Making simple solar panels in poorer countries
If you are not from a poor country, maybe greenenergy.offer4you.org products, about bigger systems, might be of more interesting. I don’t have any personal experience of their products. They look interesting. If any of you follow that link and try the products, I’d like to hear what you think. If the products are a disappointment and you describe convincingly why, I will remove the link. This video is an introductory film from Graham Knight about DIY Do It Yourself construction of solar panels (by cutting up large commercial sheets and adding simple connections) suitable for running radios and mobile phones in developing countries. His site: biodesign.webeden.co.uk He has made a better presentation of this project here: www.youtube.com
Tagged with: appropriate • panels • solar • technology
Filed under: Solar Panel systems
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Having been a physics lab teacher and demonstrating ITC at meeting I know that worry!
Most PV panels produce for ordinary visible light so I would think it’s “just” a question of getting enough intensity.
Unless the panels themselves are the special feature (very high voltage?) it would seem to me that you just have to have a battery backup in case of no sun.
Nice!
Showing people how to make simple solar energy devices in poor countries is a great idea, but even in poor countries people want more energy than illustrated here. Training people how to improvise usnig low cost equipment is good and also showing them modern energy efficient devices could be something to aspire to, Mr Solar Energy
I want to make a house wiht solar energy but I dont want to have a batery ¿ it is possible? ¿ and the battery is a bad idea because polution and duration? Is a ilegal house, in spain it is impossible for students and “the young” to buy a house. Indeed I,m architect and I,m poor. If I want a home and energy I need to make it myself and the gobern dont let me. It,s very strange our situation, people resolves the problem with debt, and they need around 30 years of wok with no other costs to pay
It,s impossible, 10 years studing and our future is beeing poor and never have a home. I need a revolution or I will comite suicide.
I’ve heard of studies that have found that no matter how much people have (even the very rich) they feel like they need about 30% more.
Not sure what you want here.
One comment: many battery are discarded when only one or two of the cells are shot. One can put together usable packs from them.
There is also the possibility of waking up some types that have gone dead. See one of my videos about that.
The present system can’t continue. There will be radical changes. Keep studying. There are good things to be found even now.
Here is an idea…
You can power up a lazer with a solar panel right?
You can also take power from a solar panel right?
Well why dont you just combine them and forget about batterys and the sun?
In each step some energi is lost, So you wind up with less than you started with.
A Laser sends out less light energy than the electrical energy you put in. A solar panel can only capture a small part of the lights energy as Electricity.
how are you going to “combine them” if you “forget about the sun”?
run that audio through a low pass filter!
I agree that that would have been a good idea. But seeing as I’m behind with more important stuff, I’ll leave it as it is.
Nice one Graham. It works, and it’s simple. So as usual the people who can really make things like this happen on a big scale will ignore it and look for something more complicated. Oh dear, now I’m being cynical.
how many Volts generate that cell ?
I believe the panel that I got from Graham a few years ago gave 6 volts. (It will vary some with the load.)
how did you run the wires to the cd rom disk, thanks
I’m not sure what you are asking about. This video was one Graham made to put on a CD that we was sending to people participating in the project. He mentions CD rom only in that connection.
It should be possible to power a small batterie powered CD player with a solar panel by connected to the “battery eliminator contact”. But it might be safer to charge batteries and put them in, in stead. (but some energy (cirka 30%?) is lost in going via batteries).
@gkodovas dude are you serious, that wouldnt work! haha perpetual energy.
Yes well to some people this si nothing it is vary gripping to me I see just one little tiny panel that can do it all instead all you see is a video that doesn’t show you how to make Solar panels? Maybe he wants you to think about it and how simple and how easy this would be but at anyrate I liek this video the best Vary good show.
Hey Pops, more info please…
@WICKEDMAN9MM
Have checked the info under the video? Have you followed the link to his other video?
If you need more info, you will have to ask more specifically.
@WICKEDMAN9MM
Since you asked about soldering etc, maybe you would like the clip at YouTube videos=me31AjA2vZU which shows how to salvage broken solar panels.
@swahili77
If you don’t get to the right video , search “GreenerBusiness 20: Broken Solar Panels” or use /watch?v=M4ITGZ6s_sE
(Sorry, don’t know how I got that other video ID. Too bad we can’t put in links directly here.)
oldies can still save the world!