The popularity of solar power continues to grow from commercial mass storage facilities to roof top home systems as well as the power supply for electric fencing. When energizing electric fence with solar power the cost per watt of power verses the cost of using a 110 source is much higher, however with electric fence the choice is often not an option due to lack of an available AC connection at the desired location of the electric fence. 110 volt fence chargers will always be a much better value over solar power due the power to cost ratio and for that reason 110 volt should always be the first choice.
The reason for the difference in cost is that 110 volt fence chargers only have one component, the charger itself. Solar fence chargers require 3 components:
- The fence charger
- A battery to power the charger
- A solar panel to replenish power to the battery as it is consumed by the fence and charger.
- PF-150-S12 = .15 Joules, a 2.5 Watt solar panel and a 7 Amp internal battery.
- PF-250-S12 = .25 Joules, a 5 Watt solar panel, a 7 Amp internal battery and a 110 Volt charging port.
- PF-500-S12 = .50 Joules, a 10 Watt solar panel, a 12 Amp internal battery and a 110 Volt charging port.
- All 3 can be mounted on a wood or tee post and include the connection cables to attach to the fence and the ground rod.
Other options for solar power are also available from Powerfields with individual components that are designed more for the commercial producer or large property applications. They include .5 to 3.2 Joule chargers and 10 to 100 watt free standing solar panels. With 3 models of AC/DC crossover units and 7 models of DC units, Powerfields has a solar charger option that will meet most fence applications.