charging a battery with solar panels

JohnSwift10

I have an automatic watering system in my greenhouse that runs off a 12 volt battery.
Can I use a solar panel to charge the battery at the same time as my watering system is being used?

Norman_Castle

Yes.         

matelodave

Yes you can. Just make sure you do the sums to make sure that the solar panel/battery combination has enough capacity to run the watering system and charge the battery to compensate for the periods that the sun doesn't shine (ie in the winter, ovenight or even in the summer when it's cloudy)

alan_d

Yes, provided you use a solar charge controller, otherwise there's a risk the panel will over-charge the battery in summer.