DIY Solar Panels World

“Who Else Wants to Build DIY Solar Panels?”

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:02:11 +0000

If you’re interested in making DIY solar panels, this may be the most important place you discovered. Here’s why…

For every curiosity you have in your mind, there will almost certainly be a resource available to satisfy it.

Whether you want to build a solar panel by connecting individual photovoltaic (PV) cells or buy it retail… whether you are a do-it-yourself, homemade guy or a swear-by-a-brand person, we have mini-resources prepared for you.

Otherwise just write to us to request for it…and we’ll get it up just for you.

In the future, we’ll broaden our scope to include bits and pieces of other types of renewable energy generator like wind turbines.

For starters, you can browse the following pages to get up to speed with the DIY solar power world. Tell me what you think:

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How To Make A Solar Powered RC Blimp

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Solar powered RC blimps are very easy to control and they can fly much further than the usual model blimps. In this article, we’ll show you how to make this toy.

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.

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How To Make A Solar Powered Lawn Mower

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:01:52 +0000

You can build your own solar powered lawn mower by putting a 24-volt solar panel on an electric lawn mower. The whole process is simpler than you imagine and I’ll show you how to do it here.

There are different things you have to prepare, as listed here:

1. An electric lawn mower
2. A 24-volt solar panel
3. Charge controller

There are many different types of lawn mower in the market. One example is the Earthwise 17″ 24-Volt Cordless Electric Lawn Mower. This is just my preference. You can get one from any other manufacturer. It’ll work fine as long as you find a suitable solar panel.

First, you have to consider where you want to mount your solar panel. There are different places you can use – on the handle or above the batteries.

I would recommend not placing the solar panel right on the chassis as this doesn’t allow enough room for air to cool the solar panels. Also, heat from the DC motor might cause the solar panel to be less effective. (As temperature increases, the efficiency of solar cells decrease.)

Most likely, you will need to make a bracket to mount your solar panel. A simple aluminum frame can help to support the weight of the PV panel pretty well.

After the solar panel is mounted, you have to mount your charge controller as well. Once this is done, wire the solar panel to the charge controller. This component will then be wired to the lawn mower battery.

Although it is possible for the solar panel to supply sufficient power to the DC motor directly, I prefer to use a rechargeable battery as an energy storage bank. There are at least 2 advantages with this design:

1. You can use smaller (thus cheaper) solar panels

Lawn mowers are seldom used. This presents an opportunity for batteries to be trickle charged. It involves very little current and thus only a small solar panel is needed. Also, with smaller solar panels, your lawn mower is lighter and less cumbersome.

2. You can choose to mount the solar panels separate from the lawn mower

Actually this is what I prefer. I can use the solar panel as a solar battery charger. Since I don’t have to use the lawn mower frequently, I can use the charger for my RC toys by stepping down the voltage. Nevertheless it is up to you how you want it to be…

If your solar panels throw up issues because of vibrations from the lawn mower, this will be a good configuration. However I doubt this is a problem at all because electric lawn mowers produce less vibration than gas powered ones.

Note: To trickle charge your solar powered lawn mower, remember to leave it out in the open and not in the garage. There is too little sunlight there for any solar panels to be effective. (Or you can simply leave your garage door open…)

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How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:16 +0000

There are many solar powered gliders that can fly across oceans. This proves the viability of using solar energy for air travel.

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.

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How To Make A Homemade Solar Powered Air Filter

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:00:29 +0000

A solar powered air filter depends on solar energy to drive the air through a series of filter mediums. Here we’ll describe how to make one from scratch and run it using solar power.

Here is a list of materials you need for this project:

1. A one-foot long PVC pipe with 6-inch diameter

2. Activated carbon and other filter medium

3. A 12-volt duct fan

4. A 12-volt solar panel

There are many designs for an air filter. You can make a simple 2-stage air filter that consist of only activated carbon and synthetic wool. Or you can build a 4-stage filter that has a pre-filter, a HEPA filter, activated carbon and a negative ion generator.

What you build eventually will depend on what you need. So it’s good to take a little time to ask yourself why you need an air filter in the first place…

Let’s talk about making a 3-stage air filter. We’ll need to find a pre-filter, a HEPA filter and some activated charcoal to get the air reasonably clean.

A pre-filter takes away large airborne particles from the air. This includes dust, pet hair and mold.

The second stage consists of a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter medium that can filter away 99.97% of all airborne contaminants that are 0.3 microns. This means it can remove dust mites, pollen, fungus and many types of bacteria.

The final stage makes use of activated carbon to remove odor. Carbon can help to clear off foul smell, chemical substances and tobacco smoke from the air.

To make this filter, you need to have a cover with holes at one end of the pipe. First, you have to put one or two layers of cloth to cover up the holes so activated carbon won’t fall through them. Then place an inch of activated carbon into the pipe.

After this is done, cut the HEPA filter so it fits the inside of the pipe snugly. Then push the material into the pipe.

You also have to cut the pre-filter material to size and push them into the pipe, making sure there are no gaps between the material and the inside of the PVC wall. After that, fit the duct fan at the end of the pipe and fasten it.

Many duct fans create some noise. Although it does not usually cause disturbance, some people want their air filter to be absolutely quiet. If this is your requirement, you can put the duct fan between the pre-filter and the HEPA filter medium.

The filter medium will help to dampen most of the vibrations and restore the quiet environment you want.

Finally, connect the 12-volt solar panel to the input of the duct fan’s DC motor. Whenever the sun shines, your solar powered air filter will make use of the sun’s energy to clean the air for you.

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How to Measure the Voltage, Current, and Power of a Solar Panel

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:59:59 +0000

Whether you build your own solar panels or not, you must know its rating. In other words, you need to find out the voltage, current and power output of the PV panel you want to use.

Inside a solar panel, there are several solar cells that are connected in both series and in parallel configurations. Therefore you cannot determine the voltage of a solar panel simply by counting the number of solar cells.

If you are handling a commercial solar panel, all you need to do is read the ratings from the datasheet. It shows you different numbers that are important…

For example, the open and closed-circuit voltage, the open and closed-circuit current and the power output under standard illumination intensity are some numbers you have to know.

However knowing these details may not be sufficient as the ratings are measured under ideal conditions. Your solar panel is subject to a different condition at the place where you install them. Therefore you still have to make a simple measurement using a multimeter.

Before you stick the multimeter probes on the solar panel output, recall the formula you learned in high school:

Power (Watt) = Voltage (Volts) x Current (Amperes)

It is not that easy to measure the power output using a simple current or voltage meter. But we can make a calculation after we know the voltage and the current output. (Multiplying these 2 numbers give us the answer we want.)

Each solar cell gives a voltage output of about (slightly more than) 0.5 volts direct current. This is true no matter how large your solar cell is. The only difference is the output current.

Thus if you have a 12 by 2 series configuration, you’ll end up with a solar panel that gives out more than 12 volts. This is ideal for charging a 12 volt battery.

(Note: To charge a 12-volt battery, you need much more than just 12 volts.)

Interestingly, if you break a solar cell into two halves, each of them will give an output of 0.5 volts. The only difference is the output current is now halved. This is why you can use broken solar cells to make a solar panel and it’ll still work.

Other Notes:

Your home solar energy system is made up of several pieces of solar panels that are wired together in an array. If you want their voltage to add up, you have to connect them in series. If you want their current to add up, you must connect them in parallel. No matter how you connect them, the total power output remains constant.

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How to Use Solar Energy to Purify Water

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:00:10 +0000

Although making a solar still to purify water is not strictly about solar panels, I though this is worth mentioning. This is because we’re still touching on the subject of putting solar energy to work.

Those of us who have been in the scouts… we were taught that it is safe to drink water that has condensed on a clean surface. When water evaporates, only water molecules escape from the surface, leaving impurities behind.

As water condenses on a cool surface, it becomes purified and is relatively fit for consumption.

This is basically how a solar still works…

To build one, we have to gather these materials:

1. A dark-colored bowl or plate with a large surface area

2. A sheet of strong clear plastic

3. A piece of Perspex that is large enough to cover the container

A dark colored bowl or plate can absorb more solar energy. This helps to raise the water temperature. When water becomes hotter, more water molecules are able to escape from the surface. This results in more water vapor.

Essentially, we can speed up the rate of water purification as water temperature increases.

First, bend the Perspex along the middle (lengthwise) by a small angle. This will help gather purified water at the center of the Perspex. When it is tilted, water can flow to the side and be collected in a cup.

After the Perspex is bent, use a thick plastic sheet to form a skirting around the Perspex, leaving an opening at the area where water flow out into the cup.

The plastic skirting helps to keep as much water vapor within the solar purifier as possible. It also helps to support the Perspex.

In order to attach the plastic skirting firmly onto the Perspex, you have to use a non-toxic silicon adhesive and wait for it to dry completely.

When properly done, the Perspex should sit slightly above the container but will not touch it. It must also be tilted (slightly) towards where the cup is. This allows water to flow into the cup easily.

To use the solar water purifier, fill up the container with dirty water. Then cover the container with the special Perspex lid. As water evaporates and condenses underneath the Perspex, you can see droplets forming and rolling into the collection cup.

Note:

You can use anything with water content to help you get as much drinkable water as possible. A few of these may include green plants that are not poisonous, damp soil, urine and even snow or sea water.

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How to Make a Solar Powered Tricycle

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:59:41 +0000

With good solar panels, you can make a solar powered tricycle. It is really fun to whiz around in a tricycle modified to use solar energy as its source of power. You can easily turn heads and attract attention from passersby.

What you need is a tricycle made with aluminum frame. This will ensure the weight of the tricycle is light enough. Otherwise we may need an extra solar panel for more power. And this is not going to be cheap…

Here is a list of things you’ll need for this project:

1. A tricycle
2. Solar panels, mounts and aluminum frame
3. Battery pack
4. Charge controller
5. Motor

To make your job simpler, you can buy an electric tricycle motor kit to convert your ordinary tricycle into an electric tricycle.

The kit includes a brushless high-powered DC motor, a battery pack and a cruise controller (motor controller). After converting your tricycle, you can start installing the solar panels onto your 3-wheeled vehicle.

The type of tricycle motor I like requires an input of 48 volts. Therefore I’ll have to find a solar panel that allows me to charge a battery pack that can drive this motor.

A good candidate will be a solar panel with 16% efficiency, made using high quality polycrystalline cells. The solar panel frame has to be covered with tempered glass so it won’t break easily.

Ideally, the solar panel has to produce a maximum of 80 watts at 70 volts. (Open circuit voltage will probably reach around 83 volts.) The current output I’ll look at is around 1.2 to 1.5 amperes, with short-circuit current of 1.3 to 1.6 amperes.

However you have to choose a solar panel that fits your needs. First start by choosing the motor, then the battery pack and finally the solar panel.

After you have chosen all the required parts, you can proceed to fix the frame that supports your solar panels. You must attach the frame onto your tricycle before you mount the PV panels. This is because PV panels are heavy. It’ll probably weigh more than 12 kg and this will hinder you as you work on the frame.

Your battery pack will likely be integrated with a charge controller. Therefore you only need to get the correct type of plug to transfer energy from your solar panel to the battery pack.

Otherwise you may need to get a separate charge controller. This will help to regulate the input voltage at the battery pack. Many controllers are able to stop the charging current once the batteries are fully charged. This prevents battery damage.

Once the cables are connected properly, test your tricycle by riding it for a short distance. When you’re all set, use cable ties to fasten loose cables to the frame for safety and good organization.

Note:

A tricycle cannot depend solely on solar power. At times, a passing cloud will reduce the sunlight intensity. This diminishes the power output from the solar panels and you’ll get less acceleration than expected.

It is better to use a battery pack to drive the DC motor as the solar panel puts energy into it. This makes a solar powered tricycle more usable.

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How to Use Solar Power to Charge Your Golf Cart Batteries

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:00:12 +0000

Solar energy can be used to charge your golf cart batteries even as they are on the move. In fact, most of the time golf carts are stationary while they are out in the sun. This presents a good opportunity for batteries to be charged.

Electric golf carts use 24 volt, 36 volt or 48 volt systems. Most of them have 6 batteries. Thus if the batteries are rated at 6 volts, yours is a 36-volt system. Similarly, if the batteries are rated at 8 volts, you have a 48-volt system.

Every golf cart can make use of solar power to charge its batteries. There are solar panels in the market that can supply between 190 to 380 Watts per solar panel with an output of up to 88 volts. Therefore solar panel technology nowadays is more than sufficient to power golf carts.

When batteries are constantly recharged while out in the sun, their lifespan can be extended by up to 30%. This can also increase a golf cart’s driving distance by up to 12 miles every day. This helps you reduce the maintenance cost of your golf cart. On top of this, when you use solar energy, you reduce your electricity bills.

Solar panels are eco-friendly and have zero carbon emissions while operating. Moreover they are easy to install and are even easier to maintain. All branded solar panels come with at least 10 years of warranty so you will not need to worry about defects.

And if you are not willing to pay the solar panel cost upfront, some manufacturers even have a customized leasing program for you to take advantage of.

Most contractors will be happy to convert your golf cart for you at a small price, included in the package. You can also do this yourself if you want.

All you have to do is to first understand how your golf cart batteries are charged.

Some golf carts have their own in-built battery charger. You only need to supply it with 110 VAC to charge the batteries. Others require an external battery charger.

If your golf cart takes in 110 VAC, you can either use a DC-to-AC converter or get a charge controller and wire it directly to the batteries.

After understanding how your golf cart batteries are charged, you can proceed to mount the solar panels on the golf cart’s roof. Do note that solar panels are heavy and you may need to change (or reinforce) the supports to the roof.

Once the solar panel(s) are secured, take a little drive. If your roof sways from side to side, you may need more support.

Most likely, you will need to fit a charge controller to your golf cart. Find a compact model that can fit into an empty space inside your golf cart. This location must be shielded from water and rain so your batteries do not get short-circuited.

After securing the charge controller, the final step is to connect the charging cables to their respective terminals and secure them properly.

Within a few hours, you’ll be using solar power to charge your golf cart batteries.

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How To Find Out Which Solar Panels And Inverters To Buy

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:00:12 +0000

It is often difficult to find out which solar panels to buy since there are many brands out there claiming to be the best. After choosing what you believe is the best solar panel, you’ll again be left wondering which is the best inverter to get…

…it’s difficult, isn’t it?

I have a small list over here that you may find useful. It reveals the top few solar panel and inverter manufacturers you can choose from.

The reason these brands make the best buy is because of the awards they receive and good feedback from many users.

For solar panels, you can choose from SunPower (USA), Schott Solar (Germany) or SolarWorld (Germany).

If you are the type who insists on excellent product quality, you should be looking at Sanyo (Japan) solar panels.

However if what you are looking for is the best value for money, you can consider buying from Suntech (China).

Having said this, it is also important to be assured that the photovoltaic cells within the solar panels are of good quality. If you have an eye for details, check out Sharp, Q-Cells and BP Solar.

Solar panels need to be mounted on a supporting structure such as the roof. As such, you’ll need good solar mounting systems. The recommended brands are Direct Power and Water (USA), UniRac (USA) and Schletter (Germany).

Certainly, you’ll also require inverters for your solar panels array. You have a choice to buy from either Kaco (Germany), OutBack (USA) or Mastervolt (USA).

Among these options, Outback is touted to have the best product quality while Kaco has the best price. This may change from time to time, so it’s worth checking all 3 of them out.

If you have the budget, you can maximize your solar power output by orientating it towards to sun through the day. Solar trackers are great devices for doing this. The best company to approach is Zomeworks (USA).

Hope this helps…

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