A mini solar panel is very useful over the summer months, Jon uses it to charge two power banks and then he uses those to mainly charge his phone on the move. It is also useful for charging Bluetooth speakers along with his Garmin watch. Last summer it was soo sunny that his mobile was completely green for the best part of four months or maybe even five! The great thing about it too is that it’s portable so you can even take it camping or when out walking.
How about going off grid?
Jon quite likes the idea of going off grid. This would involve creating electricity from a solar panel and storing it in a battery. From here you can then plug in appliances that will be completely green! So, it will certainly take more than just having a mini solar panel.
Really all you need though is a larger solar panel, to generate more electricity, a charge controller and a battery. A solar panel on this scale is typically around 12V with a DC (Direct Current) system. So, it is different from your home AC system which would need a professional electrician to get involved.
You can purchase a charge controller with USB outputs so that you can charge devices directly from it. When purchasing a battery you can get one that has plug sockets so you can plug an appliance directly into it.
