Most of the store-bought 12V nominal panels will already have diodes. If the panel puts out much more voltage than you need, a switching regulator will be more efficient than the 7805. In other words, if the panel puts out 18V at 100 mA in bright sun, with a 7805 you'll only get 100 mA at 5V. A switching regulator (ideally) should transfer the energy so at you 5V you might get as much as 300 mA. Car USB adapters or cellphone chargers nearly always contain an MC33063 switching regulator, so they're a virtually free option. There's also adjustable switching regulator boards on ebay for very cheap.
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