Solar powered cool box
Hello - I am looking for a solar panel which I can use with a cool box in our motor home. At present the box connects into the cigarette lighter. Is there a panel that has the facilty for plugging in such an item? Thank you - Tony
Hi Tony,
You could fit a cigarette lighter socket to any solar panel very easily, which would allow you to power your cool box directly. Something like the Spectra 20W panel might just be big enough to power a small cool box.
However, you should note that the voltage on a solar panel varies strongly depending on what appliances are attached to it and how much sun there is. Some appliances can accept a wide range of input voltages and would be fine with the variable voltage; others might not like a voltage of perhaps 18-20V applied to them! When you are running off a battery the voltage is very stable, normally between 12 and 14 volts.
Most cool boxes run on peltier cooling modules, which I am fairly certain would work fine when attached directly to a solar panel. However, I can't promise that it would work.
regards,
Andy
Midsummer Energy
Labels: Miscellaneous, Vehicles
posted by Andy @ 10:01
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PS Of course, as others have pointed out, the solar panel would only keep the box cool during the day, and would only give 20W in full sun anyway (although arguably that is when you need the cooling power the most). Keeping some freezer blocks in there would help keep stuff cooler overnight though.
A more effective solution is a biggish solar panel (probably 50-60 watts) charging a leisure battery, from which an efficient 12V fridge is run. (Note that '3-way' fridges - gas, 12V, mains, are hideously inefficient, so avoid them).
However, that's definately not lightweight camping any more, nor cheap.
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