Battery-less 12v solar power supply?

[dwhoule]

Can the output of a solar charge controller be used to safely power small 12v car adapter electronics, such as a laptop, digital camera, etc., during daylight hours, without use of a solar storage battery?

[Sunking]

No Sir, sorry it cannot. It is possible to construct a regulator to act as a power supply but it would be extremely limited and unreliable. Solar panels are current sources, not voltage sources.

[dwhoule]

Understood. Thank you for the explanation.

[inetdog]

No Sir, sorry it cannot. It is possible to construct a regulator to act as a power supply but it would be extremely limited and unreliable. Solar panels are current sources, not voltage sources.

And since, unlike a battery, there is no storage mechanism in the cell itself, the maximum current it can supply is directly proportional to the light at that moment.

[Rexorb422]

You can get a 12 volt solar panel charger that plugs into a car cigarette lighter. When i go camping, i charge my phone at night off the car battery, then during the day i plug the solar panel charger back in to keep the 12v battery charged. You can find them at ebay if you search for "fj cruiser solar". I have a FJ Cruiser, but i know it would work with any car 12v battery.

[Sunking]

You can get a 12 volt solar panel charger that plugs into a car cigarette lighter. When i go camping, i charge my phone at night off the car battery, then during the day i plug the solar panel charger back in to keep the 12v battery charged. You can find them at ebay if you search for "fj cruiser solar". I have a FJ Cruiser, but i know it would work with any car 12v battery.

Don't waste your money on that garbage. Those 5 watt panels are not even remotely large enough to charge a car battery. A cell phone battery takes roughly 10 to 15 wh to fully recharge. Any car battery can charge 50 phones before you could use enough to cause you problems starting your vehicle.

Just starting the car and letting it run 60 seconds, and the vehicle alternator will generate more electricity than that panel can generate in a month.