Testing the Panel and Starting Construction

The panel that I will be using to charge my battery is a Suaoki 50W Semi Flexible Solar Module. 

Suaoki 50W Semi Flexible Solar Module

This panel is rated for 17.6 Volts and 2.84 Amps. Even in the extremely cloudy and gray January sky the panel is still outputting over 16 volts when it is directly facing the sky. This is a good thing because it shows that even when the Sun is not shining bright in the sky the panel will still be producing a current. The current that the panel was producing was about .14 mA when it was directly facing the sun. This is enough current to charge the battery when we get there.

Construction:

This past week I have connected the battery and the inverter to the charge controller. Since the battery is already charged I was able to power the inverter and start charging some devices like my phone and laptop. Now we know that this part of the system works. The next step is to add the solar panel and see if we can the battery to charge. The final pieces have been ordered and should be here by the end of the week. Once they come in I will be connecting the panel and starting the charge the battery (hopefully).