Solar Panels Problem - help

[rideforever]

Solar Electrical Requirements

Hi all! I In several weeks I’m setting off across the Gobi desert with camels following the old Silk road across China. I’ll be gone for 10 months and the road doesn’t really touch civilization. Basically, backup solar power is vital for safety and emailing from the road. I really want to make the right decision here so any help from your experiences would be appreciated. Sorry I do realise this post isn't about the dominican republic. But after reading this board the subject heading seemed right.

SYSTEM
I’m seeking a system that will keep the following electrics topped up daily, is low in cost and reliable. Power consumption is as follows:

Laptop
Dell Latitude C600 Laptop (70W) – 20V @ 3.5A
(Spare batteries incl. two Li – Ion batteries (66W) @ 14.8V and 4460mAH)

GPS
Garmin eTrex

PDA Phone
I-mate (10W) – 5V @ 2A

Rechargeable Battery Charger (4 x Ni-MH AA) (powers Dig Cam, GPS, Headtorch)
16-21 VA INPUT: 100-240V and 10 W

Satellite Phone
Ericisson R290 Globalstar Satellite Data phone

Laptop requirements around 1 hour per day (perhaps less). Main need is to keep phones working and batteries charged.

CONSIDERATIONS
Basically I’m new to all this. The system I’m considering is Global Solar’s (GSE) Sunlink 12 W or 25 W solar panels with a battery pack (either a Batteries America – ‘On the Go’ Pack or a Tekkeon ‘My Power All’). I consider a battery pack necessary since I won’t be running any electrics directly off the solar panel. The battery pack will be a good backup in case any electrical batteries fail.
I’d also probably take a Vansen DC converter for my laptop just to have the option of charging the Laptop’s batteries directly from the Solar Panel.

My questions are:

1. Would a 12 W solar panel with a DC adapter and charge controller be able to charge flat Laptop batteries? Approximately, how long would it take on a clear sunny day?
2. Would a 25 W solar panel be sufficiently faster at charging than a 12 W to justify the extra cost?
3. Would a 12W battery Pack be sufficient to fully charge a mobile phone or rechargeable batteries?
4. Does a battery pack essentially act like a charge controller?
5. Could a standard Charger be powered directly from the solar panel using a DC adapter and a charge controller? Would a trickle charger be preferred?
6. What solar panel system would you recommend?

All links and advice greatly appreciated at this stage.

Yours,
Stephen McCutcheon

[Texas Bill]

When I was "cruising" I had 4-Solar Panels (3.5-4.5 watts @ 12 volts) plus an Aero??? Wind generator @ 23 watts. These charged a bank of 8 Trojan-type 6-volt batteries paired to make charge the batteries. Ran the entire boat- Refrigerator (12 Volt), Fans (12 volt) lights (12 volt fluerescent lights @ 8 each), GPS, AutoPilot, Running lights, Laptop (interfaced to GPS $ AP) plus a 2500 watt inverter. Never ran out of power.
Takes a little research, but Google can provide you with the info you need to set up your system. You might also try "West Marine" for additional info and prices.

You'll also need a Voltage Regulator to prevent cooking your batteries. These are also available thru West marine. Get one that will handle both Solar Panels and Wind Generator.

Texas Bill

[membruce]

We do this kind of thing in Ham Radio all the time. Go to http://www.arrl.org and look up the book “Emergency Power for Radio Communications”.

Bruce