Solar Chargers can be used to charge batteries when one is not connected to the power grids and does not have access to another form of electricity. (In other words, when there isn't a wall socket to plug into.)

The way a Solar Battery Charger works is simple. You connect it a battery and you then allow the solar charger panel to sit in the sun. The solar panel of the battery charger collects energy from the sun, and converts this energy into electricity. The electricity thus produced is then used to charge a battery. That battery can in turn later be used to run your equuipment.

There are several different types of solar battery chargers, as well as different types of batteries that you might want to charge. Some solar chargers generate more electricity than others. As all solar battery chargers use some type of solar panel, the amount of power they generate generally depends on the size of the panels. Solar panels are made up of individual solar cells. Solar cells are the units which create electricity out of sunlight. They are connected together on a solar panel. The more solar cells there are on a solar panel, the more electricity they generate. So you will generally find that bigger solar panels produced more energy, and smaller solar panels produce less.

Some solar battery chargers work with simple AA batteries, (like those that you would use to run a flashlight). Others work with special batteries, which can in turn be used to charge equipment such as cell phones (mobile phones), iPods, MP3 players, cameras, etc. Some solar chargers power the batteries of your equipment, such as the battery in your laptop computer.

The type of solar battery charger that a person would use depends in a large degree upon what the solar charger will be used for.

You might ask why one uses a solar charger to charge a battery, instead of directly running one's equipment from a solar panel.

Well, this becomes a bit obvious if you think it through. If your equipment could only be powered by a solar panel, how would you operate it indoors, at night, or on a rainy day?

Secondly, imagine trying to charge your cell phone directly from the sun. You would have to leave the phone outside with in the heat with the solar panel. The sun's heat might damage your cell phone. Or, what if it starts to rain? Or you might be inside when you receive a phone call, but your phone is outside charging in the sunlight.

The amount of solar power you get from the sun could also vary under different conditions. If a cloud passed overhead your stream of power would falter. Solar energy is not a stable source of electricity. It is more stable to use a battery which has already been changed by solar energy and which can provide a steady stream of electricity to your equipment.

It would be much more workable to charge a seperate battery outside in the sun, and then use that battery to charge your other equipment.

There are a variety of solar battery chargers and other portable solar power devices available on the market today. In order to decide on which one you need for your purposes, you will need to understand the different types available and their uses. It also helps to have a basic understanding of solar energy and how it works. Further information and answers to common questions can be found at Solar Chargers and Portable Solar Power Devices.

- by Anna Stone

Find more information at Solar Panels