Powering an electric fence with a solar panel

Electric fences aren't usually conveniently located next to a 240 volt mains outlet. So, most energisers are designed for use with 12V lead-acid batteries. They work really well - until the battery runs out! Lugging a big, lead-acid battery home across the fields to recharge it is hard work.

Luckily, sweaty armpits are easily avoided if you use a solar panel to keep the battery topped up. Most electric fence energisers are extremely efficient - so you can keep the battery topped up with quite a small panel. For a standard 0.5J electric fence energiser, a 5W solar panel is quite sufficient.

It's best to use a solar regulator between the solar panel and the battery to prevent the panel overcharging the battery. The wiring is extremely easy - you simply have two wires going from the solar panel to the solar regulator, and another two from the solar regulator to the battery.

So what's so good about it?

• Because the battery is continually being recharged, you can use a smaller battery than you would normally put on an electric fence. A 20Ah battery should be quite sufficent.
• Batteries last a lot longer when they are kept charged. A battery kept fully topped up by solar power should last at least 5 years. A battery that is often drained may last less than two years. In the long run, the solar panel becomes a good investment!
• It's environmentally friendly! You are powering the electric fence by a completely renewable resource, rather than from a coal-fired power station via the national grid.
• It's much easier than lugging a battery home to recharge it, and back again afterwards. Time is money - and a bad back is worth avoiding at any price.

We've made life as easy as possible for you by creating a simple kit for electric fences. It's a low-profile 5W Spectra solar panel and a reliable SunGuard solar regulator mounted on a plywood backing. All you have to do is screw the plywood mount onto a fence post (pointing south to get the best sun) and connect the two wires provided to the battery. That's it - you should never need to take your battery home again to recharge it!