solar panels mentioned above. So how do you get around this. This is the reason your motor is not working providing your solar panels can supply the rated motor current and voltage.

2 watt 6 volt 3 5 watt 6 volt x 2 paired in series to get 12v 6 watt 6 volt 9 watt 6 volt 9 watt 18 volt 17 watt 18 volt panel. However not all solar power configurations can power all engines. Unfortunately it s not possible to get a solar powered trolling motor. You can simply twist the positive and negative leads from the solar panel to the motor.

Place the dc motor and solar panels outside in direct sunlight and look for the motor to start turning. Diode protects the panel from negative current.