Taking your trolling motor battery back inside to recharge after a tiring and fun-filled day is quite unpleasing… Right?
But, how about a portable battery charger that can be set up in your boat and you don’t need to worry about recharging your battery every time you come back. Solar panel charger can help you run the boat motor for all day, including late hours, as it keeps charging the boat while in use.
What is a Solar Charger for trolling motor battery?
A solar charger is an environmentally friendly panel charger that uses solar energy to supply electricity to the trolling motor battery or other devices. The solar charger is made up of cells that can either recharged by the sun or plugged into charging.
Solar-powered motor battery chargers are an economically sound option to reduce carbon footprint and using a natural source of energy for charging trolling motor batteries. Solar panels can keep your trolling motor battery fully charged and maintain it for future use.
The solar
chargers come in three different types as below:
1. Polycrystalline – These solar panel chargers use silicon crystals for its construction that leads to a distinct blue color panel. Polycrystalline chargers are around 13-16% efficient and durable… and offer high energy production as they contain high transmission glass. These panels take more space and are less efficient in cloudy weather.
2.
Mono-crystalline –
The solar panel chargers made out of the quality silicon using a
single crystal. The efficiency of the panel chargers is high and
ranges between 17-20%… and works well even in low light. These
solar chargers have a uniform look, occupy less space, and are black
in color.
3.
Thin Film – Thin-film solar panel chargers have built-in
semi-conductor for a narrow design. Construction increases the
efficiency of solar chargers. Thin-film, as the name suggests… has
very light-absorbing layers and absorbs less light. They are not as
efficient as other types of solar panel chargers.
Benefits of Solar Charger for Trolling motor battery
There are many
benefits for choosing solar chargers for your trolling motor battery
which are as below:
Solar chargers use natural sunlight for charging trolling motor batteries and reduces the carbon release in the environment.
You can place the chargers anywhere you want in your boat as they are portable.
These chargers are thin and lightweight so you can change the place you keep your battery charger easily in the direction of sunlight.
They are a reliable source to charge your trolling motor battery as the sun shines everywhere on the Earth.
Once you buy the panels, they offer tax-free and uninterrupted energy for charging your battery.
Ideal for camping, boating, or fishing activities.
Takes less space for mounting.
What We Didn’t Like
If your battery is under 50% charge, it can take numerous days for a full charge.
Twin batteries charges at a very slow trickle.
The solar charger is not bendable.
DuraVolt trolling motor battery charger is a semi-flexible 24-volt solar charger that is designed in California. The crystalline cells feature non-glass construction… makes it a lightweight and portable charger.
The solar panels
are backed up by semi-flexible aluminum and plastic film surface that
helps you to mount the solar charger on a flat or gently curved
surface. The solar charger uses a power cable that connects your
battery directly through a fused cigarette lighter plug.
Each panel of the
solar charger features 4 mounting holes that make the installation
easy. The reliable solar-powered chargers can charge up to two 12
volts trolling motor batteries. The solar panel starts working
immediately when you connect it to your trolling motor battery.
Key Features:
Monocrystalline
trolling motor charger.
24-volt
charger with 35 Watt.
Dimensions
are 49.6L x 15.2W x ¼ thick.
Plastic film
surface with semi-flexible aluminum.
Fully
weatherproof solar charger.
4 mounting
holes on each panel.
High
conversion efficiency providing maximum power.
You can start using it immediately after installing it.
Voltage, amperage rate readouts with LCD screen.
Custom system settings using controller buttons.
It can handle up to 4 batteries with 12 Volts.
Great for off-grid and remote power use.
What We Didn’t Like
The solar panel is heavy.
Its large size of the solar kit needs a good amount of space.
The Solar kit by WindyNation offers a 100-watt solar panel with an LCD solar charge controller featuring a battery temperature sensor. You get the required connectors, solar cable, and other required mounting hardware with the kit.
The solar panel
is great for remote and off-grid use. It features a polycrystalline
panel with an innovative temperature sensor. The panel is easy to
operate and maintain using the LCD screen controller through which
you get the information like battery voltage, amperage rate, and
amp-hours left on your battery.
The charge
controller features UP and DOWN buttons and MODE option that allows
you to change custom system settings such as the voltage of load
disconnect, or voltage of solar disconnect, etc.
Key Features:
100 Watt
Polycrystalline solar panel.
Dimensions
are 40 x 1.38 x 26.4 inches.
Charge
controller with LCD screen display.
Innovative
battery temperature sensor with the controller.
4 solar
panel mounting brackets with 12 AWG cable.
Keeps battery topped off even on half days of direct sunlight.
Great for kayak or small boats.
Self-regulating and charge controller not required.
Lightweight and portable solar panel.
Free adapters included.
Weatherproof solar charger.
What We Didn’t Like
Not enough if you have more than two batteries.
Mounting hardware not included.
The adapter is not made for saltwater applications.
Another great product from DuraVolt features 20 watts 1-ampere solar battery panel that is good to charge 12-volt boat batteries. You can choose this solar battery charger if your trolling motor uses just 1 battery of 12 volts.
The solar charger
features aluminum backed semi-flexible solar panel. You can mount the
solar charger on both flat and slightly curved surfaces on your boat.
You can also use this setup for a dual battery system also, but it
would charge one battery at a time.
Solar trickle charger has 3 options for ring terminals, alligator clips, and cigarette lighters.
What We Didn’t Like
The battery clamps use a thin grade of steel.
Plastic sheaths are also thin and flimsy.
Mounting hardware like nuts and bolts not included.
If you are looking for a compact yet multi efficient solar charger for your small boat or kayak… Sun energize solar charger is a great choice to opt for. The solar charger uses a durable aluminum frame and tempered solar glass that can withstand UV radiations and high temperatures for years.
The solar charger
features a built-in intelligent MPPT ( Maximum power point track)
chip for a charge controller that helps to generate around 10-20%
more power than similar options. The charge controller provides
three-stage charging for maintaining the battery at a stable level.
The waterproof
and spark-proof solar charge provides full protection for battery
from over-voltage, overcharge, discharge, short circuit, etc. The
solar panel has durable brackets to adjust the angle among 0, 15, 30,
24, and 60 degrees to help the panel get maximum sun exposure.
The panel
features LED lights for status updates. Flash Green light indicates
the solar output is not active but normal. A solid green light on the
controller indicates that the battery is fully charged. Flash red
light indicates the battery is undercharging, and solid red light
indicates reversed polarity/ short circuit issues.
Key Features:
30 Watt Mono
solar cell charger.
Three-stage
charging i.e., bulk, absorption, and float.
ACOPOWER solar panel charger is a compact and easy to set up charger for your trolling motors and off-grid systems. The polycrystalline solar charger features rugged design to withstand high wind, snow load, and hail.
To provide
durability, the panel uses multi-layered sheet laminations and
advanced encapsulation material that improves cell performance. The
panel also has bypass diodes that reduce power drop in case of shades
and provide great performance in even low light environments.
Key Features:
100 Watt
Polycrystalline Solar Panel charger.
Dimensions
are 40.2 x 26.4 x 1.18 inches.
Pre-drilled
holes with Quick connectors for each panel.
Things to Look at When Buying Solar Charger for Trolling Motor Battery
There are certain
factors that you should take care of while buying a Solar panel
charger for your trolling motor battery which is as below:
1.
Charge Controller –
Overcharge, and undercharge can degrade your battery life and
performance. So, make sure you buy a charge controller that will act
as a medium between your panel and battery and keep it safe.
2.
Wattage –
A 15-watt solar charger can usually deliver 1 amp hour for every hour
of sunlight, and if you use a 75 amp-hour 12-volt battery, you would
need a 70-watt 12-volt solar charger. It may take around four days to
charge your battery from 50% to 100% or take a week to charge it from
empty to full.
3. Sunlight – You need to ensure the place you keep your solar charger should not have shadows, and the panel should get direct sunlight for efficient working. If your need is in low light areas, you should go for monocrystalline solar panel chargers, and if you get bright sunlight…you can go for multi-crystalline chargers.
4.
Space – If
you have a small boat or facing space constraints, you can either go
for the thin film or monocrystalline chargers, but if you have ample
space, choose polycrystalline chargers.
5.
Gear – You need to choose a solar charger compatible
with your trolling motor battery, e.g., if you have a 12-volt
battery, you’ll need a 12-volt charger, and if you have a dual
battery system you’ll need a 24-volt charger.
6.
Battery Conditioning – Some solar chargers come with the
ability to de-sulfate your battery and increases the battery life
span. So, you can prefer those… but it would cost you more than
other chargers.
7.
Overcharge Protection
– Solar panels usually take a long time to charge your
batteries, so it might happen you forget the panel chargers attached
to your battery… The overcharge protection feature prevents
overcharging the battery by automatically discharging the panel
charger when the charge is full.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an environmentally friendly way to recharge your trolling motor without consistent checks, this green machine can help you go forever in the daylight hours without the use of any gas.
You might face difficulty in winters as you get very less sunlight… but otherwise, it is a great choice as it is easy to install and provide you a reliable as well as clean source of energy for charging your trolling motor.
