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Do all panels in an array have to be matching watts, amps, or types (film, monocryst.,etc.)? I do know that volts are a specific- 12, 24, etc. Thankful for any info as I am new to this and am considering a wind and solar system. Just would like to know as I have access to some odd and end solar equipment. Thanks! DonnH

Hi, i'm buying a small 6v 160mA solar panel for a project I'm working on. I'd like to power a small motor with solar power. How do I "store" some electricity generated by the panel so the motor doesn't stop in short periods of shadow? Thanks, Francisco

Need solar panel contact if you have any extra laying around, may be willing to pay depending on price asked

May be willing to pay dependin on price asked and condition and specifications of the panel. if you have any laying around unused please contact

Hello Everyone, this is my first forum post!I had a question and couldn't think of a better place to turn to than this.Basically, I am constructing, or planning to rather, an outdoor picnic table. I want to add some gadgetry to it and make it more multifunctional. Sorry to be vague, but a lot of it is still being worked out and since I'm going to post the project on here anyway, I'd like to wait to present the entire project as a whole.My question involves the use of solar panels as a table top surface. I have a basic understanding of how to create a solar panel powered system (http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html or https://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Power-System/). But my question is this: does covering the solar panel with a piece of acrylic hinder its power collecting abilities? I'm thinking of covering the entire table top surface of my table with solar panels. Aside from the obvious downfalls of people using the table and blocking sun, I thought there would be enough time when its not in use to collect power. But obviously I can't have people eating right on the panels and damaging them. Any guidance would be GREAT! I just want to know if I should even entertain this design idea or separate the panels from the table altogether. Thanks!

I know that you can wire solar panels together to combine the amps. But I've only ever seen this done with 2 identical panels. Would there be any problem with wiring up 2 panels with different A values? More specifically these 2 panels. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item;=390312612951&ssPageName;=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_10141wt_1165 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item;=320381449459&ssPageName;=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_10175wt_1165

Hello i am long time lurker of instructables.com and i love the site and its inspired me to build a few things. that said onto my question.  i was at my local Dollar Tree Store (Dollar Store) and noticed the solar powered walkway lights. so i bought a few and decided i could salvage the solar panels.. so a few screws and some applied pressure later i have some small cells 35.6mm by 29.6mm with a model number (SC3630S-4N) and everything so i googled it and i get this website as the only one listing voltages and mA's but there are two sets and i am unsure which set i need to be aware of and exactly what it all means. http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/432233432-solar-cell-Embeded-Modules-Outdoors-wholesalers.html so any one can explain to me what the 4 values mean i know (V) is voltage and (mA) is amperage but why list them twice.

Hey guys I'm needing the expert opinions of everyone here in the tech section. See I just mounted this 0.5 watt solar panel outside on a L bracket today (not just a couple tiny ones I pulled out of solar lanterns (does anyone want to see what it looks like mounted outside? I didn't think to take pictures until I got inside). Anyways, I've mounted it, ran the wire along the ground and in through my window (drilled a small hole below the window). Connectivity checks out good and I get about 20-21v and the full sun hasn't even hit it yet. The only thing is here though, this solar panel is meant as a trickle charging panel for car batteries and whatnot, and as such I only seem to be getting about 10-15ma (seriously wtf). I just resoldered this charging board from a solar lantern I had laying around, however I have a couple questions. I'm not entirely sure if this little board will handle the current/voltage (however it should as it's fairly low current from the solar panel) I've rigged up the board mostly like it was inside the solar lantern except longer/stronger wires. I have a switch on the positive line of the batt+ to the board. I soldered some thicker wires to the SOL connections on the board. Now I've seen a few of these and some are rather simplistic control boards and some actually have a bit of circuitry to them. This one appears to have resistors to current limit the LED (would be good so I don't blow it), however after following the traces on the board the led get's it's positive from that black transistor thing with 5 legs on it (what is that a power regulator?) The idea behind all of this here is that I can maybe charge up my cell with it or usb devices for example, but to have that come from a battery pack of AA's (to work as a buffer sorta-speak like a capacitor bank). I am a little miffled as how to make this work right the way I want it to. I would assume that once I get the battery pack situated I can disconnect the LED and use that connection for a charging cable, but then it would only provide power when theres no sunlight out (when you turn it on it turns the led on if there is no current coming from the solar panel). How can I do this guys I'm sorry to ask such stupid questions as I know to some of you's it's probably fairly mediocre but I'm a bit dumb.

How can I charge 12V Li-ion or lead acid batteries using a solar panel? I also wish to interface the three, i.e. the Arduino, the solar panel and the battery, together so that the Arduino is basically driven by the battery but as the battery discharges, the solar panel would charge it. What circuitry do I need? Also tell the specifications of the solar panel.

I saw the power4home.com has simple solar panel instructions, but it is an expensive book. I did not see his dvd series on youtube, but if you can find that that seems easiest for me. If there is something close enough online free I will appreciate those links also. THANKS

I have a solar panel which can turn a 6 volt DC motor with efficiency, but when I tried to use a 2.5volt ordinary motor, it did not turn. Can you give me any help in identifying the possible defects?

In the quest to turn my garage 'green' I started with a purchase of a Sunforce 60 watt solar panel charging kit. I already own a 12v 15amp charge controller that I bought from Green Energies. The Green Energies controller is bigger than the kit supplied so I'm currently using this one. My questions; The Green Energies charge controller is supposed to have a blocking diode in it. When I put my volt meter on the leads going back to the panels (panels dis-connected, controller still hooked to battery) I'm getting approximately 10 volts. Should there be any reading at all? I went out this rainy morning to see if there was any power coming from my panels. To my surprise I read 8-10 volts (depending on cloud cover). This leads to my next question. It is worth adding a boost converter? I suspect the amperage would only be that of the incoming voltage, not what it is boosted up to.. Close? If my guess is correct, my 5amp (system at full power, rated at 24vdc), would only be about 1.6- 2 amps @ 8- 10 vdc. I also suspect the controller is stealing some amperage. 0.5 amps??? That should leave me with at least 1 amp coming in and giving me a 10 amp day. Not bad for a rainy day. Right, wrong or hopefully close? I'm not seeing my battery come up to full charge. I'm using a marine deep cell acid battery from my boat. Every 5 years I replace it to insure the boat will start as needed. Paddling that craft back to shore is not an option. One reason could be the fact of the battery being 5 years old and it will never get back to full. Second I believe would be the draw going back to the panels at night. Will the panels draw power?

How do you store the energy you get from solar panels. Tell me what device or part i need to connect to the solar panels to store the energy to use it later on in the day aftter the sun is out?

Hi. I am a student who yearly participates in a solar boat regatta, and is wondering how he can boost his panel's rate of energy... collection. I have thought of trying reflectors, and am wondering if this would work. anyone know, or have a better idea?

I have a commercial solar panel that has burned out cells.  I figure this is a great candidate for overhauling.  I notice that the cells are protected with what appears to be clear silicon with a clear plastic covering, Tedlar or Kevlar?  Anyone know where to get large quantity of silicon for large pour of covering?  It would appear to me that after the cells are assembled the silicon would be poured and then the plastic cover placed on top and the some sort of rolling pin or squeegy to smooth out, this would be better than plexiglas laid over the cells,  hail could hit it and not break anything.

Hello I have a question. I am searching for a possibility to build a solar panel at home. I only find E-books that you need to pay for. Do you know if there are any free offers ? I mean something really simple, like these Ebooks because I am not really a Handyman. :D Do you know if this site is trustable www.selfmade-solarpanels.com and if it is worth to buy one of these Ebooks ? I really dont want to spend that much money but I am really interessted in this topic and I am not so good in searching the Internet for the right sources or collecting them in a way I can really build something out of this mess of Information at the end :confused:. thank you in advance

Currently i am working on a 12V solar panel. the solar panel will be charging up the battery of 12V7AH. The problem is that by using the solar panel,the voltage often to be fluactuating down until 10V. How can i make the voltage remain constant at 12V?

If i must using 17.5volt solar panel to charging battery 12v 72ah, what should need to apply between both of the item?

Hello everyone, I am doing a project for my class and it is a solar lamp project. I was wondering if anybody knew how to make a simple solar charging station. I want to use  3 of 1.5 W/4.5 V solar panel from radio shack as a charging station. I was just wondering how I would connect this together and charge the rechargeable batteries from the solar panel charging station.

Hi Guys, Would anyone able to help me understand what is the structure of the solar panel?? I am wondering what is that blue or even sometimes black sheet where a certain lines that look likes a aluminum or silver is? Is it the Silicon or not?? Guys help please. Thanks Best

Is a 6v solar panel (260 mah) enough to charge 4 AA NIHM battery? The four batteries in serie amount to 4,8 volts, and  fully charged they can amount to 5,5v. I'm planning to add a diode, that can drop the voltage by 0,2v.

 Would a magnifying glass/lens increase the amount of solar energy to a solar panel/cell? or would it just block the rays? i'm a bit confused because people haven't done it before and because people put glass (and silicon) in front of solar cells all the time.

I have a new video about equatorial mount for solar panels. If equatorial mount is turned slowly at the right constant speed, then the panels point at the sun all the time. I also have a diagram about something to get that constant slow speed. I have it done this way to avoid wind damage. I think if you did it this way and had a sump pump to pump the water back up every morning the thing could be  automatic, cheap  and very accurate. Brian

Hey Indestructible Instructables!I have a small solar panel that came with a headlamp. The headlamp was stolen but I still have the small solar panel that came with it. I was wondering if it would be possible to have the panel function as a phone charger. The panel has a micro USB (male) connector so I went to Best Buy and purchased a micro USB (female) to USB Type-C (male) adapter (my Galaxy Note 9 has the type C connector). I plugged the panel into my phone using the adapter but nothing happened. I know it's not the panel or the adapter because I tested both on different things just to make sure. I have attached links of everything I'm using. So is this project a complete wash?The panel: https://hybridlight.com/products/the-headlampThe adapter: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/digipower-re-fuel-3-3...

I have built a solar panel as a fun little project, now it has come upon a big problem. The solar cells that I am using seem to have a higher amperage output and a lower voltage output in high intensity sun while having a high voltage and low amperage output in medium and low intensity sun. This poses a problem as my batteries were able to recharge during late winter and early spring but now are not able to recharge when there is the most energy to be captured during the summer. The average voltage during high intensity is about 11 while the voltage during medium or low is around 12.5 and 13. I want to know if there is a way to create a transformer to step up the voltage or create a voltage regulator that can withstand 13 amps so the battery can recharge properly. A link or any suggestions would help.

I want to lear to make a solar panel for a science project

Plz add info for me on solar panels because im doing a project and i need lots of info! :)

it should discharge very small amount of energy

Hello, I have 5V solar panel which will charge my 18650 3400mah Panasonic 3.7V battery. I will use Voltage step up to 5V and I don't know which diode should I use between panel battery? I have all these diodes. IN4148 Diodes IN4007 Diodes  IN5819 Diodes IN5399 Diodes  FR107 Diodes  FR207 Diodes IN5408 Diodes IN5822 Diodes

I am looking to output electricity from a solar panel made of tin foil. I don't mind how small the voltage is for, with enough time, I can make a massive amount of them and create the needed voltage. Is it even possible? I want to try using just basic materials like tin foil, cardboard, wire, tape, etc. etc. All replies are appreciated!

Here I have 2 questions inside a question. 1. How to connect 2 or more solar cells/panels; series, parallel or some other, third way so....for example if I have 3 solar cells that give 5 Volts each, I connect them in some way and in the end have 15 Volt coming out... My question is hot to connect the solar panels to the the output described??? 2. Now that I have, for example 15 Volts coming out from these 3 small panels, I need to store that electric energy somewhere...So would a diode just to ,point, the electricity and a ultra capacitor to store it ,or does it have to be a circuit that involves rechargeable batteries and a special recharger circuit.

Hi, I'm building a solar panel project that may use the charge battery and so on. As solar output is not consistent, I have a capacitor array to store charge before deliver it to the end devices. However if the solar output power is lower than the end devices(example charging phone) power load, it will probably on and off since the solar output is not enough. I would like to use by capacitor array to reduce the on and off rate by design a Schmitt trigger or perhaps it a flip flop circuit. For example if my Solar panel max voltage is 12v and my  device using 5v thru a voltage regulator that need min of 6v. So I would like to design a circuit to do this 1) When capacitor array discharge to 6v, terminate the circuit to regulator. 2) Wait for the solar panel to charge the capacitor up to 12V 3) Upon reach 12 V, allow the current to pass thru regulator again. Repeat step 1 I tried so search Schmitt trigger circuit but I cannot find the suitable one as most Schmitt trigger  is with a Vref and signal input. Since my voltage input(capacitor charging and solar panel) is variable, I do not have Vref. I still believe it can be achieved, perhaps my mind stuck at one concept only

Hi i was watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBWi3NtND68   ( using a bottle filled with water to reflect light inside the house ) may be someone can can use mirrors or magnifier to run a solar panel inside the house and do more than just light . ( heating water , spread lights to other rooms ,cool the house , etc ... ) thanks Michael

I'm doing a solar panel cell phone battery charger project for school using a 9V, 3.3W solar panel that I bought from here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-3-WATT-9-VOLT-SOLAR-PANEL-3-3W-9V-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel-/130612072684?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash;=item1e691610ec (I can get around 8V under a light bulb and 10.5V under sunlight.) The circuit is shown in the picture with four, 1/4W resistors because the output is going to a USB cable. The regulator I tried at first was a 7805 from radioshack I noticed I was getting exactly 5V on the output, but only getting 1.5mA of current on the output of the regulator. I've tried the MURATA 78SR, Fairchild LM317T, N.S. LM1804IS, and a few others specifying 5V and 1-1.5A of current but I still only get 1.5mA of current on the output (I need at least 500mA). The phones I'm testing will charge, including a ipod classic, but I'm afraid that the 1.5mA of current is far too small and will damage the battery. I have yet to try using 3W or 5W resistors but I still don't think it would help, I'm also considering using a boost converter to get the current up (also the voltage) and then feed that output into the 7805. Am I doing something wrong? Can I get around 1A of output current from the 7805 by doing something else?

Hey guys. Im trying to have a fading led that only turn on when there is no light sensed by a solar panel that would probably be attached to an Analog Input. I'm trying to figure it out but I just can't seem to find a way to make it work. I also need to figure out how I'm supposed to plug a solar panel into an arduino UNO since it is not like a battery and only has a + and - wire. Heres my program: int light = A0;    //light acivated part int led = 9;           // the pin that the LED is attached to int brightness = 0;    // how bright the LED is int fadeAmount = 5;    // how many points to fade the LED by // the setup routine runs once when you press reset: void setup()  {   // declare pin 9 to be an output:   pinMode(led, OUTPUT); } // the loop routine runs over and over again forever: void loop()  {     // if there is light, dont run code   if(analogRead(light) == 0){     // set the brightness of pin 9:   analogWrite(led, brightness);      // change the brightness for next time through the loop:   brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;   // reverse the direction of the fading at the ends of the fade:   if (brightness == 0 || brightness == 255) {     fadeAmount = -fadeAmount ;   }       // wait for 30 milliseconds to see the dimming effect      delay(60); }    }

Please give me ideas &procedure; to construct a solar panel & solar cell which can produce more electricity. Tell me how it works and also give me list of necessary parts required for construction with circuit diagram. Also tell me where can i get those parts easily & also tell me alternative methods and alternative parts that can be used.Please respond with your ideas immediately so that i can construct it effectively for my exhibition.

Hi seen your ads on google very enlightening. Was wondering if you could advise me. I have 2 strip lights that i run off my 1000w invertor poweredby a 12v car battery that dies after a while. My kids bought me 2 x 20w solar panels12v. Can i just join the negs and positives together from the panels and connect straight to the battery neg and pos or is more involved. I also have another battery I can join too,Would i need diodes and a controller also? thanks in advance Dougie

I want to know if it is possible to run a one horse power electric motor 120 volt off a solar panel and in turn it runs a generator that would produce enough electricity to make a difference on my bill. The solar calculators say I can only save about $60 a month.... off my 3 to 4 hundred dollar bill. The motors I am talking about is the type used for turning water pumps ... they last for years...   

I recently purchased two 6v panels from Radio Shack, and was hoping to do some experiments/learning with them wired together, but I can seem to generate any readings when they are connected. Positive of one, to the negative of the other. Any help is appreciated.

The well pump is currently hocked to a designated 15 amp 220 breaker in my main panel the pump specs mention that the maximum amps required  is 59. I wanted to run solar power to a dedicated panel box with breakers etc the line for the  pump would be 15 amp 220 as it is now WHAT SIZE SOLAR PANELS WOULD BE REQUIRED plus what other materials are necessary??? Thank You

 I got a window type 3/4 Horsepower Air Conditoner and the afternoon sun is cooking me up like an oven in my apartment.  I could place a solar panel by my window and use that energy to cool my room.  I work at nights and if can enjoy 3 t0 4 hours of cooling to get some comfortable sleep.  Around 11 noon to 3pm.  It would be bliss.

My husband is very handy and just got a lot of forced time off (no more job). I am trying to convince him that we can put in a system that he builds for less than the multi-thousand dollar systems that are available from installation companies. He doesn't believe me that this is doable. "If it was that easy and cheap, everyone would be doing it." Can you help me with some facts that will prove I am right?

We've had an interesting discussion spanning several months on the efficacy of this instructable's approach to heating: https://www.instructables.com/id/Foil-Solar-Panels-for-Windows-VERY-Easy/ The conversation has gone long and isn't really that appropriate for the comments there so I've moved it here. Summary: The approach described in the instructable is to create a thin metal panel that hangs inside of one's window, which is heated by the sun's radiant energy. Convection then carries the hot air next to the panel up and circulates it within the room. The question is whether this approach provides a warmer perceived environment than simply letting the light into the room. As I see it, the question has two components. First, which one nets more heat energy inside the room? For an average room, the light will be scattered many times before a tiny fraction reflects back out the window. A flat foil panel as described in the instructable would have to be extremely absorptive to match this level of energy capture, because it gets only one bounce for its capture and also must capture the heat in an extremely small thermal mass. For this part of the question, not having a panel seems the likely win. The second part of the the question is more complicated. What is the perceived temperature in the room, given differences between convection heating of the air versus radiative heating of objects and surfaces in the room? On this count I'm unsure, but it seems that radiative heat contributes more to human comfort (see this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_radiant_temperature). If that's true, the panels lose again. Discuss!

Parabolic dishes are favoured because they are "perfect". Unfortunately they are only perfect if they are kept constantly pointed at the sun. In practice this is very hard to do. A better shape would maintain good reflection of the sunlight for a long time without moving the dish.I think I have found useful easy software to help with this design work. It is called art of illusion and you can see my first results and a downloadable scene file to help you get started on step 12 of this instructable https://www.instructables.com/id/Make_a_quotcompoundquot_parabolic_solar_cooker/Brian White

Cheap

I want to get these 12v solar battery chargers they come with alligator clamps to hook to the battery. i want to get enough for 200 volts so how would i hook the solar panels in series, and do i need a controller for each battery? and how would i rig that up and how can I get it going into all the 12 volt batteries without any damage to the batteries etc. And can this be done for less than $400 if the solar panels are $30 each and the batteries are $14 each. THANK YOU!!!!  THANK YOU!!!!  THANK YOU!!!!  THANK YOU!!!!  THANK YOU!!!! oh and could you give me links for all the stuff I'm gonna be buying. THANKS!!!!

I bought a manual from Aqua-luna.org about making solar panels. I've been misled and ripped off. The first two solar panel technologies are not viable for home power generation. The screen printed PV panels may be. There were listings of materials and a copy of a patent application along with some hand written notes. Not much else. There's absolutely no way that a person with electrical and fabrication skills could make printed PV panels from this document. I tried there msn address, no response. I posted a message in their forums, no response. Beware.

I bought a manual from Aqua-luna.org about making solar panels. I feel like I've been misled. The first two solar panel technologies are not viable for home power generation. The screen printed PV panels may be. There were listings of materials and a copy of patent application along with some hand written notes. Not much else. I need to know how to layout the collectors that are printed on the substrate (glass) how to mix the materials that are being screen printed etc. I would be helpful to have a ball park figure on the output so that I could determine if it will be cost effective. I have fabrication and screen printing facilities and will be making panels for personal use. I need a 3-5 kw system (big I know)

WHAT I have to do.. How to charge battery and give all such loads. How To make Solar Panel Really Working for my home