How long can you use a solar charger?

The lifetime of a solar charger mainly depends on the quality of the solar charger. Most of the time quality solar charger can be used for a quite long time. Usually, good-quality solar chargers that come only with solar panels can be used for up to about 25 years as solar panels have that much life. But this also depends on the way you are using your solar charger.

What is a solar charger?

A solar charger is equipment that is used to charge devices like mobile phones, laptops, and batteries. A solar charger is designed to be portable.

A solar charger comes with small solar panels. This makes it easier to be carried around.

Some solar chargers also come with a battery pack. This battery pack allows you to store extra electricity produced by your solar charger to use later.

How does a solar charger work?

A solar charger also works like a solar system.

A solar charger mainly consists of;

• Solar panels
• Regulator/ solar charge controller
• Battery pack
• Inverter

When solar panels are exposed to the sunlight they convert the energy of the sunlight to electricity.  This electricity will charge the battery.

The regulator or the solar charge controller will regulate the battery charging. This will help to protect your battery from overcharging.

Solar panels give the output as DC. This will not be a problem when we store the electricity in the battery. But to power up equipment you need AC voltage.

You need an inverter to convert DC voltages to AC voltages.

What is the average lifetime of a solar charger?

The average lifetime of a high-quality solar panel is about 25 – 30 years. So you can use the solar panels of your solar charger for quite a long time.

But this depends on the quality of your product and the maintenance.

The average lifetime of a high-quality solar battery is about 5 years. So you may have to replace your battery a few times to work the solar charger properly.

Some solar chargers even come without a battery. But solar chargers with batteries are more suitable for off-grid users.

Why do you have to purchase a high-quality solar charger?

As we stated earlier purchasing a high-quality product will assure you more lifetime. If you purchase a poor-quality solar charger it will last for less time, even though they are cheap and more affordable.

Also, using a poor-quality charger to charge your electric device can harm your devices if the charging is not properly regulated.

Not just that but these devices can cause accidents as there is a high chance of short-circuiting if the circuit is not constructed properly.

Methods to increase the lifetime of your solar charger?

• Keep it clean– cleaning of your solar charger is very crucial to increase the lifetime. If you do not clean it properly dust can be accumulated on the panels and other components as well. Especially when the dust accumulated on the panels it results in a decrease in the output. Also, long-term dust accumulation can form rust on the circuit.

• Keep it dry– most good-quality solar chargers are water-resistant. But that does not mean that you can keep it wet all the time. If you keep it wet all the time then there can be rust formation on the circuit.

• Handle with care– solar chargers are mostly used by travelers. So they are designed to be durable for pretty adverse conditions. But that does not mean you can put it wherever you want or bash it with some hard objects or drop it on the ground as much as you want. If the outer covering gets damaged then there can be water leakages into the circuit. This can harm your solar charger.

How to purchase a good solar charger?

1. Wattage value – the wattage value is the amount of power generated by the solar panels per second. If the wattage value is high, at ideal conditions solar panels release more power.
2. Ampere value– this ampere value indicates how fast the current flows. More amps mean you can charge your device more quickly.
3. Compatibility – you should check whether the devices that you want to charge using the solar charger are compatible with the solar charger you want to buy or not.
4. Portability –portability is different from person to person. For this, you should consider the size and the weight of the solar charger. Most solar chargers are lightweight and some can be folded. So try to find the best solar charger.
5. The efficiency of the solar panel.
6. Durability – durability is the ability to withstand any external or internal forces, pressure, wear or tear. This mostly depends on the quality of the produce. This is important if you are a person who travels more or travel in adverse conditions like hiking etc.