Drones need batteries to operate, and oftentimes, the charging time is a long time. And when the power is out or when you’re off-grid, and you don’t have an outlet to charge your drone in, keeping your drone-powered is a challenge. Since most professional-grade drones need a significant amount of energy to run, knowing the flight times and standard charging times is a must because attention must be given to battery specs, charger speeds, and back-up batteries. Knowing the amount of energy demanded by the drone battery will allow you to choose the best solar solution.
Can you charge a drone directly from a solar panel?
You can possibly charge a drone directly to a solar panel, but it’s not likely, and it’s not recommended. Because of the transient nature of sunlight and the changing position of clouds, the performance of a solar panel would be unreliable. Plus, a 12V DC charger isn’t always available for all drones. The drone charger wants so see a minimum amount of power before it operates, and if it can’t draw enough power, it will time out. The more efficient and faster-charging solution is to place a solar battery between the solar panel and the drone charger, so that the charger can provide continuous and consistent power for the drone, regardless of what the solar power is producing from time to time.
Solar chargers for charging drone batteries when power is out
Here are some power banks and chargers that are easy to connect to a solar panel, and can charge your drones without hassle. All of these are incredibly portable, and can also charge other kinds of devices, so you won’t need an additional power bank or charger in case you are bringing it out off the grid.
Voltaic Systems V88 Solar Optimized Travel Charger
Generally, one of the easiest ways to charge a drone battery when power is out is by connecting the Voltaic Systems V88 charger to a car charger designed for your drone’s battery. This charger is for laptops, tablets, and smartphones, DSLR cameras, and drones. This external laptop charger provides one to two times full charges to most consumer aerial drone models using a car charger. You can usually find a third-party car charger that’s much less expensive than the ones sold by the manufacturer. If the car charger isn’t available for your drone, then you can use a li-polymer battery balancing charger or hack your drone’s charging cable to connect it to one of the battery cells. This charger is optimized with high-quality, high-temperature Li-Polymer cells that are optimized for solar applications and housed in a brushed aluminum case.
You can use the V88 for travel even in airplanes, as it complies with the FAA guidelines on spare lithium-ion batteries. It comes with an easy-to-read display that enables you to see the battery power level in real-time, as well as switch between the voltages of the laptop port.
Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC Portable Power Bank
Another excellent option for charging drones is the Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC Portable Power Bank. This power bank is an awesome system used for charging drone batteries, camera batteries, and smart device batteries. It comes with a direct 12V DC output port, so if you have a car charger for your drone battery, you can charge directly from DC to DC without using an AC inverter. At 60 watts each, the USB-C power delivery ports provide rapid power for your devices. This 100-watt power pack can support type-C, 100-watt AC, 2.4A USB, and Qi Wireless Charging. It also features an interactive OLED display plus four charging cords.
This battery pack is sleek and powerful, and it’s a great go-to source for versatile power when you’re on the move. It weighs just two pounds and is well-designed. It’s one of the best versatile power banks you can bring while you’re on the move. It’s approved for travel in airlines, plus its high-speed power delivery makes sure that your drones, laptops, DSLR cameras, and smart devices are always powered.
Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station
Get a reliable solar panel and connect it with Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station – you’ll get a real power station for your charging needs. This power bank can power up to seven different devices at once. It has two 120-watt 12V ports that are perfect for connecting to a car charger, then to your drone. Besides that, it comes with two AC outlets, and three 2.4 A USB ports. It’s engineered with advanced battery technology, featuring patented electronics for a premium mobile charging experience.
This power station is the size of a small lunchbox; you can easily grab it and go. Besides charging drones, you can power up phones, tablets, cameras, and other electronic devices with this. It can be used as an alternative to gasoline-powered generators to power up small appliances and lights. This is one power station that will be convenience for you during power outages and off-grid trips.
Powertraveller Mini-G Portable Power Bank
Need a battery bank that’s both compatible with most solar panels and your drone, yet portable enough to cram in your backpack? The Mini-G Portable Power Bank from Powertraveller is a solution. This power bank is the most versatile, multi-voltage battery in Powertraveller’s range and the smallest multi-voltage battery pack that can power up drones, cameras, laptops, netbooks, phones, and radios. It features a multi-voltage DC output on the ranges of 12V, 16V, and 19V. It comes with a dual USB port at 5V that makes it perfect for charging smaller devices.
This power bank easily connects to any 12V solar panel for continuous energy. It also has an uninterruptible power supply feature. When you connect this to a gadget like a laptop to an AC wall outlet, the device is protected from power outages. If there happens to be a power interruption from the wall outlet, this power bank will stay on to charge your device. You can also charge your drone and other devices while this power bank is charging from the solar panel.