What size solar panel to charge a 6v battery?

The circuit we need to charge a 6v battery is not much complex.

This circuit is very easy to make and anyone can try to make this. We hope to cover all the important points you may need when making this circuit, such as;

• The size of the solar panel.
• How to build this circuit.
• The time your solar panel will take to charge the battery and many more.

The important fact is to charge a 6v battery the best solar panel is a 6v solar panel.

The reason behind this is very simple. To charge a 6v battery we need a 6v current. If we give a higher voltage than that, most probably your battery will damage. Also if you give a lower voltage than 6v the battery will not charge.

How to make this circuit?

As we mentioned before this circuit is not a complex one.

You only need the basic items which are a 6v solar panel, 6v battery, and connecting wires. When making this circuit all you have to do is connecting the solar panel directly to the battery with connecting wires.

Make sure to connect the positive (+) terminal of the solar panel to the positive (+) terminal of the battery and the negative (-) terminal of the solar panel to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.

How much time it will take to charge your battery?

Before getting into this topic you should know a simple theory to calculate how much power your battery needs to get fully charged.

The theory is power or the Watt value is equal to the voltage value multiplied by the ampere value.

Power (W) = Voltage (v) x Current (A)

Why knowing this theory is important to you?

In a solar panel, you only get two values, which are the watt or watt-hour value and the voltage. As we mentioned earlier the voltage of the solar panel should equal the voltage of the solar panel.

By watt value, we can get how much power that the solar panel gives in an hour under optimal conditions. According to this theory, we can get how much power the battery needs to be fully charged.

So we can determine the time easily by using these two values.

Let’s make this more clear by an example

To charge a 6v 2A battery you need 12W power. If you use a 6v 6W battery it will take two hours to be fully charged the battery under optimal conditions. But if you use a 6v 12W battery it will take only an hour.

Can you use a 12v solar panel instead of a 6v solar panel?

You cannot charge the battery directly. But if you use a voltage controller you can charge the 6v battery using a 12v solar panel. Otherwise, it will damage your battery.

What is a voltage controller?

A voltage controller is a device that makes sure the output voltage from the power source is well regulated according to the needs of the electric equipment you want to use. Keep in mind that the voltage controller only can reduce the voltage. It cannot increase the voltage.

Can we replace the voltage controller?

Yes, you can.

As we mentioned earlier the use of the voltage controller is to reduce the output voltage of your power source according to the requirements of your electrical instrument. If you do not have a voltage controller you can use a bulb instead of the voltage controller.

Let’s make this clear by an example.

When your battery is 6v but the solar panel is 12v you must reduce 6v from the output voltage to prevent any damage to your battery. If you do not have a voltage controller for this task you can simply connect a bulb in series with the battery. So the bulb will take 6v from the output voltage and the only 6v will be supplied to the battery.

Related articles:

• How to build a circuit to charge a 12v battery with a solar panel?
• How to charge 9v battery with solar panel?

Can you charge a 6v battery from a lesser voltage solar panel?

No, you cannot.

Even though we can use a voltage controller to lower the higher voltage we cannot increase the output voltage. So we should use an equal voltage solar panel otherwise the battery will not charge.

Can you combine solar panels with lesser voltages to get a 6v solar panel?

Yes, you can.

You can combine solar panels with the same voltage to get a higher output voltage.

But you have to connect those panels in series to increase the output voltage. If you connect the solar panels in parallel it will not affect your output voltage.

Note – you cannot combine solar panels with different voltages as it will damage both the solar panel and the battery.