In my "Principles of Engineering" class we had to create vehicles that could run on solar & hydrogen power & this is what me and a partner came up with! As you can tell 0.85 mph and 0.136 mph aren’t very fast, but the key to this wasn’t speed, it was about the Mechanical Advantage & torque of the gears and motor. The motor ran at about 2.5 volts (not 100% sure), the hydrogen cell turned the motor at 1.5 volts and the solar cell turned the motor at about 2.3 volts (obviously it went faster!) Since hydrogen power is a new form of energy we spent a lot of time talking about how we can use it for the future & find new ways to get more inefficiency out of it! Song: "Expectations" by Three Days Grace (off the album Transit of Venus, 2012 RCA Records) *I DO NOT MAKE A PROFIT OFF OF MY VIDEOS, ALL CREDIT TO THE BANDS & THEIR RECORD LABELS*
How To Make A Solar Power Generator For Less Than $300
Practical Solar Power for the Home
Author: IC
Most people like the idea of solar power. Who wouldn’t? Solar power produces energy with no harmful emissions, totally silently and with no running costs. So why don’t we use it more in our day to day lives? Well, there is no reason why we shouldn’t, so if you’re interested read on…
Whilst powering your home with solar power is still prohibitively expensive for most, using solar power as a practical source of energy for smaller applications most certainly is not. There are literally hundreds of affordable solar powered products that will work well in the UK and that can be both useful and cost effective alternatives to mains power.
Micro Scale Solar
Small solar cells have moved on a step from powering the humble desk calculator. Solar power is now widely used to power everything from children’s toys to electric shavers! The most common applications include solar powered torches, radios, battery chargers (typically AA & AAA types) and chargers for mobile phones, iPods and the masses of portable electronic gadgetry that is so widely used today.
Great if you are on holiday, travelling or camping, these products will provide dependable power when otherwise you might have none.
Solar Lighting
Have you ever thought how useful it would be to have a light somewhere in the garden, on the outside of the house or perhaps in your shed or stable, but not wanted to go to the bother and expense of getting an electrician in to fit it?
Good quality solar powered lights can provide dependable light in any remote location without the need for trailing cables or any mains power at all. They can be DIY fitted in minutes and will work for years without costing a penny to run. Shed lights and movement operated security lights, right through to DIY systems for large barns and multiple stables are all readily available.
Solar Trickle Chargers
Solar chargers are ideal for trickle charging batteries on infrequently used vehicles such as vintage cars, sports cars, motorbikes, mowers, tractors and boats. With the help of a solar trickle charger you can return to your machine with the peace of mind that the battery will be charged and ready for starting duties.
Recreational vehicles such as camper vans, caravans and boats that run on board lighting and appliances from 12V leisure batteries can also greatly benefit from the addition of a solar panel to help with charging duties. Batteries can be topped up silently throughout the day with energy from the sun, which has to be preferable to running a noisy diesel engine or generator to do the same job.
So why not get powered up by solar energy? It really can provide practical and cost effective solutions in a wide range of day-to-day situations and, believe it or not, it makes you feel good too!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/accessories-articles/practical-solar-power-for-the-home-451656.html
About the Author
Chris Tyrrell writes for Ecofreak, experts in solar panels and other solar technologies. Read more on the subject at the Ecofreak website.
I need to know about the parts needed to make a solar power generator and also the instruction on how to make it?
HI… REALLY A VERY GOOD QUESTION…..
Using parts easily available from your local stores, you can make a small solar power generator for $250 to $300. Great for power failures and life outside the power grid. Power your computer, modem, vcr, tv, cameras, lights, or DC appliances anywhere you go. Use in cabins, boats, tents, archaeological digs, or while travelling throughout the third world. Have one in the office store room in case of power failures in your highrise. I keep mine in my bedroom where it powers my cd player, turntable, lights, modem, laptop, and (ahem) a back massager. I run a line out the window to an 8″ x 24″ panel on the roof.
1. Buy yourself a small solar panel. For about $100 you should be able to get one rated at 12 volts or better (look for 16 volts) at an RV or marine supplies store.
2. Buy yourself a battery. Get any size deep cycle 12 volt lead/acid or gel battery. You need the deep cycle battery for continuous use. The kind in your car is a cranking battery–just for starting an engine. Look for bargains, it should cost about $50-60.
3. Get a battery box to put it in for $10. (This is good for covering up the exposed terminals in case there are children about If you going to install the system in a pump shed, cabin, or boat, skip this.)
3. Buy a 12 volt DC meter. Radio Shack has them for about $25.
4. Buy a DC input. I like the triple inlet model which you can find at a car parts store in the cigarette lighter parts section for about $10. This is enough to power DC appliances, and there are many commercially available, like fans, one-pint water boilers, lights, hair dryers, baby bottle warmers, and vacuum cleaners. Many cassette players, answering machines, and other electrical appliances are DC already and with the right cable will run straight off the box.
5. But if you want to run AC appliances, you will have to invest in an inverter. This will convert the stored DC power in the battery into AC power for most of your household appliances. I bought a 115 volt 140 watt inverter made by Power-to-Go at Pep Boys for $50. More powerful inverters are available by mail. Count up the number of watts you’ll be using (e.g., a small color television(=60 watts) with a VCR(=22 watts), you’ll need 82 watts).
6. Use a drill to attach the meter and DC input to the top of the box.
7. Use insulated wire to attach the meter to the wingnut terminals on the battery. Connect the negative (-) pole first. Only handle one wire at a time. Connect the DC inlet to the battery in the same way. Connect the solar panel to the battery in the same way
8. Close the lid (I use a bungee cord to keep it tight). Put the solar panel in the sun. It takes 5-8 hours to charge a dead battery; 1-3 hours to top off a weak one. It will run radios, fans, and small wattage lights all night, or give you about 5 hours of continuous use at 115 volt AC, or about an hour boiling water. This system may be added on to with larger panels, inverters, and batteries.
Options: A pop-up circuit breaker may be added between the positive treminal and the volt meter. Some of you will want an ampmeter as well. The panels I recommend have built-in bypass diodes, but I recommend charge controllers for people who have panels without diodes. Another option is a voltage regulator, which is not necessary for a system this small, but a larger system would require one.
http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html
If you live in a high elevation, will the sun be more intense because of thinner air? And would a solar power generator produce more power because of this?
Yes, because at a high altitude, the sunlight would pass through a thinner atmosphere . This means that the atmosphere would scattered less energy away.
A couple of persons said Solar power generators are costly because of it equipments. How about the wind power generators ? I residing a km near sea shore an there would be some wind at most times.
I am in South India and I need to know the total cost for setting up a wind generator for my home in order to cut down my electricity bill. A set up that can power at least 4 Fans, 4 tube lights (40W) and a computer.
Starting from $ 700, Wind Power Generator has a versatility of uses. The wind turbines below are used worldwide for battery charging, home power, and water pumping applications, and range from 400 to 65,000 watts.
Wind Turbines start producing power at 7.5 mph wind speed, and increase their output through 45 mph winds. Higher wind speeds require the blades to be slowed down, to protect the equipment, but are very effective in wind speeds between 7.5 and 45 mph.
Basicly if a lithum battery(s) are being used to power a device, could a solar powered generator with the right connections be used to recharge them? And could it still be light enough to be mobile?
I want to purchase a solar powered backup generator in the event that we have a power outage. I don’t want a gas/diesel generator as I don’t want to have to fight everyone else to get gas for a generator. I’ve been only able to find one solar generator that would seem to work for my home. Any suggestions?
I’ve just started looking at solar myself, here’s a link to a site that seems to have some reasonably priced systems:
http://www.sunenergyusa.com/index.html
Maybe there will be information that will help, I’m a novice myself so I’m not sure what exactly you are looking for.
Hi!
I have a solar powered AC generator (5hp AC motor spun by a stirling engine), and I want to put the outputted energy into the power grid. However, I don’t know how to connect it so that the engine will spin the motor (producing current) rather than the motor spinning the engine (sucking current).
Any (good) ideas?
Thanks in advance!
You need to talk with your power company before you attempt to connect anything. There are serious safety concerns with supplying power back to the grid and a special meter is required if you want to get paid for it in most locations. When I say serious I mean you can kill somebody besides yourself.
I’m planning to buy either a Wind Powered Generators, Solar Generators or a Hybrid Generator to be more “Green” & at the same time save on electric bills… I’m able to install such a generator on my home…
Its sad that Singaporeans should ask such questions. We are so timid. At the very worst you get a fine for installing green equipments. Take a MRT ride where you can see many terrace houses. You will find many with solar roofs.Their owners are not languishing in Changi prison. As for wind power, Singapore is not windy whole year round. Best stick with solar panels.
Ive decided i want to use my free time to build something useful like a solar powered energy generator, or wind powered turbine to produce free energy, does anybody out there know of any FREE sites that teach you step by step how to build any one of these? Also what are your thoughts on these machines?
Build either of these
1. Solar powered generator
2. Wind turbine
3. Tidal flow turbine
4. Magnetic generator
5.geothermal energy source
You have a CD player, and a solar powered generator for electricity?
“Yeti (1971)” by Amon Düül II
http://www.amazon.com/Yeti-Amon-Duul-II/dp/B0009LNRLE
“Foxtrot (1972)” by Genesis
http://www.amazon.com/Foxtrot-Genesis/dp/B000002J1M
“Moondawn (1976)” by Klaus Schulze
http://www.amazon.com/Moondawn-Klaus-Schulze/dp/B000BYNELC
I plan on moving a newly manufactured trailer home onto around ten acres of rural field. I need a source of power, i have found solar power can be fairly inexpensive in the long run, though i have been told trailer homes cannot be hooked up to solar generators and panels. Is this true? if not how do i hook six 80 watt panels up to the trailer home?
USA Yes you can, unless there is a local municipal ordinance against it – which I have never heard of. But, why 80 watt panels? The industry standard is 230 watt. Six 80 watt panels won’t even power a normal refrigerator (they’re usually 700 watts). If you have all the parts and equipment, or if you can get them for free, then it is worth it to hook them up. But, if you have to buy the items, the average cost is $5 per watt, which is $2400.00 for a 480 watt set up. Generating 480 watts per hour will total 5000 watts on a good day. That is about $0.50 worth of electricity. At $0.50 per day, it will take you 4800 days – that is more than 13 years – just to break even.
You should add up the power requirements for everything in the home that might be used at the same time – cooking, refrig, cooling or heating, well pump, lights, TV – and base the size of your system on how many watts you will need. If you can, go more than what you need and sell the extra to the utility. They have to buy it from you.