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Forum Index : Solar : Can Solar panel make more useable power?

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Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 02:15pm 09 Jun 2012
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Yup.

The best investment you could make at this power level to get more output, would be to buy a second ten watt panel.
Cheers,  Tony.
 
Georgen
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Joined: 13/09/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 462
Posted: 11:28pm 09 Jun 2012
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Thanks for replies.

Yes bigger panel is way to go.
Have plans to get few panels.

Will start with one, but cannot decide 65W 3.6A, 40W 2.1A or 35W shy of 2A

I know bigger the better, but mounting bigger panel for novice it bigger problem than something smaller.

Also, only place for panel to go will be concrete tiled roof.

First one will go somewhere close to garage and plans for it are:
Sensor activated external security lights on garage side.
Small fan to move some air
Possibly tiny sensor activated light for garage.

Secondly I would like to have some set-up for all the re-chargeable devices that creped up around. (More than dozen)

For this I will have to come up with device that can use 12V battery to do it.

If not, will waste energy converting it to 240V only to plug small transformers to change it back to 3V, 5V, 9V, 12V and some other voltages - suppose going this way will be simpler.
(Have 300W inverter and all gadgets come with transformers, even have 240V plug with 1A USB outlet for GPS)
George
 
AMUN-RA

Senior Member

Joined: 10/03/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 144
Posted: 12:50am 11 Jun 2012
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http://bjblaster.homedns.org/ have a look at what this bloke does some good ideas
Every day the sun shines
& gravity sucks= free energy.
 
yahoo2

Guru

Joined: 05/04/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1166
Posted: 04:08am 11 Jun 2012
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Thanks for posting the link Amun-ra, I have been looking for his site for ages.

I saw the kids radios a couple of years ago and could never find the site again.

BJ has the best 12 volt home grid I have seen.
I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not...
 
Xmaswiz
Regular Member

Joined: 14/04/2011
Location: United States
Posts: 69
Posted: 07:01am 11 Jun 2012
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also if you want a very simple self powered tracker go here for the DIY project
simple solar tracker http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1977-11-01/Mot hers-Super-Simple-Solar-Tracker.aspx [/URL]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1977-11-01/Mot hers-Super-Simple-Solar-Tracker.aspx Edited by Xmaswiz 2012-06-12
Santa Maria, CA.
Noel
 
Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 01:36pm 11 Jun 2012
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  Xmaswiz said   also if you want a very simple self powered tracker go here for the DIY project
simple solar tracker http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1977-11-01/Mot hers-Super-Simple-Solar-Tracker.aspx [/URL]

That gravity powered tracker is a really BRILLIANT idea, but Freon gas is no longer available, politically incorrect, and quite expensive even if you can actually find some somewhere, and it runs at quite high pressures.

A far better alternative these days is bottled Propane.
Very low cost, readily available everywhere, pretty harmless, and the pressure will be lower.
All you need is one full tank, one empty tank, and a hose to join the two.

Propane tanks are measured in Kg of gas, which is very convenient, and an excellent guide to designing a tracker.
You could first experiment with some bricks or half bricks to see how well certain weights work on your system. Figure it all out, then get two suitable sized cylinders, but only have one filled with Propane, and you are set to go.

Cheers,  Tony.
 
Georgen
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Joined: 13/09/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 462
Posted: 03:20pm 11 Jun 2012
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Thanks a lot for link and all extra information.

Never thought that 80W panel can do so much.

Have to look for good brackets for concrete tiled roof to buy or copy.

I thought of 3 core 1.5mm 240V cable, and use all 3 cores for (+)
and another 3 core cable for (-) side.
Have some cable laying around.

As cheapest 4mm single core cable is around $3 - $4 mark per metre
and cheapest 4mm double core cable about $7 per metre

Is that AGM battery long lasting one?
Or there is something that will last 20 years with gentle use?
George
 
Xmaswiz
Regular Member

Joined: 14/04/2011
Location: United States
Posts: 69
Posted: 07:50am 12 Jun 2012
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  Warpspeed said  
  Xmaswiz said   also if you want a very simple self powered tracker go here for the DIY project
simple solar tracker http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1977-11-01/Mot hers-Super-Simple-Solar-Tracker.aspx [/URL]

That gravity powered tracker is a really BRILLIANT idea, but Freon gas is no longer available, politically incorrect, and quite expensive even if you can actually find some somewhere, and it runs at quite high pressures.

A far better alternative these days is bottled Propane.
Very low cost, readily available everywhere, pretty harmless, and the pressure will be lower.
All you need is one full tank, one empty tank, and a hose to join the two.

Propane tanks are measured in Kg of gas, which is very convenient, and an excellent guide to designing a tracker.
You could first experiment with some bricks or half bricks to see how well certain weights work on your system. Figure it all out, then get two suitable sized cylinders, but only have one filled with Propane, and you are set to go.

"
Clearly, as good as the basic idea was, Steve Baer's solar tracker could be improved. Which is just what Dennis did by [1] severing the hose that connects the two tanks of freon, [2] inserting a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder, [3] mounting the cylinder's case to the supporting base of the flat-plate collector, and [4] connecting the cylinder's piston to an eccentric arm fastened to the pivoted collector itself. He also moved the shades from the outside edges of the two tanks to their insides (originally just to make the whole assembly more compact but, as you'll see, this change added a certain very important flexibility to MOTHER's tracking collector)."

also more info here detailed DIY sorry the link is broken/old






read the improvements parts, they got it working better by using a double action hydrolic cylinder to reduce both weight and improve performance.Edited by Xmaswiz 2012-06-13
Santa Maria, CA.
Noel
 
Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 12:52pm 12 Jun 2012
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If you can find a hydraulic cylinder that has very low friction and absolutely zero leakage of high pressure gas, for a reasonable price, it would have the advantage of damping out high wind gusts.
Good hydraulic cylinders, even secondhand ones will more likely cost a few hundred dollars, not a few dollars. The crappy air actuators used in compressed air applications will slowly leak Propane, and it will be about as annoying as having a very slow puncture on your car.

Whatever you use must have absolutely ZERO gas leakage, and that can be very difficult to achieve with a sliding ram, or anything that is not totally hermetically enclosed.


There is nothing at all wrong with the original very simple design of two coupled cylinders.

A two inch ram does not have a lot of piston area, and the force developed will not be all that high, until the gas pressure differential rises to quite a high figure.

Whereas Propane will transfer from tank to tank with even the most minute pressure change. And believe me, even a slight weight change at the end of a very long arm can generate a much higher turning force than a small short stroke hydraulic ram.

It is very true that the rate of weight shifting is important to ensure the whole thing is neither too sluggish or begins to hunt. Either the bore of the interconnecting hose, or a small drilled orifice restricter will give some control over how lively the response will be. An adjustable needle valve would be possible, but may introduce a point of slow leakage.

The only remaining problem may be from sudden wind gusts, and that can be overcome with one or two automotive shock absorbers.
The attachment point will determine how much friction and damping they provide, but a bit of experimentation should quickly solve the problem.

These weight driven trackers are fun to play with, and the absolute simplicity, low cost, and reliability are it's greatest feature.
Cheers,  Tony.
 
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