Solar-powered solution extends school bus battery life

SOUTHLAKE, Texas — PulseTech Products has developed a solar-powered solution to continually charge, maintain and significantly extend the normal lifecycles of 12-volt and 24-volt batteries, company officials said.
 
Multiple school systems and commercial fleet operators have partnered with PulseTech to install solar products designed for any 12-volt or 24-volt battery — available in several versions.

A popular choice is the SP-5, which provides a full 5 watts of power in a compact, durable solar panel, according to the company. It offers clean, renewable energy for vehicles that are stored outside and unable to hook up to outlets. Half the size of comparable solar chargers with multiple installation options, the SP-5 replaces the power loss from electrical accessories that occurs even when the ignition is turned off, and its patented Pulse Technology removes damaging sulfate crystals from the battery plates, company officials said.

“Anytime the sun is out, these durable, solar-based products apply PulseTech’s patented one-two punch: a charge combined with its patented high-frequency Pulse Technology, to maintain and condition your vehicle or equipment battery while in use or while sitting idle,” said Rick Miller, sales manager at PulseTech Products.

Miller added that PulseTech’s exclusive, patented Pulse Technology cleans (desulfates) battery plates and brings the battery to a like-new state capable of holding a full charge. The combination has proven to extend 12-volt and 24-volt lead acid battery life up to five times what is typical, according to the company.

All of PulseTech’s solar systems, according to Miller, feature high efficiency, high-quality crystalline silicone cells that pack more power per square inch than standard amorphous "thin film" solar cells and have a longer life. Typically, “crystalline” solar cells have a footprint that is 50% smaller than the common amorphous cells that are commonly used, company officials said. This results in providing the power needed in a sturdier, smaller sized solar panel. Instead of a breakable glass coating, PulseTech's solar panels are protected with a clear, polyurethane plastic coating mounted on a laminated aluminum substrate to make them virtually indestructible and impervious to weather, aging and damage from bumps and knocks.

The SP-5 has been proven to keep school bus batteries in optimum condition during the long summer months when they are seldom used and during the school season when high parasitic drain occurs as the bus idles, according to the company.

For additional information on PulseTech’s solar products, call (800) 580-7554 or go to www.pulsetech.net.