Meet Matt Gilliland: 30W Solar Panel Kit Creator (seeking application ideas!)
Ken Gracey
Posts: 7,401
Hey all,
For many years Parallax has worked on and off with a gent by the name of Matt Gilliland. You'd probably recognize his name from the Microcontroller Application Cookbook publications. He also wrote the original What's a Microcontroller text for Parallax and the Inkjet Applications book (used to accompany our Serial Inkjet Printer hardware kit). Matt's a fairly quiet guy and a great listener with all the right tools to do what our customers want him to do. So, welcome Matt!
Matt is working in Parallax for the next several months to create applications around the new 30W Solar Panel Kit. We are interested in your input for the applications side of our new kit. I'll ask Matt to post here and tell us what he's doing with the project.
Thanks,
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
For many years Parallax has worked on and off with a gent by the name of Matt Gilliland. You'd probably recognize his name from the Microcontroller Application Cookbook publications. He also wrote the original What's a Microcontroller text for Parallax and the Inkjet Applications book (used to accompany our Serial Inkjet Printer hardware kit). Matt's a fairly quiet guy and a great listener with all the right tools to do what our customers want him to do. So, welcome Matt!
Matt is working in Parallax for the next several months to create applications around the new 30W Solar Panel Kit. We are interested in your input for the applications side of our new kit. I'll ask Matt to post here and tell us what he's doing with the project.
Thanks,
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
Comments
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-MH
I'd love to replace the lights in my workshop with something solar powered.
(Even if it takes more than one kit to pull it off.)
OBC
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New to the Propeller?
Visit the: The Propeller Pages @ Warranty Void.
If you are charging batteries you only need to monitor the current. Maximum current = maximum charge.
I'd be willing to help with that application.
Bean.
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Use BASIC on the Propeller with the speed of assembly language.
PropBASIC thread http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=867134
March 2010 Nuts and Volts article·http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/prop/col/nvp5.pdf
·
I can't imagine that you would actually do this, but let me tell you the story anyway and maybe there is something close that you could bite into.
I have a Chrysler (Crossfire...circa 2004).· I live in a cold climate.· On two occasions, separated by·a couple of·years, I left my dome lite on and completely drained my well worn battery at temperatures approaching zero degrees Kelvin.
When this happens... it is impossible to get into my car.· Nothing works... you can't even open the doors with a key.· I wasn't about to replace a window, couldn't wiggle my way into the engine compartment.· My only choice was to·wait for the next warm day... when like magic, the doors would open and I could take my battery to the dump.
Warm days in mid-winter don't come around that often... it is fairly embarrasing.·
There must be other reasons to have a solar panel in a car... but for me... emergency power ... to tweak my car battery just a tad...which I could control with a remote of some kind would would be the best.·
My ex has an emergency battery supply in her car, but she can never find the power supply... so it just sits there.· I think she would have trouble losing a solar panel... It also gets pretty hot in the summer around here.· She has a solar powered window fan... but what she needs is a solar powered airconditioner... just to keep the passenger compartment from boiling.
There seem to be a lot of car crazies around here... anything automotive· would be a hit.
Regards
Rich
One thing is a solar water heater controller. You have a solar heat collector on the roof, a heat exchanger in a water pre-heating tank (prior to the regular water heater tank), and an anti-freeze solution circulated with an electric pump (in case the roof gets below freezing, can't have water!). And pump/controller powered with a solar electric panel.
So you would want to circulate the antifreeze solution when the temperature of that was more hot than the water temperature in the pre-heat tank. Otherwise pump off.
Another thing is you can buy a 500 watt window air conditioner. (Very low wattage so far as window air conditioners go.)
I would like to buy say 1000 watts of solar electric panels, an inverter, and then always have this window air conditioner running during the summer "when there was enough power available to power it". So "on" when enough power available, "off" if not enough power available.
It would not cool the whole house, but would remove some heat and would reduce my normal air conditioning costs with it running most of the day.
Solar electric panels are very expensive, but by doing something like this, it could be more affordable. And·I want to avoid batteries because they don't last long and cost a fortune to replace.
·
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Searider
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John R.
Click here to see my Nomad Build Log
Certified to UL1741 1st Edition: 2005 version CSA 107.1 CSA 2 C22.2 No. 107-1-01 general use power supplies
Utility monitoring, islanding protection UL1741-2005 / IEEE 1547
From...
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/172/p/2604/pt/23/product.asp
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
1uffakind.com/robots/povBitMapBuilder.php
1uffakind.com/robots/resistorLadder.php
Post Edited (Zoot) : 3/2/2010 8:21:53 PM GMT
Great ideas already - keep 'em coming!
As I mentioned in another thread, I think that the solar industry as a whole, has matured to a whole new level.· It's evolution as an industry has been facinating (a long story that I won't get into here).
Think of this·thread as a *wall* - throw your Solar Dreams on it,·and let's see what sticks!
Any and all thoughts are welcome, let's see what ideas (and new products!) we can come up with...
Remember, the downside is that all solar energy is generated by a Nuclear Power Plant...
The upside?· The·Plant is 93 million miles away, and requires no maintenance nor waste disposal·
-Matt
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Matt Gilliland
Post Edited (Matt Gilliland) : 3/2/2010 8:24:07 PM GMT
I second Bean's suggestion of a Prop based MPPT, but since Parallax is so mechanically adept, how about some kind of servo based sun tracking system to maximise the solar collection?
Such a system could just tilt the cells inside a much deeper case. I see this as one big advantage of the kit form, vs an off the shelf completed fixed unit
cheers
tubular
This·will be an excellent learning tool for folks just getting interested in solar power that may not understand or know about the basics. So maybe a project that will demonstrate output versus temperature, shading, various cell configurations to optimize charging different battery voltages, explain Voc, Isc and the other solar power lingo.·Maybe use the extra solar cell, a BS2,·a servo and a·couple of·sensors to build a simple tracking device to demonstrate the advantages of tracking.
My 2 cents.
Dave E
·
In practical terms, I would like to see the solar panel kit charge batteries and maybe you can make a smaller version to power Prop 1 and 2.
Another challenging aspect would be to mount the solar cells or make it the skin of an airplane.· Self powering aircraft is something that has proven hard·to do·in ·'do it yourself projects' because of the added weight and they might break but it looks like something I would at least experiment with.· You might use a resin or epoxy to add strength but be careful you don't glue your fingers together.
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Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, 3.0" LCD Composite video display, eProto for SunSPOT
www.tdswieter.com
I'm currently towards the end of a very long, painful home rehabilitation. As a result, there are any number of projects I would love to implement in my house. Most of them revolve around the Propeller, and the use of microcontrollers. I was lucky enough to be able to wire the house to death. I have CAT5e all over the place, and plan to use it for low voltage power supply and data transmission.
I could foresee having one of your 30W kits mounted to my roof, able to supply all of my house's microcontroller power throughout the day, with the addition of some batteries, of course, for the night. My suggestion would be a kit along those lines. It would be great if each step builit upon the previous, starting with the obvious of getting the panel live, all the way towards having it able to supply an amp or two of 5-12V of power for any given hobby needs. It would be really neat to have all of my hobby projects "off the grid".
-Parsko
I will also, third Bean's suggestion of a solar tracker. A self powered solar tracker that can communicate with a wide variety of control circuits for main panels would be an ideal project.
ps. side note to Bean: have you read Ender's Game?
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Andrew Williams
WBA Consulting
WBA-TH1M Sensirion SHT11 Module
Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge, Mar 20, 2010
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Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
Follow me at http://twitter.com/ParallaxKen for some insider news.
-dan
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Arguing with myself--sometimes me, myself, and I don't always agree.
(Former) Caterpillar product support technician
We have a panel destined for our own rooftop...the plan is to have a link on the parallax.com product page that connects through Xbee to two boxes (one contains a BOE and the other·has a PropProto)·located on the panel.
Obvious things that the demo Solar System·should do:
·· a.· Provide power to both a BOE, and PropProto Board.
·· b.· Measure and log current and voltage.
·· c.· ???· (...what? ...help me here!)
-Matt
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Matt Gilliland
c. Temperature ... ambient temperature and Cell temperature
d. Output power relative to the angle of the Cell as it relates to the angle of the Sun
e. ???
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1569339/wally-yacht-hermes-rich-people-boat-design
I hope its light weight and strong, for putting it into space for amateur
space program applications. If not, give details on how to lighten it
and strengthen it.
I would also like to know how to build simple electronics that feeds
back electricity into the grid so my electric meter runs backwards
and lessens my electric bill.
Let's see a sun tracker system using BASIC Stamps and a Propeller,
so the panel can follow the sun for maximum efficiency.
Let's see a facts section, with longevity, cleaning, supporting
electronics, connecting together, filtering, changing DC into AC,
and details about what it can deliver when the sun is behind
clouds (light, medium, heavy).
Using smaller sections of the solar panel.
Using the solar panel to communicate over long distances.
Spectral performance of the solar panel.
A performance section regarding the panel when under artificial lighting.
Cover stats regarding various forms of light, sunlight, florescent, incandescent,
high intensity, etc.
Cooling applications using the panel.
Using the panel indoors versus outdoors. Window mounting.
Performance through window glass?
Through plastic?
Can combined reflections of sunlight have significant effect?
Battery electricity storage projects and circuits.
How many hours of day collection will equal how many hours of use at night at given rates.
Some rooftop mounting details so it can survive strong winds,
(how strong?), some interface information for lights, appliances,
etc.
How to coat it with anti-reflection coatings to enhance performance.
Details on running BASIC Stamps and Propeller chips. Section
on increasing output, with mirrors, Fresnel lenses, tin foil
reflectors, and magnifiers.
Section about heat and UV, IR damage, degredation, etc.
Ways to increase the life expectancy.
How to assemble the cells into other configurations (box,
rectangle, sphere, various single plane formations)
How to stack cells for minimal footprint using the technique
of solar feeds.
How to use solar panels with parabolic reflectors.
How to beam electricity from the solar panel to a remote location.
How to feed and route electric from the rooftop panel to the basement.
Construction and use of a transformer to extend performance.
Section about using the solar cell panel from remote locations
to assist remote projects that are internet controlled.
How to hide the solar cell and bend sunlight to reach it using
sunlight benders.
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humanoido
*Stamp SEED Supercomputer *Basic Stamp Supercomputer *TriCore Stamp Supercomputer
*Minuscule Stamp Supercomputer *Tiny Stamp Supercomputer *Penguin with 12 Brains
*BASIC Stamp Supercomputing Book *Three Dimensional Computer *StampOne News!
*Penguin Tech *Penguin Robot Society *Toddler Humanoid Robot Project
*Ultimate List Prop Languages *Prop-a-Lot *Prop SC Computer - coming soon!
*Prop IB Hypercomputer - under development *Robotic Space Program
Post Edited (humanoido) : 3/4/2010 9:25:32 PM GMT
There would be no need to replicate all of what is in something like www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9531, but a how-to to create a small, highly portable 12 VDC power-plant would an interesting contribution. Think backpack or QRP operations; or self-sufficient response to things like Katrina, Haiti, or other infrastructure problems; or even power for a mountain or hunting cabin.
daniel
Prop Based(Spin Program) - Solar Calculator Program to :
- Calculate average power available to your device, over time(from the battery's)
- Calculate how much sunlight is available daily to recharge your batteries.(average)
- Calculate the extra weight your adding to your device by panel, cell.
- Calculate how much charge is left in the battery's (in real time with the aid of a A to D converter)
- Determine how many panels/ kits you will need to power your device, home etc. (volts, amps, watts)
- Calculate what size battery bank you will need if you want to go completely off-grid.
- Calculate just how much money solar energy has saved you to date ( show parts /kit costs vrs savings: over a day, week, month , year etc..)
- Calculate how many trees you saved
- Life-cycle - Determine which panel/cell will need replacement due to a lack of efficiency, over time and when to replace them.
etc................
Just key in some details and press calculate!
Right now we're not thinking of a battery on the roof, simply because our battery charger circuit isn't real yet. (and I'm not sure what we'll gain with a battery since the panels' main purpose is to demonstrate its power production real-time through a link from the product page).· When the sun shines, power is produced...when nighty-nite, the system is put into really-really-really low-power standby...(aka "off")
Ambient temperature is easy, cell temperature not so much (the panel is sealed from the elements), but perhaps a pod or sticky to the backside of the Polycarbonate would give us something close?· Humidity and pressure too perhaps?·of course, V and I, and with a RTC, angle of incidence to the sun data would be cool (that would be shown in the power curve).
Your thoughts?
-Matt
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Matt Gilliland