Solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Do you have to put a voltage across a PV cell for it to work?
I'm studying about PV cells and I'm slightly confused. Currently, I'm learning this very simple model.
I'm trying to figure out how exactly it works.
Am I correct in saying that; You apply a ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
USB Solarpanel read current with python? [duplicate]
I'd like to connect a small solar panel (2v 50ma) to a USB cable and measure the output on python. Now I was wondering if this would work and how to make it work.
How many volts can I send into my pc ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
Is a solar panel clamped to a battery a drain on the battery at night time?
I noticed that in the night time (dark) the voltage measurement on the battery was lower than in the day time (sun), measured with my voltmeter. I'm new to electricity, but that made me assume it had ...
1
vote
2answers
67 views
Efficiency of different solar panels
How can I work out the efficiency of two different solar panels (12V and 24V, and both of different makes i.e. different efficiency each one) connected in series?
1
vote
3answers
49 views
Sizing a solar panel and battery for a simple solar application
I am a novice. I want to correctly size a solar panel and battery for the following application. I will be powering 2, 6 watt cfl lights and a 40 watt incandescent light. I am planning on using 400 ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
Multiple DC Input to Single DC Output
I want to connect solar panels in parallel, not sure whether connecting the terminals together will work. If one solar panel produces high voltage, it will block the voltage generated by second solar ...
1
vote
0answers
49 views
Suggestions for solar / LiPo powered 3.3v supply for Arduino
I am building several slightly-differently-purposed Arduino + Xbee systems to monitor various things around my home and property. Some of these are line powered, while others must use solar.
Many ...
0
votes
1answer
72 views
How to reduce VOC of solar panels to match the MPPT
My panels have VOC of 36VDC.
I like to connect 5 panels in series. But in such case the total VOC would be as high as 180V, and damage my Charge Controller.
Is there any dummy load, or shunt kind of ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Off-grid Solar with DC Backup
I would like advice on a potential new set up I am looking at installing in my home.
I have a small water heating system that runs @ 150w 24v DC, I intend to use the solar to power the heating system ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
Topology of solar PWM charger
I am looking into the design of the most simple (yet functional) PWM solar chargers for lead acid batteries. (Numerous examples can be found on Ebay for about 10 bucks.)
I have a hunch that they ...
0
votes
1answer
81 views
Two 6v batteries in series charged by two separate solar panels
I have two solar panels - first 30 watt 2 amps second 40 watts 2.3 amps, and two 6v deep cycle batteries in series on my RV. My question is: can I simply use two separate charge controllers (max 7 ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views
Linear useage of excess power generation
A friend of mine is fortunate to have moved to a very warm and sunny country, and has installed a photovoltaic system on his property. This is grid tied and any excess that he generates flows into the ...
1
vote
2answers
85 views
Solar cell trickle charging lead-acid without charge controller
Can somebody comment on sizing a solar cell for trickle charging a lead-acid battery bank without a charge controller for several months?
I found a non-authoritative source that claimed that cells ...
0
votes
2answers
44 views
Cell phone battery with solar shield, arduino [closed]
I was looking for your opinion on this product: http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/Solar_Charger_Shield_v2.0b
Do you think I could use a cell phone battery (3.7v 1000mA) with this? I have a standard ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
Charge LiPo battery with solar panel
I've a solar panel of 5.5 V and 100 mA. Could I use it to charge LiPo batteries using the MAX1555?
Of couse that the voltage will drop due to the the Schottky diode.
0
votes
0answers
55 views
What is a good Solar panel for a 12 volt 10 amp hour lead-acid battery
I want to be able to charge a 10 amp-hour lead-acid battery with a solar panel for when I am away from a power source (camping etc.) I don't want the battery to take longer than a daylights time to ...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
solar powered arduino USB link light blinks?
I have a OSEPP MEga 2560 R3 Plus. It's connected to a 7.2V200mA solar panel SC20072. I don't know fully what I'm doing, but the power light on the board lights up. However, the USB TX and RX lights ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
Solar panel current/voltage sensing
My project involves designing an inverter (220V/50Hz AC output) for a 250W solar panel.
Main question: Is it better to use high-side or low-side sensing on the solar panel? I'm finding it a bit ...
1
vote
0answers
132 views
LTSpice Solar / photovoltaic simulation
I've been trying to simulate a solar cell with LTSpice to generate an I-V curve. The model I've been using is the simplified equivalent circuit model with a current source in parallel with a diode. ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
How to power a remote control car using solar power
My daughter is trying to power a remote control car that currently uses 4 AA batteries as power. She is trying to convert it to solar. What does she need to do so?
0
votes
1answer
66 views
Increasing the Voltage Output of a Solar Cell
I'm working on a project where I'm going to charge a battery using a solar cell. The cell is capable of outputting a maximum of 4 A, but only 0.5 volts (2W).
My question is, how can I charge the ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
How does the maximum current of solar cells combine in series?
Say I have one 4W PV cell and one 2W PV cell (both producing about .5V). I know enough to say that maximum current of the first cell is 8A (4 / .5) and the maximum current of the second cell is 4A (2 ...
2
votes
4answers
151 views
Large Active Area phototransistors? And can solar cells be a replacement
Me and my friends are trying to build a laserharp driven by arduino as a learning exercise. Currently we are using a phototransistor to interrupt the laser light and play music.
However the ...
2
votes
2answers
156 views
How to switch between a solar panel and battery?
A 12v battery is being charged from a solar panel. When battery is 12v solar panel is disconnected from battery and connect the load with battery. And again solar panel is connected with battery when ...
1
vote
3answers
220 views
How to build simple 12v .5a regulator
I'm building a solar powered light. The idea of this light is that its output is proportional to the brightness of the sun. At night, no light. During daylight, full light. So it's basically as simple ...
1
vote
2answers
192 views
Can I connect a Solar Panel to augment my computer's power supply directly to a 12V line?
I use my computer to mine Bitcoins with a HD 7970 GHz Edition GPU. It currently draws a steady 465W.
I would like to offset the draw, if possible, with a reasonably priced solar panel (~240-500W). ...
2
votes
3answers
192 views
Checking materials (cheapest possible) to be used for a solar dark-detecting LED light bulb circuit
I want to make this circuit, which includes a joule thief:
It's for a solar dark-detecting LED light; and I'm trying to follow this guide: ...
0
votes
1answer
184 views
Charging iPhone via AAA battery [closed]
I have a trip in near future, I have a hub dynamo fit to my bicycle which has 6.0 V DC output of 3 Watts power. I have read few posts and realized that it is risky to charge my iPhone directly through ...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Can a solar panel be used as a Light Dependent Resistor?
I have a small 1.5 volt useless solar panel. Is it possible to have the resistance change between two wires based on the amount of light? And what would the circuit look like?
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Values in a solar array
My dad had just bought a solar array of 4kW together with an inverter, a kaco powador 4400.
The array is now running and generating electricity. I am trying to understand how it all works, but ...
0
votes
1answer
182 views
Charging phones via solar battery chargers
For a school project, I want to make a solar iPhone charger (specifically for the iPhone 4) and I've spent about a week looking up stuff all over the Internet, and I'm stuck for the hundredth time. ...
-4
votes
1answer
50 views
On Electro-galvanic fuel cell [closed]
Hello for every one ,
my close friend is going to design some of Electro-galvanic fuel cells , and he seeks for more information about it ,
how does it work ?
what are the laws of physics which ...
1
vote
1answer
353 views
Can you damage an iPhone by charging it using a (homemade) solar panel?
I found a guide online that shows how to make a solar phone charger (in a bottle), and I thought I'd try it out, but I'm worried about damaging my iPhone 4 (for a school project).
(If anyone's ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Help building a small solar charging kit
I'm trying to build a cheap light system for an NGO in Kenya, that will allow a family to have light using solar panels. If you're familiar with the new m-kopa service offered by Safaricom the setup ...
1
vote
2answers
98 views
Logging the output from a solar cell
I am trying to create a small low cost circuit that will allow me to log the output of a solar cell over the course of a month as a student project.
Currently I have a 5V Silicon PV cell and am ...
0
votes
0answers
88 views
What Solenoid type should be used when attempting to power with a battery/solar power source?
I am building yet another home irrigation system driven by my raspberry pi. I am using a transistor switching circuit like one linked in Solenoid Electrical Characteristics to switch a 12VDC solenoid ...
0
votes
1answer
194 views
Which is the cheap and good MOSFET Driver? [closed]
I am implementing a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for 100W systems. Here I need good and reliable MOSFET's and MOSFET drivers. I think of using IRFZ44N as a MOSFET for buck-boost ...
-2
votes
1answer
81 views
Photovoltaics: maximum gain per square meter using current technology
As far as photovoltaic (as in solar panels) is concerned, there are monocrystal, polycrystal and concentrated panel devices available (as far as i know). There may be some more detailed nuances and/or ...
2
votes
1answer
134 views
Why do solar cells have very low efficiency?
Recently I came across a news posting about solar cells (the link is given below).
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/22/new-thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-20-4/
It says that "A new ...
0
votes
0answers
103 views
Rechargeable battery bank with a photovoltaic switch
I'm working on a project where I'll be providing between 9 and 12 volts of power from a bank of rechargeable AA 1.5v batteries. They will be powering a series of LED lights. My question revolves ...
3
votes
4answers
241 views
Is it practically possible to transfer electrical power around the World by wires?
Assume that we installed plenty of solar cells in all continents; mainly in Asia, Africa and America. Can we transfer the electrical power harvested from them around the World through wires? So that ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Battery Backup: C10 vs C20
I am installing a home UPS system of 1400 VA. The UPS is a 24 volt system and, based on the batteries available on the market for the UPS segment here, will need 2 x 12 volt batteries for it.
Based ...
1
vote
1answer
291 views
DIY schematic for solar lamp
I read about this article about solar lamp. Obviously I can bought the whole thing online by spending $30 something but I want to make it by myself.
I hope this is the right place to look for. I am ...
0
votes
1answer
183 views
Help on MPPT for solar panels
I am studying maximum power point tracking (MPPT), and I have found many setups using buck converter. Since buck converters step down the voltage, how can you have the maximum power at load if you ...
0
votes
0answers
195 views
How can I build a simple solar charger for a Raspberry Pi? [closed]
I want to power my Raspberry Pi from a battery pack (four rechargeable AA batteries) and I want to charge the batteries from a solar cell. The power system should refuse to be turned on unless there’s ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
Does performance of PV inverters degrade over time?
Does anyone know if the performance of solar inverters degrades over time? If so what is the mechanism?
0
votes
3answers
207 views
My Solar PV system correctly shuts off power during a blackout - I want to safely override that
For obvious safety reasons my residential PV system disconnects from the grid if it notes the grid is down. The thing is it also shuts itself off so that during a grid blackout rather than providing ...
2
votes
2answers
266 views
Series and Parallel together for 3 Solar Panels?
I don't know who to ask about this. I know it works, but don't know if it's a good idea or a safe idea.
I have 3 solar panels, 240W each.
I have a need for 720W max and 60V.
I thought. hmmmmm, put ...
1
vote
1answer
169 views
AC / DC Backup Power Supply For Solar Irrigation Pump
I think this technology exists but I don't know what the device is that I need to do the job.
I need a DC Power supply that will pull input 110V - 220V AC (for here or international) and will output ...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Parts List to Replace Battery Packs?
I've purchased and installed some relatively cheap motorized blinds for my apartment. After having them for about a month, the batteries are dead on 2 out of 3 sets. Each blind has a pack of 7 AA ...
