Finding a Solar Laptop Charger

There are several points to take into consideration when choosing a portable solar laptop charger - including size and weight issues that need to be taken into account.

Most laptops require from 50 to 70 watts of power in order to operate, and up until recently, solar panels that provided that amount of power were far too heavy to carry around.

However, with the advancements in solar technology, solar panels are becoming lighter and more energy-efficient.

Choosing a Solar Laptop Charger

When choosing a portable solar charger for your laptop, size, weight, and the circumstances you intend to use them in are important issues to consider.

Using Solar Laptop Chargers in Conjunction with RVs or Vehicles

If you are traveling in an RV, you could just as easily install an rv solar panel system on your RV, and use that system to charge your laptop. A 110-watt system or 160-watt solar panel kit would do the trick, and should work fine for either recharging or running your laptop.

Even better would be to have a battery bank as well in your RV, so that your power supply is automatically maintained throughout daylight hours. This will also give you the freedom to use your stored solar energy whenever you want to, and not be restricted to only accessing it during daylight hours. It can also help you conserve excess energy which is generated by your solar panels, so that you will have energy left over later on, in case of adverse weather conditions (or in case you need to use your laptop more on some days than on other days.

If you do not own an RV, but do own a vehicle, there are several smaller automotive solar battery chargers on the market, which plug directly into the cigarette lighter socket of your car. Some solar chargers also hook up directly to the battery. In this case you can charge or operate your laptop straight from the vehicle battery, and continue charging the vehicle with the automotive solar battery charger, so that your car battery does not run flat while you are charging your laptop.

Independent Portable Solar Panels for Laptops

If you are looking for a portable solar panel, or a portable solar charger which works independently from a vehicle, you can look at getting one or more foldable or flexible solar panels, such as the Brunton Solaris or Brunton SolarRoll. They are extremely light-weight and can be folded or rolled up for ease of transportation. They come in modules of varing wattages.

For a laptop you will probably want a 26-watt or 52-watt solar charger, but connecting three 14-watt solar panels together will give you a sizable energy output. This might take a little more technical savvy, but it is not hard to figure out and is a workable possibility. Most solar panels are sold as modules that can easily be connected to each other. Remember, as a rule of thumb, the higher the overall wattage, the shorter the charging time for your equipment, and vice versa.

Complete Portable Solar Kits

Another option, and possibly the most workable one, is to get a portable solar power kit. These kits often include solar panels as well as a rechargeable battery. The solar panel is used to recharge the battery, and you can then plug your laptop into the battery in order to either run or recharge your laptop. The advantage of this system is that you can charge the solar battery at any time and then plug into the solar panels later when you need more power. This is useful as now you are not constrained to daylight hours to make use of solar energy.

Small Portable Solar Chargers

Finally, another option is to simply go with a small portable solar charger. Even though it might be too small to run the laptop, it will slow battery drain and give you longer working time if used. Low-wattage solar chargers can still (at least in theory) be used to recharge the laptop, though it will longer.

Below are a few examples of portable solar panels and solar chargers that can work well for laptops:

• Brunton 52 Watt Laptop Solar Charger - One of the most powerful foldable portable solar panels on the market, strong enough to charge a laptop.
• Brunton 26 Watt Foldable Solar Array - A close runner-up to the Brunton 52 Watt solar charger, also capable of charging a laptop.
• SolarGorilla Solar Laptop Charger
• Solar Laptop Charger & Portable Power Kit
• Xantrex Technologies Solar Powerpack - 852-2071 Xpower AC/DC Powerpack Solar, with 400 Watt Inverter, two AC Outlets, USB Port, and a Digital Display.
• Xantrex Powerpack 600 Watt Jumpstarter, Power Inverter and Backup Power Source
• Solar Charger for RVs, Trucks, Cars, 5 Volt 12 Watt
• Portable Briefcase Solar Panel 12V Charger - 30 Watt 12 Volt Solar briefcase charger.
• Voltaic Systems has come out with a laptop carrying case that has a built-in solar panel and batteries. It will collect enough solar power throughout the day to give you roughly a full charge for a laptop.

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Solar Laptop Charger