how big of an solar panel do i need to power/charge my laptop?would one from canadian tire sell the right one?
Yes. Basically, here's what you need (I'm keeping this general on purpose): The panels themselves -- how large an area depends on average power consumption and how much power you can get on average. That, in turn , depends on climate. You'd need more in Seattle than Tuscon, for example. I'd guess something in the neighborhod of 0 square feet. Depends also on haow many gadgets (printers, etc.) you have. You'll need a power storage system. Lithium gives you the best poser density (of off-the-shelf stuff) but an ordinary car battery works well and is reliable. And, of course, a control system to manage the power generation/storage/use so everything works together without that annoying smell that tells you you just cooked a few hundred bucks worth of equuipment! :)
Most decent laptops can use 50W of power or more....so you'd actually need a large solar panel with good sunlight. I just looked up how big a 50W solar panel is....it's about 64x64 centimeters...which is very big and expensive! So, solar power may not be the best solution to power, or charge a laptop battery. Maybe there are some solar powered chargers that charge the battery very slowly, but probably not.
