Connecting solar panel to power strip

[mayam]

I am making a solar panel, and I want to connect it to a power strip to charge laptops and phones. How do I do this? I'm new to wiring and this type of thing, so do I need a power inverter, charge controller, and battery? What kind of each should I use, and how do I hook it up? Thanks!

[SunEagle]

To use a solar panel above a few watts you will need a charge controller, battery and if the loads are AC and inverter.

So what are your loads and how many watts is your solar panel?

[mayam]

I will have one 60 watt solar panel and it is DC so I need an inverter to change it to AC, correct?

[SunEagle]

Yes you will need an inverter to change DC into AC. But you will also need a battery and solar battery charger between the panel and inverter.

Depending on the Vmp and Imp rating of your solar panel, most 60 watt panels generate ~ 3.5 amps so it can charge maybe a 35Ah 12volt battery with a 10 amp PWM charge controller. That is a pretty small battery so the inverter also has to be small and rated no more than 100 watts and even smaller would be better. If you use an inverter too big you will over discharge that battery and kill it.

[mayam]

Okay thank you! Do you have any specific models for the battery/inverter you could recommend?

[SunEagle]

Well at 35Ah there are a number of AGM type 12volt sealed batteries. Most of them cost around $65 which is not cheap but are portable and have a moderate cycle life.

The only low wattage inverters that I know about are similar to the ones made by Black & Decker or Ridgid and are designed to be plugged into a vehicle cigarette lighter plug.