FAQ

The Powertec solar panel transforms light directly into electric current.
It does not store energy.
Thus, it recharges your product only when it is unfolded, oriented to the sun and that the electronic product to be recharged is connected to its USB port (in order to close the circuit).

Any solar panel is made of a semiconductor material that absorbs light energy – photons – and converts it directly into electrical current. As a result, it will only produce energy from natural light and not from artificial light.

The sun’s rays must hit the surface of the panel. The panel should therefore be oriented towards the south, ideally at right angles to the sun’s rays. Optimal orientation and tilt of your solar panel will considerably increase its efficiency (its electricity production).

There are three technologies: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous. Flexible solar panels are based on amorphous technology.
The semi-flexible panels from Powertec are polycrystalline technology from the manufacturer SunPower.

Not all panels react to light in the same way. Monocrystalline technology panels (the plates) will only really produce energy from visible light. The sky must therefore be perfectly exposed.

This is not true for SunPower polycrystalline panels, which produce energy from UV light and work in cloudy weather: white mountains (see snowstorm) or cloudy skies but with a lot of reverberation at sea…

A solar panel produces electrical energy from the sun’s rays. The more light there is, the more electricity is produced. For example, a snow-covered surface or water will increase the reverberation and therefore the electricity production.

It is true that exposure to light triggers the production of the solar charger.
However, it is considered that the sunshine time to make the best use of the sun’s rays in France is an average of 5 hours per day. The further south you go, the longer the sunshine period.

To function, the portable solar panel must be oriented towards the light, with the solar cells facing up.
The connections to plug in your device are located on the opposite side of the panel. This way, in case of rain or water ingress (paddle or kayak navigation) the bottom side is not directly exposed to water.
In addition, when the panel is connected to an electronic device being charged via its USB cable, the solar charger port is protected and water cannot penetrate it.
This being said, even if the Powertec panels are perfectly waterproof, it is advisable after use in a wet environment to dry the “electronic” port well before storing the panel

This is particularly true for conventional monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels. They lose, on average, 20% of their efficiency at 60°C, whereas SunPower panels lose only 5% of their efficiency.
When recharging your equipment or battery, it is therefore advisable not to place your panel on a hot surface such as the vehicle body, but rather to install it in a ventilated position.

A solar charger delivers 5V (USB-A port) or 12/15V (DC5521 / cigarette lighter port).
It is therefore possible to recharge external batteries (Powerbank) that can be charged at these voltages.
When the external battery is a Powertec / GP 10,000 or 20,000 mAh range, the battery has 2 charging ports:
1* USB-A and 1*USB-C . USB-C is a charge/discharge port, while USB-A is only a discharge port.
To take advantage of the battery’s “transfer” function in solar charging, you charge the battery via the USB-C port (in/out) and then connect your electronics via the battery’s USB-A port.
In this way, the panel charges the battery, which charges your device.
This mode is particularly suitable when the panel’s output is low (morning, evening, undergrowth) and you are charging a “sensitive” device (a smartphone that needs power otherwise it cuts out when the voltage drops.

A solar charger works with 5V (USB port) or 12V (DC5521 port / cigarette lighter).
It is therefore possible to charge computers that are going to be charged thanks to these 2 types of connections.
The USB port has recently evolved into a USB-C port to allow charges generating 100W of power. Also, the latest generation of laptops are equipped with this connector which facilitates charging since it works on a “boosted” 5V. You just need to take a powerful 5V solar charger (generating 2000mA for example) which will charge an external USB-C battery called “Power Delivery” which will be able to charge the computer…
– if your computer is not equipped with USB-C, it will be necessary to supply it with a battery capable of generating 16 or 20V and which will have to be charged by a 12V panel.

A solar charger works in 5V (USB port) or 12V (DC5521 port / cigarette lighter).
It is therefore possible to recharge the batteries of a drone thanks to these 2 types of connections.
The USB port has recently evolved into a USB-C port to allow charges generating 100W of power.
The last generation of drones are equipped with USB-C port which facilitates the recharging: you just have to take a 5V solar charger powerful enough (generating 2000mA for example) which will recharge an external USB-C battery called “Power Delivery” which will have the ability to recharge the batteries of the drone …
– if your drone is not equipped with USB-C, it will be necessary to supply it with a battery capable of generating 12V and which will have to be charged in its turn by a panel generating 12V.