What Can a 45-Watt Solar Panel Power?

Short on Time? Here’s The Article Summary

A 45-watt solar panel is an ideal entry point for those new to green energy solutions, offering a versatile and portable option for powering low-energy devices. These panels convert sunlight into usable electricity, providing an affordable way to reduce reliance on the municipal grid. While not suitable for powering an entire household, a 45-watt panel can effectively charge 12V batteries and power small appliances like camping lights, GPS devices, and car or RV outlets.

Its portability makes it perfect for outdoor activities such as camping and fishing. Though less efficient than larger panels, its affordability and ease of transport make it a practical choice for emergency use and off-grid adventures. If greater power is needed, one can always expand their system with additional panels.

Introduction

If you’re in the market for a solar panel and it’s your first time looking at green energy solutions, a 45-watt solar panel is a perfect place to start. 

We are well aware that choosing your first solar panel can be daunting. With the long lists full of different options at your disposal, who wouldn’t get flustered and lost in all this chaos?

So we decided to put together this article to introduce you to the 45-watt solar panel, looking specifically at what these panels are capable of powering and giving you a direction for one of our favorite panels to pick.

The 45-Watt Solar Panel 

All solar panels work off of the same basic principles. By gathering sunlight, solar modules convert solar energy into usable electricity. 

This means that, with your solar panels producing electricity for you using merely the rays of the sun, you’ll be able to power your appliances, if not your entire household, without having to spend a cent on electricity from the municipal grid.

As we mentioned earlier, one factor that makes choosing the right solar panel so difficult is the fact that they come in so many different shapes and sizes. Most commonly, solar panels are labeled and grouped according to their wattage. This is a measure of the panels' power output under perfect weather conditions.

When looking at purchasing a solar panel, we recommend asking yourself the following questions consider things like what you want the panels to power and how much space you have that you can dedicate to the task.

While we believe that a 45-watt panel is highly versatile, bear in mind that they aren’t the only options out there. You should consider what a 100-watt solar panel can run if you think you need something a bit more powerful.

With this overview in mind, let’s take a closer look at the 45-watt solar panel.

Who Are They for

Since smaller options like 45-watt and 50-watt solar panels can power low-energy appliances, they’re best suited for portable needs.

If you find that you’re forever frustrated with your phone dying on a weekend camping trip, or you want to keep a few beers cold when you go fishing, then these options could be perfect for you.

While you can certainly power your whole house by connecting a series of 45-watt panels together, we wouldn’t recommend it. Smaller panels are less efficient than larger ones in terms of their power output per square foot, and they’re going to cost you a lot more.

That doesn’t mean that smaller panels aren’t good for at-home use, though. If you live in an area that’s prone to power outages from bad weather or storms, a 45-watt solar panel is great if you want to keep the lights on.

If you connect a small panel to a battery pack, you can keep multiple appliances running when the rest of your neighborhood is in darkness, even if it takes a while to fully charge it.

What Can a 45 Watt Solar Panel Power?

Some of the most common questions people ask about their new solar panels relate to what devices they can power. It makes sense that if you’re buying a smaller panel, you’ll want to know what a 15-watt solar panel can power.

It would be a waste of money to buy a single solar panel with the intention of powering your whole living room setup, but the solar panel you end up with isn’t even capable of powering the living room lamp.

Therefore, if you’re looking at 45-watt solar panels, you need to understand what they’re capable of powering and what they're most commonly used for before you actually buy one. The following is a list of common household appliances you can power using a 45-watt solar panel:

• 12V battery (charging) 
• RV
• Boat
• Lawnmower
• GPS
• Car
• Camping lights and outlets 

It should be clear from this list, that a 45-watt solar panel is by no means something that can power your entire home let alone your entire traveling setup. 

However, this doesn’t mean that a 45-watt panel is a poor purchase. The usefulness of a 45-watt solar panel lies in its small size and consequent portability. 

Because these solar panels are so small, they’re easy to transport no matter where you’re going and how you get there, be it in an RV or a boat. These solar panels generate enough energy to charge a vast array of batteries ranging from your phone to your portable power station.

Conclusion

Overall it should be clear that when it comes to purchasing a solar panel, be it for your first time, or simply just for the sake of traveling, you can never go wrong with a 45-watt solar panel. 

Because these solar panels are so affordable, buying one will never be a mistake. You can always expand your solar power system kit if you feel that the power output of such a solar panel isn’t meeting your energy requirements.

That being said, we here at Shop Solar Kits guarantee that a 45-watt solar panel will always come in handy, no matter the setting.

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