Solar Power Generator

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FAQ about Solar Power Generator

How can I make a cheap portable solar powered generator? 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

how can you make a solar power generator from aluminum pop cans? Solar Panels Part of Generator
In very simplified terms, a solar generator works by converting solar energy into electrical energy. This energy can then be used to do such things as power lighting, heat water, and run the TV. The generator consists of solar panels (which must be placed where they will receive the most possible sunlight,) a deep cycle battery for continuous use, and an inverter.
Building Your Own Solar Panels.
Amazingly enough the theory of recycling used pop cans to make a form of renewable energy through solar panels creating yet another brilliant source of solar heat, does exist. A gentleman from Newfoundland has come up with this genius plan for harvesting solar heat by recycling the old cans. The solution that he has come up with is not a difficult construction, yet is strong and durable. Quite an attractive unit.
Here is the video that shows the inventor from Newfoundland and his pop can solar heat.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Solar-Heat-From-Pop-Cans
Comment:
"This system really does work and it works good. To improve upon it would be to fill the cans with dry sand and you would now have bio-mass that will hold the heat after the sun goes down. Adding the sand will also create more heat for heating water by raising the temperature. I have used this system to heat a 24ft above ground swimming pool. Find a small solar panel and a deep cycle battery to run the pump and pay the electric company nothing."
Another Solar Panel Design
Passive solar is just so easy, it's a wonder we don't all do it. Right now, in my little basement office in Montana, I could use a little heating up. And, with a few 2x4s and a bunch of aluminum soda cans, it turns out I can have my own passive solar heater without much work.
A clever DIYer, Daniel Strohl, painted some aluminum cans black, drilled some holes in the cans, stacked them, and then put them in a box and, voila, air coming out of the box was fifteen degrees warmer than air going into the box. He then pumped the warm air directly into his garage. And with just a little bit more work, this exact same design could be a passive water heater.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/pop_can_solar_p.php

Are the sun's rays more powerful at higher altitudes?And would a solar power Generator produce more power? 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.

How does the electric generator powered by solar power works? How does it work and what are the benefits and consequences from it? just like the way you light bulbs work, just in reverse

solar power? I want to make a solar power generator for ac use not dc use, how long will it last if iam running a total of 1600 watts ? I was planning on making one with 8 batteries. thanks any websites that explain this would be greatly appreciated. The question is not too clear, as solar chargers are in fact d/c power as is the batteries they charge. To get a/c power from the system you will need an "inverter", and they come in various sizes, watts that is.
The amount of time will also depend on the batteries used, as they are all not the same. Reserve amps will be the determining factor to look at.
There is a formula published by the makers of these inverters that will give approximate running times, and most can be found through Google under the manufacturers brand name.

I have a 5kw Coleman generator. The engine is no longer running. is it possible to run it using solar power ? I have a 5kw Coleman generator. The engine is no longer running. Is it possible to convert the generator to run on solar power ? If so what would I need to do. I have year round sunshine. You could do it without violating the laws of thermodynamics, but it would not be a practical project. A new engine for your generator is not expensive, and then you could use it as a backup generator to charge your solar batteries when the weather does not cooperate.
It sounds like you need some basic instruction in solar electric systems and how they work. Try an internet search on "solar electric system."
Good luck.

Can a generator use solar power and partial energy produced used to run itself? SUN-->Generator uses some produced to run itself....so it runs on two sources Any amount of energy fed back to the input of the source that produced it would be less than the amount of energy required to produce the fed back energy in the first place. The reason for this is because the generator`s efficiency (output/input) is always less than one because of losses caused by friction or flaws in design.
Unless you could supply enough energy from the solar source alone to satisfy the input energy requirements of the generator then it would be more energy conservative to store the energy from the solar source and time share it`s use with the energy from the generator than to waste energy in a feed back scheme that causes the generator`s efficiency to be even less than it was originally. Of course if you do that then you will have to have another energy source to drive the generator. The whole objective is to get the most output with the least input and your idea is certainly worth consideration. It has probably been considered in one form or another by every engineer that deals in this sort of thing but it just flat will not work. It is very hard not to talk in circles when discussing this subject so I hope you was able to bear with me.

Solar power generator? I need to build a solar power generator that can power a double wide trailer with a 35 inch TV, refrigerator, washer & dryer, laptop, 3 clocks, and an air conditioner all at the same time. We don't use the washer & dryer all the time but when we have family over they wash they're clothes as we play video games. I want to same energy so I want to know how big I can make it, can someone help me? SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY! NO SPAM, NO JOKES! You do not need a generator!!!! What you need is Solar Panels and a place store the energy you don't use at night.

How do you build a solar power generator? You buy the components after you figure what you are trying to power, how much power it requires, how much you can afford and how much area you have to work with.
Are you generating power to sale on the grid or power something at home? Will you need the power at night or on cloudy days? These questions will tell you if you need storage batteries or not.

Tell me about "solar power generator for house holds" for 3 hours a day as there is power cut daily? tell me information about solar panels and batteries required and how much they cost? Unfortunately, solar power is pretty expensive initially. Fortunately, there's little continuing or up keep costs after installation. You need to determine how big a system you need. How much power would you use per hour in kilowatts during the power cut? The solar system has to be able to supply this power. This means the solar panels have to be big enough to charge the batteries and the batteries have to be big enough to store the necessary power. List the appliances you want to run and the power they need. An example is:
refrigerator 400 watts
3 lights 300 watts
computer 400 watts
TV 200 watts
2 fans 250 watts
The total here is 1,550 watts. For 3 hours this would be 4,650 watt hours or 4.65 kWh (kilowatt hours). You need enough batteries to supply this power. This would be about 12 batteries rated at 400 amp hours.
The links below provide more information about solar systems as well as the cost of installing them. You have a fairly wide range of options if your electrical demands are low.

Solar Power Generator is from category: Flashlights.