Need Help to Run a 12 Volt Vent Fan from an 18 Volt Solar Panel

David40
David40 Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
I am trying to vent a shipping container for the least amount of money. I have several large solar panels I got free but they all output 18 Volts. The fan I want to use is around $100 dollars but requires 12 Volts. Personally I can't see a problem with the higher voltage as that would reduce the amps, but is there an easy way to reduce the voltage of a panel down to 12 Volts? 

Thanks for any suggestions.
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    I did something similar to that by hardwiring a 65 W solar panel to a 12 volt radiator fan. It ran so fast that I figured it wouldn't last very long but when I put two of them together the load on the panel slowed them down so I'm running two fans off of one single solar panel to ventilate my garage and it works very well. When the sun shines the fan runs

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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  • NANOcontrol
    NANOcontrol Registered Users Posts: 288 ✭✭✭
    #3
    I use a 24V fan designed for trucks and semi refrigeration.  This will work well on a 12V solar panel which is about 20V, even as the output drops down to 5V on low sun.  I think the fan was about $18 on amazon.  A buck converter to12V would also work, but not as well.
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