Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

I'll start with an assumption that may be wrong, but...Assume a battery loses
50% of its charge in 3 months, and it's about 80AH. That means it loses about .4
AH per day. So it needs about .4 amps CONTINUOUSLY to keep it charged.

Lloyd, sorry to have to point it out, but there's an error in your statement. .4 amps continuously is .4 x 24 hours/day = 9.6 AH per day.

Taking your assumption of having to produce 80 AH during a three month period and assumming that the panel is only charging an average of 8 hours per day, you'd only need to develope 55ma (.055 amps) from the solar panel to maintain the charge.
(80 AH / 182 days / 8 hours per day = .055 Amps)
--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean" http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 19:53:54 +0000, Daniel E. Best wrote:



Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

I'll start with an assumption that may be wrong, but...Assume a battery loses
50% of its charge in 3 months, and it's about 80AH. That means it loses about
.4 AH per day. So it needs about .4 amps CONTINUOUSLY to keep it charged.

Lloyd, sorry to have to point it out, but there's an error in your statement.
.4 amps continuously is .4 x 24 hours/day = 9.6 AH per day.


Oops - I stand corrected! Chalk it up to not enough coffee.

Lloyd

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 19:53:54 +0000, Daniel E. Best wrote:



Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

I'll start with an assumption that may be wrong, but...Assume a battery loses
50% of its charge in 3 months, and it's about 80AH. That means it loses about
.4 AH per day. So it needs about .4 amps CONTINUOUSLY to keep it charged.

Lloyd, sorry to have to point it out, but there's an error in your statement.
.4 amps continuously is .4 x 24 hours/day = 9.6 AH per day.


Oops - I stand corrected! Chalk it up to not enough coffee.

Lloyd