So I came across this solar panel....

[MoGas]

I happened across an ARCO M-81 solar panel today. It put out a max of 19VDC in clouded sunlight. I found on the interwebs that it is a 7 watt panel. I am solar dumb, what is this really good for? It is a nice size @ 14x12x1.5 inches, and seems really stout. Made in Chatsworth, CA back when the United States still manufactured quality items. It was a $185 panel back in '84 (~$400 in today's dollars).

I'm guessing that at the very least, I need some sort of regulator so I don't ruin a battery or whatever 12VDC device I have hooked up to it. How can I verify the wattage output?

Thanks,

 

[4RunAmok]

A charge controller couldn't hurt, but at 7W, it's pretty much just a battery maintainer.

Which is actually of some importance. Before my friend added some 3W solar panels to his boat, he was going through batteries every season because of minimal use. Now with the two 3W panels (one for each battery in the boat) he's 9 years on the same batteries. Sulfation is a horrible thing.

 

[dwh]

I'm guessing that at the very least, I need some sort of regulator so I don't ruin a battery or whatever 12VDC device I have hooked up to it. How can I verify the wattage output?

Thanks,