Parallax solar panels??
Oldbitcollector (Jeff)
Posts: 8,091
I'm curious. Is anyone working with the Parallax solar panels?
This looks like a great item for the Parallax inventory, but I see very little mention of projects based on it in the forums. There was some initial mention of a specialist of sorts that was going to do some projects?
Solar energy is an item that has occupied a lot of my thoughts in the last few months, so I've been working on some variations here.
OBC
This looks like a great item for the Parallax inventory, but I see very little mention of projects based on it in the forums. There was some initial mention of a specialist of sorts that was going to do some projects?
Solar energy is an item that has occupied a lot of my thoughts in the last few months, so I've been working on some variations here.
OBC
Comments
By the time we put in a big enough panel to rely on during a period of overcast, we might as well run a long extension cord.
Personally, I'm waiting for the Parallax Wind Turbine, something in the 12 - 14" diameter size.
John R.
Actually, I'm thinking along the lines of using solar panels to replace my existing lighting as well as small electronics charging. I'm starting small with a panel, a deep cycle battery, and inverter.
Sounds like there are some interesting project happening at Parallax. I'm glad to see this wasn't a we'll try this for a while and see what happens product.
Looking forward to what Matt has to say about all this.
OBC
Creation of a system which fits into the top of a large window, charging a battery for use with a lamp to light the same room. Simply implementation, low cost system which could be used in any home. Presently looking for ways that this can be create inexpensively to create real savings.
Matt?
OBC
This is a use that I am particularly interested in, but I haven't done anything meaningful toward that goal yet.
If your looking for efficiency/savings it best to reduce as many weak links in the chain as possible.
In other words every time you go from one storage media to the next you introduce a weak link to the system.
If you can, it is best to grid tie directly into the system immediately as your are producing it in a 'compensation' mode of operation / thinking.
What I mean by compensation mode, is that say for example you have a 120Watt panel ... after the inverter conversion, say that it's 85% efficient, that's 102 Watts you could put directly back into the grid, or you could find a 100 Watt bulb somewhere in the house that nobody is using and turn it off. :-)
Another way of thinking... suppose you take that same 102 Watts over the course of 7 hours of good sunlight. That's 714 Watt Hours per day.
Based on our own electric bill we use about 25kWh a day (<-two girls ... hairdryers and lots of laundry)
So how many days could we run the solar, and
claim a 'free day' of electricity?
25kWh / .714kWh per day = 35 Days, so just over once a month we could claim a 'free day' or 10.4 days a year based on that one 120 Watt solar panel ... OR you simply could turn off that 100 Watt bulb that nobody is using.
I'm already there. I'm implementing sensors for the existing lights which turn them OFF when no one is in the room. (or things are still too long.)
OBC
In our current setup we have 720 Watts of Solar up on the roof (six 120 Watt Panels).
During the summer months we get about 8 hours of good quality sun ... 5.76 kWh over the course of a day
In the Winter this falls to maybe 5 hours of good quality sun ... 3.6 kWh
... So lets say an average of 5 kWh per day ... every 5 days we get a 'free day' ... or just under 2.5 months out of the year.
My initial goal was to claim my home office off-grid which amounts to about 10% of our monthly electric bill. Right now the Solar we have has exceeded that and compensates for 20% of our bill.
(65square meters apartment, single geek...)
I only use 7 and 11W energy-saving lightbulbs, have the heated bathroom floor on a timer(just a few hours in the morning and evenings, longer in the weekends).
for heating I use an 'air-air heat pump'(AC running in reverse, basically) which has an efficiency factor of about 3.7 (I get 3.7KW of heat out of it from 1KW of electricity) and when it drops close to -15degrees(Celsius) I switch it to just 'circulate' and fire up the wood stove.(the pump stops working at those temperatures. )
Of course, I have double glazed 'insulation panes' in the windows, there's 6" of glass wool insulation in the walls, and 8" in the roof.
Oh, and putting on a pair of thick woolen socks and a sweater allows me to lower the indoor temperature a few degrees, too.
Airing out is done with the windows wide open for a short period.
(Exchanges the air, but doesn't allow time for the interior walls and junk to lose stored heat)
I too would love to use solar, but...
In the winter, when I need it the most, there's not that many hours of sunlight.
(And if I lived a few hundred Km further north, past the polar circle... none at all)
A decent windmill, up to about 3' diameter, though, that I could mount in the 'windtunnel' between my house and the next...
A kit would be nice...
Last month I used about 2.1kw to run my laptop, netbook and my led reading light next to my recliner and other toys.
I figure I'd need one more 64w panel so I can run my 60w led tv at the same time.
During the summer I use solar to keep my 48v push mower and 36v weed eater charged.
-dan
Where I am at in southern California it works pretty well, even right now (and will through the winter). It's saving me a ton on the electric bill (it's stupid expensive here). I figure the system will have paid for itself in about 6-7 years.
Pharmacology is our friend...
As Linus Torvalds said: "In Finland in the winter time there is nothing to do but drink or write code".
Luckily he chose coding and we now have Linux:)
I would like to charge a pack of NiMh batteries with them but have only been able to find nicad charger schematics, My NiMh pack is 12 volts. The batteries will power the CCFL inverter for some CCFL lights in an area that has no power. I also plan to switch the lights on using the PIR detector.
With my testing the solor panels indoors on a cloudy day and the inverter connected, I got some light out of a single CCFL (I didn't test 2). So I bought a 12V regulator because I think the panels will put out about 16-24 volts in full sunlight.
How many volts will I need to charge a 10 Pack of NiMh AA batteries rated at 2300mAh (Energizer) or should they be charged in smaller sets with these panels. The batteries and lights will be about 20 feet away from the panels and protected from the elements. A NiMh recharger schematic would be appreciated as I don't want to take apart my 15 Minute charger that runs off a 16V 2.5A wall wart..