How to Power 12-volt Gear Without a Battery, Inverter, or Charge Controller

I’ve shared something similar years ago, but the video below is about using a Buck converter to directly transform solar panel power into 12-volts; it’s a follow-up on an earlier video of his, but the idea is simple: place the Buck converter inline between the panel and your appliance, and you’ve got power.

Granted, he added a USB controller before the Buck converter for convenience, but it’s not strictly necessary depending on what you’re powering. For less than $100 and the cost of a solar panel, you’ve got backup/emergency power. The best part? You can have multiple Buck converts and solar panels working at different tasks or locations, and there’s redundancy in case something happens to one of them.

Unfortunately, this idea can’t power 120-volt devices, like your refrigerator, but it can do a lot if you transition toward 12-volt devices, such as camping gear. If you’re interested, he has a lengthy post about the topic on his website that’s worth a read too. Enjoy!