Will solar panel work on cloudy, rainy winter days and charge enough or does it have to sunny sunny?
1597571
Once the unit is fully charged it will work for days on that charge. It also depends on how much the unit is on. If the unit is triggered often the more it needs sunlight to re-charged. This light has worked great for me.
1597572
This will be my 1st winter so not sure. but so far it works great, brighter than what I expected.
1597573
I live in Florida and last week it was mostly cloudy and muggish and it worked in the night.
1597574
It depends on how often the light is triggered, and how much sun the solar panel receives when it's not rainy. If it's light, but overcast (or rainy) the panel will charge the light, but not as much as the panel in full sunlight.My panel and light are mounted in a location that does not get much traffic, and the light is not often triggered. I imagine that the batteries remain pretty charged, but I couldn't say what would happen if the light was triggered often, and the panel didn't receive full sunlight for a long period of time.
1597575
Yes it does charge on cloudy days. Was cloudy and rainy for 4 consecutive days where I live and still worked well.
426209
I'm sure you can let the sun charge it but I charged mine overnight because it gave it a full charge to start. It won't charge at night or cloudy days so best to start with a full charge.
971651
GuidoTKPYes, this kit could do the job of just keeping a battery charged (whether on a bike or other places). The real thing to consider is where are you and how much sunlight will it have daily? If you're in a north state where the shed will have a blanket of snow for 3 months or it's cloudy 90% of the time (which may be why you're not riding the bike), then this won't give you much power without the sun. If you're in Arizona or such where you still get plenty of sun, then maybe it will work for you.
1882771
You have to make sure the solar collection panel is in the most direct daylight as possible. Depending on what time it gets dark enough for the light to come on will have an effect on the light. In the spring/summer, early fall when it doesn't start getting dark till 9pm -930pm it will last a lot longer; but during the winter months when it gets dark early sometimes mine only makes it 6 - 7 hours. But I still like it and use, and will probably buy more. Cathy Krebs
235327
Completely. Like all modern solar panels there is an electrical box on the back of the panel where the pigtails come out of, but as long as you dont have it mounted upside down it will be fine.... I have 4 currently outside in the rain etc. 2 on solar electric fence chargers and 2 on a solar space heater, those two have been outside for over a year now in the harsh Maine environment and so far they are holding up just the same as my larger pqnels on my house.
2246033
yes it will charge on a cloudy day but how many amps I don't know it only has 7 amps now I believe and it works great but on a cloudy day I'd only be guessing. but I will check it out when I can. J.J.
634537
Agree with Todd & Kate. It is what it is, a "solar" panel depending totally on UV rays to generate a charge. The panel will not generate a charge at night nor on dark overcast days.
800276
I have had these outside in all kinds of weather for over three months now and there are no issues with rain. (Except that dreary weather affects the charging so they don't stay lit as long, but that is to be expected from a solar product.)
2102271
On a very cloudy day before or after a rain our lights have kept a charge for several days. So it's likely that as long as they get some charge they will work. We have had several different kind and these we've been most happy and eased with. We leave them out during the winter months and they still worked.
737105
The unit can only be charged by the solar panel, but even on cloudy days it seems to charge although it won't be as fast.
971648
I'm taking a big gamble and have boughten 2 of these 60 watt systems to power up a remote cabin in upstate new york.Mostly lighting and a 12 volt water pump.Very conservative use.Lights will only be on where I need them.My questions are:will a cloud covered winter sky still produce a trickle charge from these panels?We can go weeks without a sunny day.I also will have to keep the snow and ice off the panels.Should I set up two completely seperate systems or should I tie both together on one battery bank?Can I also hook a regular battery charger to the batteries in conjunction with the solar chargers? I'm taking a big gamble and have boughten 2 of these 60 watt systems to power up a remote cabin in upstate new york.Mostly lighting and a 12 volt water pump.Very conservative use.Lights will only be on where I need them.My questions are:will a cloud covered winter sky still produce a trickle charge from these panels?We can go weeks without a sunny day.I also will have to keep the snow and ice off the panels.Should I set up two completely seperate systems or should I tie both together on one battery bank?Can I also hook a regular battery charger to the batteries in conjunction with the solar... » Read More I'm taking a big gamble and have boughten 2 of these 60 watt systems to power up a remote cabin in upstate new york.Mostly lighting and a 12 volt water pump.Very conservative use.Lights will only be on where I need them.My questions are:will a cloud covered winter sky still produce a trickle charge from these panels?We can go weeks without a sunny day.I also will have to keep the snow and ice off the panels.Should I set up two completely seperate systems or should I tie both together on one battery bank?Can I also hook a regular battery charger to the batteries in conjunction with the solar chargers? « Show Less
1855639
Hey Edwars O. Not sure. What type/sort of system are you putting together? 6V 12V? What are you needing to run, and for how long? What are your energy needs? I can't answer your question my friend without more info. I personally use the 400 watt system with another 100 watt panel. I match my batt bank so every 100 watt of solar for 100Ah of storage. Yes, it is over kill for just myself! I'm still in the learning processes if you will. The panels that come with this kit have zero issues with charging the batteries on cloudy days. I'm very happy with this basic system so far!!
181997
Yes, I put mine on a window sill where sun comes in and it works just fine that way. Once charged full it will work indoors away from sun until the charge runs out. Great little device!
1369252
I am not sure on this panel, I own a company that we do tons of commercial solar projects, wind is totally up to how you mount it, Rain does not effect it, snow, if you mount it at an angel the snow usually melts off in 1 to 2 days. I would mount it at 26 degrees for best results. or you have to go brush it off after a snow fall.
352792
Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't gotten one of those yet. Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't... » Read More Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't gotten one of those yet. « Show Less
1618543
The solar motion lights can be charged on an overcast day, but will perform better and receive a full charge to the batteries if the solar panel is in direct sunlight.
375785
Yesterday I was using it to power a usb speaker and it continued to work when the sun went behind a clouds. That leads me to believe it continues producing energy even when it's cloudy. Though I'm sure the output is reduced.