Archive for October, 2009
how can i make a steady 6 volts from changing voltages?
Posted by Admin in HomeMade Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
see i have a big homemade solar panel and it makes about 15 volts in the sun but i want to be able to recharge 4 rechargeable battieries and also i dont wanna use a 5 volt regulator please tell me if there is any way to get the about 15 volts down to a steady 6 volts
I did the same kind of project actually. There is no good, easy way to do what you’re trying to. You actually want more than 6 volts. To charge the batteries the charger has to have a greater voltage than what it’s trying to charge, in this case your batteries. You should shoot for at least 7 if not more. Also, you need to watch amperage. The amps determine how fast your batteries will charge. If you want a fast charge shoot for 800 mA, if you want a slower charge go for about 300 mA.
Batteries nowadaws are complex. If you hook the charger right up to the batteries, it probably won’t work, and if it does it will kill your batteries quickly. Commercial battery charges are programmed in a complex manner so they save the battery life.
This is what I did and what I would suggest. Find a battery charger that has a 12v car adapter. Cut off the car plug, and hook it up to your solar panel. You’ll have 15v, so you should have adequate power as long as it’s in direct sun. Your charger will only use what power it needs, so the extra voltage shouldn’t be a problem unless it was a gross amount of over voltage like 120 volts. Remember that if ithe sun is angled away you won’t get full power, which is another reason why you need more than 6 volts. If you try to regulate it to 6, you might only get 4 volts. There are inefficiencies in these things you know.. Anyway, just hook it up to the battery charger and it will work like a charm.
how can i make a steady 6 volts from changing voltages?
Posted by Admin in HomeMade Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
see i have a big homemade solar panel and it makes about 15 volts in the sun but i want to be able to recharge 4 rechargeable battieries and also i dont wanna use a 5 volt regulator please tell me if there is any way to get the about 15 volts down to a steady 6 volts
I did the same kind of project actually. There is no good, easy way to do what you’re trying to. You actually want more than 6 volts. To charge the batteries the charger has to have a greater voltage than what it’s trying to charge, in this case your batteries. You should shoot for at least 7 if not more. Also, you need to watch amperage. The amps determine how fast your batteries will charge. If you want a fast charge shoot for 800 mA, if you want a slower charge go for about 300 mA.
Batteries nowadaws are complex. If you hook the charger right up to the batteries, it probably won’t work, and if it does it will kill your batteries quickly. Commercial battery charges are programmed in a complex manner so they save the battery life.
This is what I did and what I would suggest. Find a battery charger that has a 12v car adapter. Cut off the car plug, and hook it up to your solar panel. You’ll have 15v, so you should have adequate power as long as it’s in direct sun. Your charger will only use what power it needs, so the extra voltage shouldn’t be a problem unless it was a gross amount of over voltage like 120 volts. Remember that if ithe sun is angled away you won’t get full power, which is another reason why you need more than 6 volts. If you try to regulate it to 6, you might only get 4 volts. There are inefficiencies in these things you know.. Anyway, just hook it up to the battery charger and it will work like a charm.
How can I efficiently use a car alternator to power a home made wind turbine?
Posted by Admin in Home Wind Power on October 27th, 2009
I have built my own home made wind turbine. How can I use a car alternator to effciently generate electricity? Any other DIY wind turbine info really welcome.
First off the turbine would power the alternator.
Doesn’t the turbine have a shaft that spins? Mount a pulley on the shaft, use a fan belt to connect the alternator.
How can I efficiently use a car alternator to power a home made wind turbine?
Posted by Admin in Home Wind Power on October 27th, 2009
I have built my own home made wind turbine. How can I use a car alternator to effciently generate electricity? Any other DIY wind turbine info really welcome.
First off the turbine would power the alternator.
Doesn’t the turbine have a shaft that spins? Mount a pulley on the shaft, use a fan belt to connect the alternator.
most economical solar energy supply for a house.?
Posted by Admin in Do it Yourself Solar Systems on October 27th, 2009
I live in spain and i am renovating a house. would like to use /install a solar energy system, not shure where to start and what are the pitfalls for a family of 5. how much shuld i be expecting to pay for a system and any recomendations for a good do it yourself kit that saves you thousands would be most welcome. thank you
Here is a starting point for you!
Good luck
http://www.solarenergy.org/
most economical solar energy supply for a house.?
Posted by Admin in Do it Yourself Solar Systems on October 27th, 2009
I live in spain and i am renovating a house. would like to use /install a solar energy system, not shure where to start and what are the pitfalls for a family of 5. how much shuld i be expecting to pay for a system and any recomendations for a good do it yourself kit that saves you thousands would be most welcome. thank you
Here is a starting point for you!
Good luck
http://www.solarenergy.org/
"home made energy kit" is it a scheme?
Posted by Admin in Do it Yourself Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
Its a kit that tells you how to build a solar panel yourself
I don’t know if I have seen the one your talking about but I have seen some similar to what you are talking about and more or less it shows you how to make a crude inefficient solar panel but it is great as a demonstration of how pv (solar) works. I would say worth the some money for a school project or to teach with but for power generation I’m pretty sure you would do better picking up a copy of Solar Today or Homepower (Homepower also has a website) magazine and finding a dealer near you.
"home made energy kit" is it a scheme?
Posted by Admin in Do it Yourself Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
Its a kit that tells you how to build a solar panel yourself
I don’t know if I have seen the one your talking about but I have seen some similar to what you are talking about and more or less it shows you how to make a crude inefficient solar panel but it is great as a demonstration of how pv (solar) works. I would say worth the some money for a school project or to teach with but for power generation I’m pretty sure you would do better picking up a copy of Solar Today or Homepower (Homepower also has a website) magazine and finding a dealer near you.
Solar panels for a small gym outside my house?
Posted by Admin in DIY Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
DIY, buying solar panels, room is barely 200 sq. ft. have a 5000 btu air conditioner, how many watts do I need, thinking of buying 175 watt solar panels, have space on the roof.
The answer depends on how long you would be running the AC, how many watts it draws, and where you are located.
I’ll do the math with some guesses to get you in the range.
If we guess 500W for the air conditioner and running for 8 hours, that’s 4000 watt hours (Wh) a day. I assume this would be in the summer, so let’s say 6 sun hours a day (that is different from hours of sun, it is a standard rate used to size systems). You would need about 1000W (or 1kW) of solar panels. If this was a battery based system, so it can run any time, you would need a battery bank about 48V at 250ah. You’d also need the inverter, mounting equipment, and safety equipment for the whole system. I hope you’re sitting down, this system would cost about $10k. Unfortunately, anytime you try to make hot or cold, it uses a lot of electricity.
There is a package that is the correct size you need at the AltE Store at http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/Off-Grid-Residential-Systems/Off-Grid-Residential-Package-10KW/p6626/.
You can run this all yourself with an online off-grid calculator at http://www.altestore.com/howto/Calculators/c5/
Which is the best DIY solar panel/wind turbine program? Real people only, please.?
Posted by Admin in DIY Solar Panels on October 27th, 2009
I’ve been looking at all of the options for installing solar electricity systems online, and I’ve noticed that even the so-called review sites all seem to be part of a sales pitch….haven’t found a single, independent review of any of these products. Has anyone out there actually used any of these (Earth4Energy, HomemadeEnergy, etc.), and if so, how good are they?
If you have noticed that Earth4Energy is a scam (which it is), then you may be amused by my analysis of it at http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions6.html
If you want to build a wind turbine yourself (like a good engineer would), then get the following book:
Homebrew Wind Power
A HANDS-ON GUIDE TO HARNESSING THE WIND
Dan Bartmann & Dan Fink
Foreword by Mick Sagrillo
ISBN: 978-0-9819201-0-8
Published by Buckville Publications LLC
You can get this from www.otherpower.com This is a startlingly complete book and it has all the background theory you need too. They explain why, for example, you cant use a car alternator or something from a generator, and then proceed to build alternators from scratch. The references are compete — if you explore them and have the time to read, you will be right up there with the pioneers.
As for DIY solar, you can get the parts (panels, inverters, batteries, charge controllers) individually from many sources and make a system. It will not be cheap. You can’t make your own silicon cells, and probably aren’t up to designing the electronics, can’t make your own batteries etc.
My recommendation is this: Get the wind book. Look through the web sites of some of the better looking solar dealers, and if they seem to be "no bull" then e-mail them and tell them what you want. e.g. an entry level system, 80W panel, battery, inverter and charge controller so that you can make enough power for say, a small laptop. The good ones will be able to tell you what works together.
If you are thinking of a whole home solution, then you have a lot of reading to do. You need to switch to natural gas or propane (no electric heat, electric stove, electric hot water) and absolutely mininize the electrical load.
It would be nice to market a good DIY manual, but with a truthful title like "Generate power at home for more than you are paying now" or "With thirty thousand dollars in equipment, you too can avoid those monthly power bills" sales would be pathetic.
Have fun.
As for "real people" comment, when I see questions like this, I wonder if I am wasting my time because many of the questions are not real either. They are simply created by scammers so that they can add their scam replies and rate it best answer. I find this particilary galling when someone says, "this is for my science fair, and I am 14 years old" and all the answers are Earth4Energy scammers. Other times, I find my comments pasted on fake energy sites with links to pharmaceuticals. It is a mad world out there.