While you are working on your solar panels or solar heaters, you can also explore other small projects that can make your house a better place to live in.

Here are some projects that take you less than a day to implement. And many of them are very helpful in lowering your energy bills as well.

Most of them do not cost more than $100+, so if you have a little time and a little cash, you can begin right away:

1. Install solar screens

Solar screens help to keep your house cool during summer. It prevents heat from coming into your house through the windows. As such, your air-conditioners will not need to work as hard.

Most solar screens are quite affordable. The best ones are those with a metallic, reflective surface. They reflect radiation away instead of absorbing it. They are also pretty durable.

2. Solar ventilators

Ventilators can be installed at your attic, powered by solar energy. During summer, you can activate these fans to pump the heat out of your interior. This alone can cool your house considerably.

All you need is a small fan, a small vent that comes with a cover and a small solar panel. You don’t even need rechargeable batteries. It stops working when it becomes dark, but you won’t need it at night.

Try it.

When the weather gets colder, remember to cover them properly so heat doesn’t escape through these vents.

3. Solar powered air circulation

When you heat up your house, warm air rises to the top. They are all trapped at the ceiling or attic. Heat is not distributed evenly. You can install a ceiling fan to push the heat down, or use solar power to pump warm air down to ground level.

The effect: Your home warms us faster and you’ll feel more comfortable.

For this project, you’ll need a small solar panel, a set of rechargeable batteries, a long pipe and a small exhaust fan.

4. Landscaping

Planting trees, scrubs and bushes around your house can give you many benefits. You will not only create a beautiful and rejuvenating environment… You can prevent bitter cold winds from blowing against your house in winter and shelter your house from strong sunshine during summer.

5. Install solar light tubes

Solar light tubes allow natural light to enter your house while keeping the heat and precipitation out. They cost a little more. But you can experience the benefits of full spectrum lighting in your room without expensive illumination technology.

Continue Reading:

1. 7 Different Ways of Using Solar Energy At Home and In Your Office
2. Challenges and Difficulties In Using Solar Panels And How To Overcome Them
3. Survey Your Household Energy Usage Before Installing Solar Panels

Most portable solar power systems depend on 12-volt batteries. In our project, we’ll want everything, including the solar panels to be packed into a box.

Here is a list of things you’ll need:

1. 4 pieces of 15-watt solar panels
2. Charge controller
3. 12-volt deep cycle sealed rechargeable batteries
4. A wooden box or a briefcase
5. 4-gauge cables

Briefcase Portable Solar Power System

The first thing to work on is the container. You can either use a wooden box, a cooler box or a luggage.

Personally I prefer using an old luggage because it is easy to carry around. It also has wheels for you to drag it across a distance without using too much physical strength.

You’ll need to figure out a way to attach the batteries to the base of the container. If you are using a wooden box or a cooler box, you can simply strap it to the base using pieces of plastic strap and screws.

If you are using a luggage, you may have to use some epoxy to fix the batteries to the casing since they are usually quite thin.

Other than batteries, you will have to secure the charge controller properly. After this is done, you can connect the cables to their respective terminals.

Then pull a rubber or plastic sheet over the batteries and charge controller to prevent metallic objects from touching the terminals.

Alternatively you can get rubber sleeves to cover the terminals.

For the solar panels, you have the option of using rollable flexible solar panels. They may generate less power than the usual panels, but they are light. This makes it easy to pack a few more panels into any box.

Other than power output, you have to make sure your solar panels can fit into your casing. You may also want to attach all the panels together using small hinges or tape so the cables won’t be stressed and damaged whenever you handle them (when taking them out of the box or putting them back).

When attached together, solar panels tend to knock into one another as you handle them. Therefore you may want to put small rubber spacers between them to reduce the impact.

Finally, you need to allocate a space inside the luggage for the PV panels. If possible, make use of rubber or high-density sponge as padding to hold the panels snugly inside the box.

Such materials can also protect the solar panels from damage if you accidentally drop the portable solar panel system.

Continue Reading:

1. How To Build A Solar Panel Charge Controller
2. Lighting Up Your Yard or Garden Using Solar Energy
3. Making A DIY Solar Powered Reading Lamp

Solar panels sewn on backpacks can convert solar energy into electrical energy. Electricity is then stored in a battery pack through a charge controller. A charge controller is essentially a power regulator that conditions the electricity that goes into the batteries for charging. This helps to prolong the life of the battery pack and prevents damage from over-charging.

When you plug your gadgets (like iPhones, MP3, iPads, et cetera) into the charger, energy from the battery packs are released to your gadget. This offers you a whole new level of convenience, especially if you are a heavy gadget user. In case you run out of power, you have the assurance that your gadget will continue working when you reach your destination.

However solar backpacks are not cheap. Thus even though many people want to own them, they are eventually put off by the price. By incorporating a set of thin-film solar panels on a backpack, the product will cost at least $80 to $120 more.

If you are good with craft work, you can easily make your own solar backpack for everyday use. All you need is a durable backpack, a flexible solar panel, a charge controller, plugs, wires and an LED bulb.

First, you have to cut a small hole for the PV panel wires to go through. Then you can attach the flexible solar panel to the fabric of your backpack and make sure its sides are total sealed so water cannot seep in. You can use epoxy or any other suitable waterproof adhesive to do this.

Once you are done with the PV panels, solder your battery pack and charge controller together. Then put them into a waterproof pouch. This helps to protect them from spills. The waterproof pouch should be attached to the inside of your solar backpack at a location near to the PV panel’s wire.

After this, you can proceed to solder all the connections together. The small LED lamp can be attached to the plug so you can find it easily even if it’s dark inside the backpack. After that, you must wrap all exposed joints with a heat shrink or duct tape to prevent short-circuits.

Put everything inside the waterproof pouch, leaving only the connector and the LED sticking out. Then carefully put some silicone glue to seal its opening. Once the silicone glue is totally dry, you can start using your DIY solar backpack.

Continue Reading:

1. DIY Solar Panels — Charge Controller Basics
2. How To Build A Solar Panel Charge Controller
3. How To Power An Electric Fence Charger Using Solar Energy

However there are many details you must take note of during construction. Otherwise you will not have a model train that can run properly.

Here are 3 things to help you succeed in building your solar powered model train:

1. Manage the weight of your train

There are many different train models you can build. However due to most of their dimension, there may not be enough room at the roof for enough solar panels to be fitted. If your train is heavy, it’ll require more power to propel it along the tracks. As a result solar power alone may not be sufficient to drive your model train for the whole day.

But if you want it to run for 5 to 10 minutes only, weight should not be a big concern.

2. Choose your material properly

The best way to manage the weight of your train is to use a suitable material. Hard wood is a popular choice but they can be pretty heavy. An alternative is to use less of the same material. This means using thinner materials to build your train. However this it will not reduce the weight as much. Instead of using hard wood, why not try balsa or even plastic?

3. Feed power through the rails

If you want to preserve the look of your train, avoid putting thin-film solar panels on its roof. Instead, energize your rails with DC current. The DC motor can pick up its power by connecting to the wheels, which are in contact with the metallic rails.

Hidden away from the railroad setup, a solar panel and a rechargeable battery pack quietly feeds your model trains with renewable energy.

If your model trains are heavy, all you need to have are bigger solar panels and more batteries.

More importantly, you can build your model to any scale you want without worrying if you have sufficient power to run it through the day.

These are what you’ll need to build your solar powered model train:

a. Solar panels (and mounts, if you need them)
b. Rechargeable batteries
c. Charge controller

First, you’ll have to find a suitable location where there is sunshine throughout the day to site your solar panels. After you have installed your PV panels at that location, connect its output to the charge controller. The charge controller will maintain a consistent voltage input for the rechargeable battery.

When there is enough sunshine, the solar panels can energize the rails with current. But when it gets dark and gloomy, rechargeable batteries take over to provide your train with power.

You can schedule your model train to rest during the day when no one is at home. During this period, the battery is charged up using solar energy. Just before you come back from work, let the trains run so when you come home they’re there to greet you.

Continue Reading:

1. Making A DIY Solar Powered Reading Lamp
2. How to Make a Solar Powered Tricycle
3. How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider

As with any other projects, you have to prepare a few basic things:

1. An RC Blimp
2. Flexible solar panels
3. Enamel coated copper wires

While we’ll not teach you the basics of how to make a blimp, we’ll discuss about how to convert your ordinary blimp into a solar powered one.

The most important component here is the flexible solar panel, so we’ll talk a little about this. Then we’ll look at how to wire it to your blimp.

Flexible solar panels have a good bending radius and can wrap around the top of your blimp very easily. Many flexible solar panels also come with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. This makes it easy to attach the photovoltaic film on most surfaces.

It is important that your solar panels are light. This is because additional weight affects the buoyancy of the aircraft. This makes thin-film solar panels an ideal choice.

In order to know how many flexible solar panels you can put on your blimp, you must first calculate (or test) how much additional weight your blimp can hold. Then divide this number by the weight of each panel you have chosen.

If the power requirement if insufficient, you have to choose another type of flexible solar panel or look for other manufacturers. (hopefully not…)

This process is somewhat recursive. So you’ll have to first make a good guess, and then grope towards a better decision as you punch the numbers into your calculator.

The best thin-film solar panels to use on blimps are long and slim types. They do not warp your blimp and are easy to handle.

To paste them on your blimp, paste each film along the circumference. Make sure you space them apart equally along the length of the aircraft.

If your flexible solar panels come with an adhesive, you’ll have an easier job. Otherwise you can apply glue on the back of the solar film and let it rest for a minute before pasting it on the blimp’s surface.

Once this is done, connect your solar panels together using copper wires and test them. You must get the correct voltage and current output before proceeding further.

Copper wires should not be left to hang loose. You can use a little glue to stick them to the surface of the blimp. This is not easy, but it helps to prevent wires from breaking. (Wires often get hooked on thing as the blimp moves through tight passages.)

Finally, solder the output of the flexible solar panels in parallel with your battery pack. With this, your solar powered RC blimp is complete.

Continue Reading:

1. Making A DIY Solar Powered Reading Lamp
2. How to Build a Solar Powered Toy Car
3. How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider

However till this day, photovoltaic technology is only efficient enough for gliders. Even for a small aircraft, lots of power is required to make it stay in the air.

In this article, we’ll talk about making a solar powered RC glider that you can play with. As the subject of making the glider itself is too long for discussion at this point in time, we’ll focus more on how to replace (or complement) your batteries using flexible solar panels.

Here is a list of things you must prepare:

1. High RPM DC motor
2. A glider
3. An air screw
4. Flexible solar panel
5. Glue

Ideally, the wings of your glider should be as large as possible. This will allow us to put more photovoltaic material on it. As a result, you can have more power to drive your glider to new heights.

First, choose your flexible solar panels properly to fit the area on the glider’s wings. If space allows, you can also put solar panels on the body.

Then use glue to attach the flexible solar panels on the surface, making sure there are no bubbles trapped in the center of the film. If this is not done properly, you may risk losing your solar panels during one of the flights when it peels off.

What you must do is clean the back of the solar panel. Then apply a thin layer of glue to its entire surface. The same should be done for the top surface of the wing. After a few minutes, before the glue is completely dried, press the solar panels firmly onto the wing.

This is one of the methods that can help you attach the flexible solar panels firmly on the wing surface. It also prevents glue from flowing out of the side of the film and mess things up.

It is important to make sure the edges and corners of the solar panel film are attached firmly to the surface. Otherwise it will start to peel off and the entire solar film might come off after a while.

After the solar cells are attached properly, you can begin to use enamel-coated copper wires to make the electrical connections. Using a pen-type soldering iron, carefully solder all the connections and test the open-circuit voltage before wiring them to the motor or the rechargeable battery.

Solar powered RC gliders can give you up to 50% more flight time in the air. However most of them cannot be powered entirely by solar energy. Therefore you still have to learn how to find thermals to lift your solar powered glider. However since you have solar energy helping you, you need not do this as often.

Continue Reading:

1. How to Build a Solar Powered Toy Car
2. How to Make a Solar Powered Tricycle
3. How To Make A Solar Powered Lawn Mower

Once you’re hooked, your mind keeps thinking about what else you can use solar energy for. Some hobbyists attach solar panels to their homemade cars and race in it. Others build more practical stuff like solar powered trickle chargers for their boat and car batteries.

The possibilities are limitless. Here are 10 small-project ideas to get you on the road to addiction:

1. Garage lights with light-dependant diode (LDR) sensor.

As you drive into your garage, the lights turn on automatically. This lighting system doesn’t need maintenance and draws no power from the mains.

During the day, a 12-volt solar panel charges the batteries. At night, as the device senses your car’s headlight, it powers up the super-bright LEDs and maintains it for another 5 minutes.

2. Solar powered reading lamp

Reading lamps do not need a lot of power. A row of white LEDS will do a good job of providing you with ample illumination for your reading pleasure.

You can place the reading lamp near your window during the day. At night, when you want to use it, the batteries are fully charged, ready to be used.

LEDs take up very little power. Therefore two AA rechargeable batteries rated at 1.5 volts each are sufficient to power them.

3. Solar ventilator

Solar Ventilator

There will surely be places in your living space that lacks ventilation. Why not install a small ventilator fan and attach a solar panel to it?

The air draft, though slow, can help prevent mildew and mould.

4. Solar powered gate opener

Many electric gate openers run on 12-volt supply. This is perfect for a small solar power project.

When you house the batteries and circuit, remember to keep it in a weatherproof container. Otherwise dew and precipitation may destroy them.

5. Attic Vent Fan

Attic Vent

During summer, your attic can trap a lot of hot air. It can get stuffy and uncomfortable if you need to be there, even for a while.

Installing an attic vent fan is a good idea. Running it using solar energy makes it an ingenious one.

6. Solar hot tub

Solar Hot Tub

Nothing can be more rejuvenating than soaking yourself in a hot tub (also known as Jacuzzi) during winter after a hard day’s work.

You can cycle water through solar collectors and heat it up to your desired temperature.

Even though there may be less sunlight during winter, you have the whole day to get the water heated up. To retain the heat, you can insulate your hot tub and use a wooden cover.

7. Solar cooker

Solar Cooking

Want to have a barbecue? Solar energy can help you cook your favorite food without using charcoal, butane or propane.

A concave reflector can help you concentrate sunlight onto a particular spot (like a magnifying glass). There, you can get anything cooking.

8. A greenhouse

This is common, isn’t it? Yet nobody takes the effort to do it. With a greenhouse, you can have a warm environment for your plants to flourish in and for you to enjoy a cup of coffee every morning before you go to work.

9. Solar pool covers

Solar pool covers help to heat up your pool using solar energy. They are pretty affordable, so you can always buy them. Or you can roll up your sleeves and put on your thinking cap to make one of your own.

10. Solar cup warmer

This project requires 2 metallic surfaces – one as solar collector and the other as cup warmer. You can use a heat pipe to transfer the energy from the solar collector to the heating plate.

That’s all for now. Let’s get busy designing our next pet project.

Continue Reading:

1. 7 Different Ways of Using Solar Energy At Home and In Your Office
2. Before You Install Solar Panels, Plug All Your Air Leakages
3. Creating An Energy Efficient House – A Primer On Why You Should Do It and How

These flexible panels are made into shingles and can be installed on roofs. This technology is known as building-integrated photovoltics (or BIPVs).

BIPVs can replace the boxy solar panels we know today. Instead of using rigid glass and aluminum frames, we can now integrate photovoltaic material on the surface of construction materials.

When engineers first presented this technology to the world, consumers were concerned about its reliability. However this type of solar shingles are easy to install and can last at least 25 years.

Regardless of rain, hail or harsh ultraviolet radiation, both the solar film and substrate continues to function.

The most important aspect of this technological breakthrough lies in the manufacturing process. Engineers are hopeful about finding a cost-effective process to reduce the cost of solar energy to less than $1 per watt of power.

This will be quite competitive compared to the rate (per kilowatt-hour) that a utility would charge.  Hopefully this can be an important catalyst to create a widespread use of residential solar panels.

Currently there are 2 major factors that prevent homeowners from installing PV panels on their property:

1. Cost

It is quite expensive to install a full-scale solar power system on your property. You need to incur at least $25,000 and systems that cost $70,000 (and more) are not unheard of. Even with rebates, you still have to pay several thousands of dollars upfront.

Thankfully solar panels require little maintenance. If you install the correct type of PV panels for your house, the upfront payment is about all you have to cough out.

This is good for people who use a lot of energy since oil prices is set for a long-term increase. Your solar power generator can help you hedge against the risk of  (ever) increasing utility cost.

2. Complexity of Installation

Installing PV panels on roofs is not a straightforward job. It requires special skills. Thus the cost of solar installation is not cheap.

On the other hand, most contractors will know how to lay solar shingles on roofs. As long as they overlap the shingles correctly, they’ll work. It is also quite impossible to make mistakes that cannot be remedied in a short time.

With flexible solar shingles, home owners can have the opportunity to install solar panels on their roofs without the exorbitant cost and complex installation.

Continue Reading:

1. Insider Solar Power Generator Review: 3 Most Common Mistakes Hobbyists Make on Their First DIY Solar Panel Project
2. Build Amazing Home Solar Power Systems Used by Families Who Don’t Want to Pay For Their Utilities
3. Solar Shingles — What Are These?

There are many applications for flexible solar panels. Being portable, they’re often used as a charger for gadgets like PDAs, mobile phones, laptops and walkie-talkies. They can also be used to power camping equipment, field communication radios and GPS systems. Many flexible solar panels are even integrated into architectural fabric and metal roofing.

Price-wise, amorphous silicon thin film solar cells can be cheaper than conventional crystalline cells. This is because they require less semiconductor material. Each thin film cell is 1-micrometer thick, as compared to an average of 150 to 200 micrometers for crystalline cells. The downside to this material is its inefficiency. While crystalline photovoltaic cells boast a credible 20% efficiency, most thin films are confined to a single digit efficiency percentage. But research to improve the efficiency of thin film photovoltaic cell is underway. By using a combination of photovoltaic materials, there is a possibility that thin films can convert more of the solar spectrum into electricity, thereby matching the efficiency of its crystalline cell cousin.

Flexible solar panels are sold in different shapes and sizes. A brief search on the Internet reveals a wide range of products that these solar panels are currently utilized for. Manufacturers like Silicon Solar, Inc and PowerFilm develops and manufactures flexible solar panels for consumers and businesses alike. And as the popularity of solar panels increase in recent years, more start-ups are also jumping into the renewable energy bandwagon to serve a host of new converts recently found in the market. Xunlight from Toledo, Ohio, is an example of such new companies.

In recent years, engineers found a way to increase the lifespan and efficiency of solar cells. A layer of material is coated on the transparent, protective layer to convert ultraviolet radiation into longer-wavelength visible light. This reduces solar cells’ exposure to harmful radiation, prolonging their lifespan. Incidentally, this technique also helps convert more sunlight into electricity.

As technology improves, flexible solar panels can hopefully capture more of the solar spectrum to turn them into useful electrical energy. By then, this technology will gradually replace bulkier crystalline solar cells in many applications.

Continue Reading:

1. Solar Shingles — What Are These?
2. Important Facts And Properties of A Solar (PV) Panel You Must Know About (Part 2 of 3)
3. How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider