Anybody know anything about powering your stuff with solar?

Auditor #9 wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Get me the info on the invertor. Make and model will do. They are quite inefficient, so they need some juice before they can even start to make juice.

Question: Is it heavy ? About 10Kg ?

This is it here

It's as light as an empty eggbox (half dozen). That's not good I suppose ...

It must weigh at least 3Kg then.

Audi, from Maplin

Quote :

Frequently Asked Questions
Q)How much current does this draw off the battery at half/two thirds/full load? - Steve Palmer
A) for every 100W the device draws 10A.

Based on what I've told you so far, can you calculate the efficiency of the invertor from this quote ? Especially the line in bold.

Empty eggbox - it's as light as a feather, my watch is heavier than it. I doubt if it's even 0.5 Kg.

I saw that line - since mine is a 13W power source then I get just over an amp out of it. Would the inverter output an amp? The inverter itself uses some juice though so does that 1 amp get reduced to half an amp or something miserable?

Auditor #9 wrote:

Empty eggbox - it's as light as a feather, my watch is heavier than it. I doubt if it's even 0.5 Kg.

I saw that line - since mine is a 13W power source then I get just over an amp out of it. Would the inverter output an amp? The inverter itself uses some juice though so does that 1 amp get reduced to half an amp or something miserable?

NO, if you can produce 13W, then that's your budget.

So at 12 volts you can supply 13/12 = 1.08 Amps.

But using an invertor does not give you 1.08 Amps at mains voltage.

An invertor is like a gearbox. Hundreds of fast weak turns are converted into small amounts of really stroong turns.

You put in 13W on a sunny day. An invertor has an efficiency of say 60%

So you will get out 13*0.6 = 7.8Watts. (At 220V AC)

Now you know that P=V.I. so I=P/V so your mains current can't exceed 7.8/220 = 35mA.

Thats more than enough to charge a mobile phone.

Ok I'm understanding most of that in a very shallow way at least - something I wouldn't have understood at all last week.

My problem is connecting these feckers up now and it might answer the trickle questions for me if it starts to work.

It's really like a gearbox then is it? that's a cool way of looking at it...

Aha you haven't answered my question/assertion about charge. Nobody knows, I tell ya, only the CIA.

I found a forum where they might help me out because it looks like someone has already done some of the stuff I'd like to try to do
http://hackedgadgets.com/2008/03/28/diy-solar-power-install-on-the-cheap/

Auditor #9 wrote:

Aha you haven't answered my question/assertion about charge. Nobody knows, I tell ya, only the CIA.

I found a forum where they might help me out because it looks like someone has already done some of the stuff I'd like to try to do
http://hackedgadgets.com/2008/03/28/diy-solar-power-install-on-the-cheap/

Solar power? That looks like water power to me, Auditor.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Solar power? That looks like water power to me, Auditor.

That's his bits and pieces inside, where most of it happens. He's probably got a big solar panel stuck outside his window so there's nothing of note there - it's just a panel. Wiring it to other stuff is the interesting thing calling for a bit of technical know-how. He has batteries in the plastic box I think - aren't batteries supposed to be recharged in well-ventilated areas? Lead-acid batteries are supposed to be charged in well-ventilated places anyhow but I don't know about lithium-ion ones.

At the moment, I an in the process of replacing 160 downlighters here at work with 2.5 watt LED downlighters. It will pay for itself within the year.

clareman51 wrote:

At the moment, I an in the process of replacing 160 downlighters here at work with 2.5 watt LED downlighters. It will pay for itself within the year.

I haven't really come to terms with the new lighting: I find it isn't really bright enough to read, cook and sew in comfort.

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/02/gravity_lamp_la.php

This yoke you wind UP like a clock every day, it's about 4 feet tall (like Kate P) and as the wound up weight lowers under the influence of gravity it powers a rake of LED lights just using the force produced by the descending weight. Depends on the size of the weight but couldn't this exercise be treated as a work-out every day for some? Enough of these and America would need no lights - it might also knock a few pounds of folks here and there.

I'd say there are plenty of people whose lives are so routine they'd wind this up everyday without a thought; my thoughts are on how this works at all but I'm guessing it's a tiny motor with gears and all that spin around inside the lamp to do the work. What's amazing is the output from that which is enough to power the LEDs. Efficiency is a wonderful thing in the right spheres.

This dude is having fun with his home solar diy; he makes it sound like child's play.

My favourite site so far.

http://www.techienation.com/solar-investigation/