Solar energy
Renewable Energy » Solar energy » solar panel

solar panel

Read and learn more about solar panel. For more, visit the Renewable Energy website EnergySourceRenewable.org

Q: Solar Panel?
I am looking for a small grade solar panel that I could put on top of my jacuzzi. I need this because i have a pair of plug in decorative string lights and don’t have a plug nearby. I wanted to have the solar panel to take in power during the day, and turn on at night.

A: ez go to harbor freight in your area and they are selling a solar panel product that is right for your need for about $40.00

google harbor freight to find a store near you

Q: Solar panel?
A solar panel facing the sun at noon in mid-summer receives more intensity of the light than when it is at horizontal. However, it can receives more total solar energy when it is at horizontal than when it is tilted during a long summer day. Regradless if it is shaded by building or trees. why is that so?

A: That does seem a little confusing. But is really pretty easy to understand.

When the solar panel is facing the sun at noon it will produce the most power it can be it summer or winter. But there is a however involved here. In the summer the sun comes up in the north east and sets in the north west which would be behind the solar panel in the morning and late after noon. So you lose that part of the day. By laying it back 15 deg more the sun will be able to shine on the face of the solar panel all day long. The panel will not capture as much direct sunlight at noon but the extra gain from the morning and late after noon will more then pay back the loss.

Check out this page. http://www.oynot.com/solar-radiation.html it shows a graph and explains it better.

Q: solar panel?
I had this calculator http://www.bookstore.umn.edu/images/system/product/9790.jpg but the screen cracked so i took it apart. I found two things useful one was this battery http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/images/products/prod_6897.jpg n the i took out the solar panel. Now i have this LED which worked when i connected it to teh battery but when i connected it to the solar panel it didnt light up.. Any help in y this happened n waht i can do to make it work???

A: The solar paner can’t deliver enough current to light the LED. There’s nothing you can do to make it work.

Q: How does Solar Panels works and what is the cost of getting a solar panel installed.?
I have heard a lot about solar panels and I want to know how these solar panels works and is it really possible to generate electricity using solar panels. And what is the cost of getting a solar panel installed?

A: Solar panel is made up of a collection of special cells known as photovoltaic cells. These cells are joined together with copper wire and each of them can to generate 5 volts of electricity. You can install as many cells as per your requirement. These solar panel generate AC power which is converted in DC by using an inverter.

Normal installation cost of a solar panel at home is around $5000 but it is true that if you have zeal to learn you can build a solar panel of your own within $200. Making a solar panel is not much difficult but you need to follow a good DIY guide to do that.

For more information visit: http://www.howtobuildasolarpanel.info

Q: What is needed for a solar panel set?
I am doing a science fair experiment on solar panels. The experiment is testing at which direction does a solar panel receive the most sunlight. I need four solar panels for sure. I would also need something that determines the amount of energy a solar panel is receiving. And where would I put the solar panels? Thanks!
Also, how big of a solar panels would I need to get (inches, volts, mA).
I would also like if someone send me a link of where I can get easy to use solar panels.

A: Go to Radio Shack and get some small, inexpensive solar panels. They come ready for experimenting and are pretty durable. Dont worry about volts, ma or size. The ones you will find there are about 1.5 vots to 3 volts. I also just got a pretty cool kit from them for $20 that has a small solar motor, fan, lamp, solar panel and plenty of hookup wire.

Get yourself a volt meter while you are there.

Simply hook up the leads from the volt meter to the solar panel leads and move it around to get the maximum voltage output.

As the solar panel gets more direct sunlight, it puts out more voltage.

That’s it.

Q: Solar panel and motor: Any way to regulate the power transmission?
I’m an engineering student and for an individual hobby-like project i purchased a small solar panel and a small solar motor. I am planning on making a small solar powered toy car. The question i have is: is there a way to connect a control or some other ways of regulating the power that is absorbed by the cells? Other wise the motor will just continue to run. Any answer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A: I assume it is a DC motor. You should have DC voltage coming out of the solar cell (For example 10V). You could use a transistor to switch the voltage on and off, then filter the output with an RC filter. You will have to choose the right RC time constant . It will have to be slower than the control pulse frequency, but faster than the desired motor response time.

If you switched the voltage with a 50% duty cycle, then filtered the output, you would get 5V, with a 75% duty cycle, you would get 7.5V, etc. Therefore, you could control the motor by controlling the duty cycle of the switching. A microcontroller like the BASIC Stamp can produce the control pulses.

Q: How to connect a solar panel to an outlet?
I have a cabin in the woods and need more light. I do have enough sun but I was wondering how or where do I get a solar panel to lead to a power outlet? In a perfect world I would like to get a solar panel with a connecting wire to an outlet or something so I could power a small TV. I know its hard enough but can I get that pre-made? Or even lastly should I look at wind power consider I would like this to be under $500? Thank you for putting up with this bundle of questions.

A: A typical solar panel will deliver 50 watts of power in the form of 24 volts DC. You need 120 volts AC. So here is what it takes:

Since you will need at least 200 watts to do a small TV, you need four solar panels, and a solar controller. Then you need a 24 volt solar type battery to load the output of the panels.

Next you need an inverter. This is a device that changes 24 volts DC into 120 volts AC, which you can wire to a standard outlet for the TV set.

Solar panels cost around $6 per watt of power. 200 X $6 = $1200
Solar Controller will cost around $150
The battery will cost around $100
The inverter will cost around $200

You could get by with less than 200 watts of solar panels if you just let it charge the battery all day and only use the TV for an hour or two in the evening with the TV running on the inverter which is powered by the battery.

The link is for a similar system ready to go.

Wind is not a viable option.

Q: Can I connect a solar panel charger to my car battery without interfering with the alternator?
Would like to add a solar panel to help charge my car battery. Will this affect/hurt my alternator? Do I need to switch from alternator to solar.
I was hoping to leave the panel attached to the car during operation.

I’d like it as easy as possible.

A: High wattage High temperature Diodes is your answer.
One on wire from solar panel charger to battery’s positive.
Another on wire from alternator to battery’s positive.
Current will only from solar panel charger and alternator to battery.
Both solar panel charger and alternator can charge battery simultaneously.
Convenient – no switching needed.

Q: How can a solar panel work for me?
I really would like to have my own solar panel, but i don’t know how. Most of the panels i have looked at are for car batteries but i’m not sure how this would be able to be transfered into electricity. I’m looking to power things like lamps, a stereo and various chargers for phones and ipods. Please explain to me how i could adapt a solar panel to my uses. Thank you.

A: Sounds like you would just like to have some fun with solar panels, nothing serious.

For charging phones or iPods, try looking at www.solio.com , or google “solar iPod charger” for example. It’s not worth converting the solar energy to 120 volts in order to plug in your normal wall adapters, unless you start to spend more money.

A stereo could easily be powered by a solar panel, that is, something like a boombox that already uses a 12V adapter. You would need to find the right power plug from Radio Shack, and wire a 12V panel in, yourself. If you’re not handy with electronics, you’ll need the help of a friend who is.

If you want to power a lamp, you could just get something like from

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=318

I’ve seen the particular device listed there. While the lamp is mediocre for an LED light source, the panel is excellent – real polysilicon wafers, in an aluminum frame. Same construction as the kind of panels in commercial installations.

Q: what kind of solar panel would i need to charge i car battery?
i am looking to build a small solar generator to power a few lights and so forth, i have a deep cycle gel car battery, but what watt and volt solar panel would i need to charge it in an efficient amount of time? also, is it possible to hook up 2 small solar panels to one battery to charge it or would that not work? like would 2 5 watts be as good as a 10 watt?
thanks!

A: More watts is more power, because watts are a measure of power. Most solar panels produce the right voltage to charge a car battery, but you should really have a charge controller too. See the source for some ideas.

Q: Can solar panels be created into the form of a wire instead of a flat panel?
in other words is it possible to form a solar panel in a thick wire?
what i mean is, can it be done not a matter of output moreso of capability to be made.

A: It needs the surface area. If a wire was used you would need panels to focus the light on the wire so no space is saved.
✩

Q: How do I integrate solar panel technology into any electronics?
I would like to know how to make a regular mini solar panel compatible with any electronics. I was thinking about creating a solar powered DS and i don’t know how to make the DS compatible with the solar panel.

A: Well u really cant do any technologies easily because it would have to be a direct current device or else u would need an inverter which would change it to alternating current but those can be expensive and with a mini solar panel its not worth it. But a DS is direct current so thats not a problem u would probably want to get 2-4 mini panels with an output of 3 volts then put two in series if u only have two and if u have 4 then put two in series and then put those in parallel then u need to open the battery compartment and soder the red wires from the panels onto the positive of the battery then the black wires onto the negative of the battery then sucure the panels to the DS cover ie hot glue and if u have 4 panels then put two on the bottom two on the top and to charge it open up the DS in the sun

Q: What kind of solar panel do I need to power a 130W electric motor?
I am building a school project where I need to mix water with an electric motor. This motor needs to be powered by a solar panel. It is a 130W motor. How can I determine the required solar panel?
Thanks!

A: Interesting question?
How many volts, how many Amps? How often does-it work???
Motors sometimes have high inrush current.
Solar panels are about 2Watt per 50 square inch of surface!
So 130W * 25in2 is about 24 square foot.

Q: What about imbedding a small solar panel on the roof of a vehicle & running on both solar and gasoline?
On sunny days, you could run off the solar panel, and on cloudy days the gasoline would kick in. How many batteries would it take, and would it be feasible?

A: While it’s a great GREEN idea, it’s a bit impractical.
All horizontal surfaces of the vehicle would need to covered in solar panels. Vehicles would have to pared down to hundreds of pounds instead of thousands, and some other option would have to be offered in regions where clouds are in competition with the sun.

Not to mention, what does one do at night?

Q: Is it possible to use a Solar Panel to power a lightbulb to power a Solar Panel?
1.Ok, you connect the torch so it is powered but the solarpanel
2.Then you shine sunlight on the panel to get the torch started.
3.Then shine the torch on the Solar Panel to get the panel to power the torch.
4. Then you go inside in a dark room, and the light from the solar panel would power the Torch, and the Torches light would power the Solar Panel.

A: Unfortunately the efficiency of conversion of energy from one form to another is always less than one. So the out put is always less than the input. After one or two conversion nothing will be left as out put.
The perpetual machine of the second kind do not exist. Many scientists spent time on this before this conclusion.
Imagine a light bulb. If we can convert the heat and other emission back to electricity and feed the bulb, the bulb should continue to glow with out taking any power from the line !!!!
Hope you understood.Thanks for the question

Related Posts

Write a comment