This is a 10 watt photovoltaic charger with a 12 Ah battery. It is based on a Popular Science DIY article from July of 2008. Here are the specs:
10-watt photovoltaic (PV, aka solar-electric) panel:
Voltage: max. power 17.6V, open circuit 21.6V
Current: max. power 0.57A, short circuit 0.61A.
Pop Sci used a 5-watt panel, probably to keep costs down, but if I'm bothering to build it, I want to get more out of it! The charge controller can handle an even bigger panel, too.
Battery:: 12 amp-hours
4 amp charge controller:
Here is the spec sheet from the manufacturer: http://www.vellemanusa.com/downloads/6/sol4ucn2gbnlfresdpl.pdf. The charge controller keeps the battery from overcharging or discharging too deeply, both of which can ruin the battery.
Meter: The Pop Sci article used a 10A meter.
How to avoid Solar Panels Theft
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| solar panels (Photo credit: spanginator) |
- Use ‘tighten-and-snap off’ anti-theft screws to fasten panels
- SolarInsure recommends using security lighting in the form of floodlights linked to motion sensors.
- Build a reinforced concrete wall around the panel mountings, so preventing access to the supporting structure and its bolts.
- Mount panels on high poles wherever possible.
- Connecting wires to each panel in an array to form simple electrical loops is one solution used in both remote and urban installations. In case of a robbery, when the cables are cut, the current in the loops drops to zero enabling an alarm or trigger a message via a mobile transmitter.
- GridLock Solar Security has developed its own solar-specific packaged solution.
- Cameras, video and additional lighting, via a backup battery to ensure that the system will operate even if grid power is absent.
- A chip embedded in the panel communicates wirelessly with a central monitoring unit. California-based Tigo Energy has built security functions into its solar system management software that can send alerts to solar system owners when a panel is disconnected.
- Deploy an infra-red security barrier around the installation. This again can trigger alarms, lights or a mobile transmitter - and has the advantage of tripping before the thieves start to dismantle the modules.
Charging battery with solar panel
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| Bike Traveler With Folding Solar Panel (Photo credit: docentjoyce) |
Please consult the battery manufacturer's data for guidance about how many amps the battery can handle, while charging and discharging. Some solar panels are made just for the purpose of maintaining batteries in vehicles that are parked a long time. They don't go over 13.5 or 14 volts and don't ever produce enough current to damage the battery. These you can just hook to your battery and forget.
Bankruptcy of 1,000-MW Blythe Solar Project
The stalled, 1,000-megawatt Blythe solar plant east of the Coachella Valley suffered setback as project developer Solar Trust of America filed for bankruptcy.
The Oakland-based company filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy — seeking to restructure its debts — in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, listing assets of up to $10 million and debts of up to $100 million.
The company's two main assets listed in the filing are the Blythe project and the 500-megawatt Palen solar project, which has awaited final approval from the federal Bureau of Land Management since June. Company officials were not available for comment Monday.
The Oakland-based company filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy — seeking to restructure its debts — in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, listing assets of up to $10 million and debts of up to $100 million.
The company's two main assets listed in the filing are the Blythe project and the 500-megawatt Palen solar project, which has awaited final approval from the federal Bureau of Land Management since June. Company officials were not available for comment Monday.
Solar power tower - Solution for free electricity
A solar power tower is a type of indirect solar power technology. Solar power is electricity produced from the radiation of the sun. The energy of the sun can be captured and converted intopower directly with Photovoltaic solar panels (PV) or indirectly by solar thermal conversion using Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. [1] CSP technology uses thermal energy from the sun to heat a liquid, such as water or molten salt. This heat transferring liquid is used to vaporize water to the point of steam, which is then usedto generate electricity in a traditional turbine-generator. Power plants using CSP technology includeparabolic trough, parabolic dish and solar power tower systems.
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