Solar Battery Charger Projects
With an increasing global emphasis on green energy, solar panels have been receiving a lot of attention. They are relatively simple to use and operate, and with a little invention can become very practical devices. This is especially true when we consider the solar battery charger, and some projects, which make use of it.
The Charger
The most obvious use for a solar charger is to replenish batteries. Assemblies that accomplish this are often extremely simple, but depending on the ability of the user can become very intricate and intriguing. The basic charger is simply a higher-voltage solar panel connected to a lower-voltage battery, but in order to achieve optimum efficiency several steps can be taken. A fun and challenging project for adults and children alike is to create a charger that will charge several batteries at once, as efficiently as possible. By experimenting with the way in which solar panels and batteries are connected in serial and parallel, it is possible to change the voltage of batteries chargeable and the rate at which they are charged. It is even possible to use inverters and other devices to make a charger that operates efficiently during cloudy weather, where many solar devices will simply cease to operate.
As an exercise in applied mathematics and circuitry, with the potential to create a way to power devices 'off the grid', this project is both educational and useful.
The Car
A useful way to teach children about the advantages and operation of solar cells is to have them develop a solar 'car'. This can be as simple as a solar panel attached to some motors with wheels, mounted on a Styrofoam core, but like the charger above lends itself to lots of room for customizability. Solar car competitions are actually held at a variety of education levels, from middle school to university, and trying to build your own model (or encouraging children to) can help you understand the principles and challenges of applied solar energy. Moving devices, unlike stationary chargers, often face very difference challenges and can be interesting to explore.
The Home Improvement
The most ambitious application of solar charging technology is arguably that of powering your own home. Applying solar energy to your house requires a number of vastly different considerations: how do you get power on a cloudy day? How do you protect your cells from the elements, or what do you do if you have more power than your house is demanding? A project like this gives you the opportunity to experiment with power 'dumps' (essentially home batteries), inverters, and a variety of configurations to optimize the efficiency of your own home. This also has the arguably most tangible reward: all your power comes free. Definitely a fitting challenge for any home-improvement guru or techie, as it offers unlimited room for invention.