I’m trying to power a thermal fan off of a solar panel. I’m not using a charge controller or a buck converter, it’s directly wired. Solar panel specs:
10W
Voc: 22.0V
Vmp: 17.5 V
Isc: 0.61A
Imp: 0.57A
Module efficiency: 10.74%
Maximum System Voltage: 1000V DC
Power tolerance: +/-3%
I ordered this fan (CFM-9238BF-165-535-20 Same Sky (Formerly CUI Devices) | Fans, Blowers, Thermal Management | DigiKey), and directly wired it to the solar panel. It would start, then stop, then start, and stop repeatedly. According to my math, the solar panel should have been able to power this fan.
I have powered this fan (AFB0912SH-TZUG Delta Electronics | Fans, Blowers, Thermal Management | DigiKey) in the past off of the same solar panel.
What am I missing?
Thank you for your inquiry.
I would think it might be that your Maximum Current, (Imp) rating of 570mA of your solar panel is lower than the 700mA draw of the fan.
That Imp rating would be under ideal circumstances.
Thank you for clarifying. Do you mind double checking my math on these 2 products to make sure they are compatible?
Hello,
These fans would work well if you can get a steady voltage of about 12VDC. Sunlight is very unpredictable and not constant so a solar controller would benefit you in this case. Some very cheap controllers are available, PWM or MPPT would work fine for this project just make sure it contains a load side output that has enough power for your fans or add a battery to charge off it as well.
Very few mfgr’s if any say to connect directly to a solar panel just due to its unpredictability, even a passing cloud drops the voltages considerably.
Thank you
Ryan
Thank you, Ryan. Does DigiKey offer those products?
Hi @c.herndon
Here is one Solar board I’ve used in the past, it’s limited to 10Watts: DFR0535 DFRobot | Development Boards, Kits, Programmers | DigiKey
DFRobot has pretty good docs here: Solar_Power_Manager_SKU__DFR0535-DFRobot
Regards,
