solar power bug

solar power bug

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A recent evening of conversation over a few cups of coffee with several like minded survivalists prompt me to attempt to devise an economical solar charging system. My goals in this project are to decrease my current electric bill by employing an alternative means of providing necessary lighting for my home.

When I originally began thinking about this project I considered one of two sources as a means of generating this required electricity. One source was by use of wind while the other was with solar cells. Wind power was desirable for the fact that it would provide charging ability even in the dark of even. However, due to the lack of an abundance of wind in our area I made my decision in favor of solar power. Perhaps in the future I will consider a wind generator for supplemental winter use.

After making up my mind to build a solar powered generator system I laid out the basic framework for a small system along with a rough process for achieving my desired end results. I figured a cost of about approximately $300 to $350 for a small functioning unit. When I say a small system I am not kidding you. If the proposed 20 watt solar panel were to receive 5 good hours of sun per day it would generate 100 watt-hours of electrical energy. Now, suppose you are using a 12 Watt CFL light bulb. That would provide you with the capacity of 8 hours of light. The brighter 25 watt units would last you for 4 hours only. Since we use batteries to store the solar energy we would be effectively storing about 400 watts at a time.

Solar panels can be picked up at just about bargain prices these days. A 12 volt solar panel can be had for approximately $150 to $175 dollars. Along with the panel you will need a charge controller. An effective one would be the SunGuard 4 ampere unit. These are readily available around the internet at a low cost of $25 dollars or less.

Let's take a few minutes to talk about batteries. A 32 amp-hour battery similar to those found in our automobile could run $60 or so, however, if you are trying to build an efficient system you may wish to consider the higher quality deep cycle batteries. Although they may initially cost you upwards of $250 dollars each they will long outlast the usual car battery.

Your next item of interest will be a DC to AC power inverter. A simple one with a capacity of 175W would be sufficient. You will likely spend about $30 dollars for this type of inverter. If you are considering DC lighting only you may not even want to include this in your list of parts.

Don't forget an inexpensive voltage meter so that you can monitor the load that is being placed on the solar generator. This is not an absolute essential however, it is highly recommended.

You have finally assembled all the parts that you will need to build the unit and it now becomes necessary to consider where you will place them. I would suggest a small dog house type structure or a shed where you can store the batteries and monitor their activities. Batteries will require weekly maintenance at any rate and it's always nice to have everything arranged neatly in its own place. Naturally the panels will be mounted on the roof of your home.

Use the wiring diagrams that is supplied with your solar panel for the manufacturer knows best in this regards. Make certain that your solar panel is wired accordingly to match the nominal voltage rating of the solar charge controller as well as your batteries. Don't try to save a few dollars by eliminating the charge controller. This unit automatically prevents overcharging of the battery and acts as a safety device. When connecting your system together make certain you observe the proper polarities at all times. You will destroy the controller if it is hooked up incorrectly.

After laying out these plans for a homemade system, I chanced upon a kit that is slightly more powerful and costs approximately the same amount. The kit does not include batteries however. The kit of which I speak is the Sunforce 50044. This is a 60-Watt kit that has everything already included for you. The kit is designed for use in cabins or homes as a backup power source. When assembly is completed the unit can withstand winds of up to 50 miles per hour. Included in the kit are four of the company's 15 watt panels complete with a mounting frame, a 200 watt inverter, the 7 Amp charge controller and all the associated writing and installation hardware.

Incidentally it doesn't matter which you use, whether you create your own from scratch or purchase the kit both are well capable of operating a laptop or one of many small appliances and not just light bulbs.

Since this will be an ongoing experimental project I plan to initially start out with recording my daily electrical consumption for light bulbs. I will track what wattage is being used and when they are turned on and off. This will give me a usage figure. In many cases the wattage of bulb being used is usually too large and results in a waste of energy. I will follow up with another ongoing report next month.

Copyright @Joseph Parish

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Preparations for possible economic collapse (Solar Power in your bug out bag)