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Just wanting some way to charge my bus batteries while parked for a long amount of time besides a battery charger. But am having trouble figuring out what kind of solar panel to get.

My bus batteries add up to 24 V together but separately they are 12 V, so if I got a 12 V solar panel and just charged them separately would that work? Or would it be better or necessary to get a 24 V panel?

I know it would most likely take longer to charge with a 12 V panel I don't necessarily mind that. Would love any feedback for this. Thanks

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  • \$\begingroup\$ 12 V is not enough to charge a 12 V lead acid battery ... around 14 V is required for that ... so a 24 V battery would require around 28 V \$\endgroup\$
    – jsotola
    Commented Mar 18, 2023 at 4:48
  • \$\begingroup\$ @jsotola - Hi, The actual terminal voltage of a 12 Volt solar panel is about 17 V maximum. The charge controller limits that voltage to around 13.8 - 14.2 for charging. \$\endgroup\$
    – vu2nan
    Commented Mar 18, 2023 at 4:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ What size of a solar panel are we talking about? Ideally, I would recommend you one ~17 V solar panel and one Genasun GV-5 per battery. Alternatively a ~30 V panel and one GVB-8 for both batteries. \$\endgroup\$
    – winny
    Commented Mar 18, 2023 at 9:34

2 Answers 2

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2 identical 12V solar panels, one for each 12V house battery would be the best way. This helps with battery balance which is good for battery life. You should use some form of charge control to prevent overcharging.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ It doesn't help with balance if one panel catches some shade. \$\endgroup\$
    – user16324
    Commented Mar 18, 2023 at 16:57
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It would be more convenient to have a 24 V solar panel to charge two series-connected 12 V batteries simultaneously.

That should not pose any problem as the 24 V bus alternator does exactly that.

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