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.
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