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Topic: Solar panel efficiency on wooded sites!

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Twinspired

29/6/2010 at 9:16am
Location: Exeter
Outfit: Bailey Pagaent Champagne Audi

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Now before you all laugh, I am being serious! I'm considering investing in either a 65 or 80 watt panel and have spent last night trauling through previous posts for information which I found invaluable. It has however left me with the question about the efficiency when pitched in copses or wooded sights, so for example this august we are planning a trip to the new forest and really want to stay in the heart of the forest on a non EHU site but I wonder how we are going to be able to make the thing work if we have a canopy of trees? What do other solar panel users do? Or do you always avoid nicely wooded sites? That would probably rule out half of our holidaying as these are precisely our favourite sort of sites!!!

I know this is a subject that has been well covered so I would be most grateful for any time spent in replying!

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Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open

sanhozay

29/6/2010 at 10:12am
Location: Otley
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Trail magazine did a roundup of solar chargers in the June 2010 issue.

Despite the name "solar", solar panels don't need to be in full sunlight to charge. Obviously anything that reduces the incident light - like cloud, or trees, increases the charge time. Depending on the unit, the article quotes between 2 and 9 times as long in cloud as full sun. (I'd imagine even more time in shade but I'm guessing).

Some of them have internal batteries that can be charged from the car or the sun, before dumping the charge into your unit.

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Richard

Twinspired

29/6/2010 at 9:14pm
Location: Exeter
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Thank you Richard, I've called Trail magazine to get a copy because Junes copy has already been taken off the shelves but that sounds like a very interesting article. Interesting also about the internal battery, I didn't realise that. I just hope it'll work when we're in the New forest because I don't suppose Forest Holidays will take too kindly to us lopping off a few branches just to charge our panel!!!

Thank you again for responding, much appreciated.

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