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| Amazon Link to Product in Image |
I had donated blood recently & was sent an Amazon gift card, so I used it + a coupon to buy this super cool battery bank with a folding 6 watt solar PV array with USB-C output so that I can charge my portable electronics with solar energy ^^ I am very excited to test this in worst case conditions in fall / autumn & winter!
This is only 6 watts of solar PV best case, so its not going to charge fast and can only generate tiny amounts of electricity. Its better as a battery bank for a reasonable price, with the benefit of a solar PC backup charing solution to keep a smartphone or smartwatch charged, possibly charing a very power efficient laptop or tablet- albeit probably slowly.
Most backpackers use a 30 watt folding solar PV charger kit that they use metal clips to attach to their backpack. If you plan on charging a portable camping "Battery Generator" go for 60-200 watt kits! This kit really just a power bank with solar assist. I am sure I can accomplish charging my Apple Watch Series 8 with it & giving my iPhone SE2 some juice too & will leave it solar charging on the window sill when I am not using it- it will be fun to see how it does collecting solar energy with such tiny solar panels!
Tiny size was the trick for me, I wanted something very small with good energy storage density. Solar PV function more a novelty, I live in Washington State, where sunlight not exactly abundant! You can use other solar charging kits to pump PV electricity into the LiPo batteries of the power bank part, through the USB-C connector!
I look at life like a giant game or continual DIY experiment with many avenues to pursue. Energy conversion & electricity have been lifelong fascinations & I think electrical energy the most interesting of all forms of energy, especially because of how electricity energizes information online, on the internet, on websites, for online banking, for e-commerce on Alibaba, Amazon, Ebay, Etsy & many other online stores. I have a soft sport for solar electric battery charging conceptually.
Converting natural daylight into DC current to charge LiPo or lithium polymer batteries in electronics. I also like solar PV rooftop solar energy systems like the one our cousin Todd has on his home over 10kW output, in Arizona, but cooling his home with AC still racks up a summer utility bill of $400+ per month, even with all that solar PV energy being directly used by his AC compressors, as the home has two units from the upstairs & downstairs. Todd & his wife live in the American Southwest or Sonoran desert area, a hot arid area with very limited annual rainfall, many very hot summer days & warm sunny dry weather for most of the year. Dust storms are common as wind sweeps over the dry arid landscapes nearby.
From lithium ion battery recycling to chipset & rare earth magnet recycling, we are going to develop a cleaner sustainable society on Earth, reducing ignorant pollution & other greed driven antiquated toxic emissions & similar pollutant emissions. We will make more clean renewable electricity with nuclear fuel breeding reactors & nuclear fuel reprocessing, fertile to fissile element conversion & other applied science physics technology treats becoming feasible faster & cheaper & more available so that it will become popular & trend & emerge with widespread worldwide diffusion, installation & utilization to replace coal power, natural gas, gasoline, diesel & other petrochemical combustion energy that makes toxic pollutants that are harmful to human health & bad for nature & ecosystems!
Solar Battery Bank Cost Analysis
Assuming an acquired cost of $50 (including time to find the item searching), the 6 watts of solar, 1.5 watts x 4 panels & 26.8 Ah LiPo battery + case & LED & switches / we can assume a BOM of around $21 for this given low cost of such PV modules, cost per wh of lithium polymer battery & injection moulding casing, mass produced LED module & switches, so with the coupon & gift card I likely got it for near BOM or balance of materials cost, the raw cost of what its made of & overhead costs of making it in high volume production since surely more than 10,000 units of this item were made during its production run in China, that the typical minimum quantity run production quota for a custom product contract manufactured by the OEM manufacturer for the brand // Riapow (see link to Amazon Seller) https://www.amazon.com/stores/Riapow/page/6C1C029D-6AF1-4E35-945F-70C03668BB3A?ref_=ast_bln
Item $42.99 || Prime Free Shipping $0.00 || Coupon Clipped -$4.30 || Pre-Tax Total $38.69 || Sales Tax $3.91|| Gift Card -$20.00 [O- bloodworks donation gift card] || Aaron Paid $22.60 out of pocket / That's about $1.5 / watt solar PV & represent a huge cost decrease in solar PV technology over time as can be observed in the wikipedia solar power history timeline I adapted into this post, further down.
Solar PV Backup Power / Solar Battery Generators
I observed in the news all the devastation & fallout in Florida, from the recently hurricane impacts, that wiped out homes, businesses & infrastructure. Thousands of people are now homeless, all of their stuff gone. Homes, vehicles, clothing, appliances, devices, all their furniture & everything else they owned, washed away by hazardous high velocity hot wind with lots of water, wet winds of great intensity, category 5 storms.
Climate Change Making Storms More Powerful
Hurricanes are some of the most energetic natural systems period & with climate change & global warming, in part from global CO2 emission from burning carbon or combustion of fuels & biomass & other flammable substances worldwide, are making storm systems more energetic. That means longer droughts, more intense flooding, more powerful tornados & hurricanes, more forest fires, more natural hazards & disasters of greater negative impact & higher costs.
Think trillions in losses worldwide, millions of people displaced, agriculture destroyed, forests burned down, swamps flooded, streets & homes & buildings washed away, blown away by heavy winds & super heavy rains. Its getting worse every year, just the the social fabric of society because of social decay caused by the reverse racism exhibited back whacked out people like those SJW's or social justice warriors. In a small way this may have encourage by purchase of an emergency backup generator & solar battery bank charger. If the power turned off for a long time, most people will die. The only reason we are able to have ~9 billion humans alive at the same time is because of complicated fragile technology like electrical grids that can be easily taken out by natural hazards, earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical storms & other fallout inducing phenomena!
So, perhaps having a little portable solar backup battery like the device in the header of this posting to charge your smartwatch & smartphone are not a bad idea, it can even charge my M2 MacBook Pro / my portable blend & pain reducing red & near infrared handheld laser, wireless earbuds & other USB-C gear, even if the power is out for an extended period due to a winter storm power outage or natural hazard power outage from an earthquake or similar natural disaster!
Great Solar Battery Value
26.8 Ah or amp-hours, that's a lot of lithium polymer batteries ^^ Wow, these battery banks have sure improved in the last few years. I remember thinking an 8 Ah power bank sounds high capacity. Then again, if you consider a 100kWh electric vehicle battery, these little handheld devices are tiny energy scales. As batteries continue to improve, so will the range of electric vehicles. Some US states already passed legislation to ban the sale of new gasoline & diesel vehicles by 2025.
Solar Rooftop EV Charging
I have had a soft sport for solar electric charging & solar PV tech for most of my life. Converting natural daylight into DC current to charge LiPo or lithium polymer batteries in electronics just seems cool! Many homes with rooftop solar PV arrays also contain Level 2 EV chargers that the owners of the home use to charge battery electric vehicles like a Tesla Model S, 3, X, Y etc // many electric vehicles are now available from nearly all the automakers & the more will become available soon. Electric motorcycles, scooters, even personal mobility assists or last mile devices, rideable & electrics toys, electric bicycles or E-bikes, electric kick scooters or E-scooters, even some that you can rent on demand with an app on your phone on the go, like LIME scooters! I have the app on my phone but have not rented or used one yet!
Renewable Solar Power Trending & Highly Popular Worldwide
Solar electricity production trending & very popular with the general public & considered widely as the darling of the renewable energy options for installed capacity to improve power grids with distributed production, especially solar photovoltaic arrays, some large arrays at the utility level with MW or megawatt output, usually for 2-5 hours per day as the Earth' rotates the panels out of the sunlight. Clouds & storm systems can also block sunlight from reaching the solar panels. This is why have battery energy storage capacity connected to the solar PV very important to improve capacity factor & uptime & availability.
Old Solar Power Technology
Solar PV not a new technology the way many people likely think! Have a look at wikipedia information on the history of solar power! Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_solar_cells
This is an amazing science history related to solar power technology development, a form of applied science & technology with contributions from leading thinkers & geniuses all around the world & massive investments from huge corporations & governments. The economic implications of more installed photovoltaic capacity made possible by radically cheaper solar panels making solar an ideal combination with energy storage technologies of which there are many options.
Many new emergent energy storage technology better than pumped hydro, the only GW class tech currently used, are being developed & installed & tested & trending for future expansion. I am forecasting a 10,000% increase in solar PV module installation worldwide by 2050! I can see & imagine all windows upgraded with solar windows that pass visible light 80% or better while generating hundreds of watts per window, anytime light hitting the windows. That the window solar power will be used to energize homes heating & cooling systems, appliances, electronics & other devices, including & especially charging electric cars, electric vehicles of all kinds charged with solar energy ^^
History of Solar PV Innovations
So the photovoltaic effect Becquerel notices 1839, then photoconductivity of selenium Smith' finds 1873, confirmed by math of Maxwell & Tait 1874, further elucidated by Adams & Day at the Royal Society 1877. A thin gold layer coated with selenium 1883 by Fritts with 1% efficiency converting sunlight into DC current. The dye sensitized photo electrochemical cells reported by Moser 1887. Einstein writes a paper on the photoelectric effect in terms of quantum physics in 1905. Then in 1918 Jan Czochralski develop a inert gas shielded smelting furnace method to grow giant single crystals of metals, adapted to by Teal & Little. 1948 to make mono-crystalline silicon wafers, later P & N ion doped & silver current collector wires attached to harness the electrons trying to on the N layer trying to make it to the holes in the P layer, diverted as DC current into electrical circuit loads to accomplish useful work as photovoltaic electricity created by sunlight impacting the Mono-crystalline silicone photovoltaic solid state energy conversion cell wafer slice!
Then CdSe 1932 by Audobert & Store still in use by First Solar in huge grid scale solar panel array installation of the MW or GW class output. 100 years after grids made the first solar panel by coating thin gold film with selenium, worldwide photovoltaic production exceeds 21.3 megawatts & $250 million in sales in 1983, the year I was born! As of 1999 1,000 megawatts of installed photovoltaic capacity online worldwide! CIGS & Amorphous silicon, thin film, flexible PV panels with little plastic dimples to increase solar capture at oblique angles. We are entering an era of unmatched solar PV cost value thankfully!
- 1999 - Total worldwide installed photovoltaic power reaches 1,000 megawatts.
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- 1839 - Edmond Becquerel observes the photovoltaic effect via an electrode in a conductive solution exposed to light.
- 1873 - Willoughby Smith finds that selenium shows photoconductivity.
- 1874 - James Clerk Maxwell writes to fellow mathematician Peter Tait of his observation that light affects the conductivity of selenium.
- 1877 - William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day observed the photovoltaic effect in solidified selenium, and published a paper on the selenium cell. 'The action of light on selenium,' in "Proceedings of the Royal Society, A25, 113.
- 1883 - Charles Fritts develops a solar cell using selenium on a thin layer of gold to form a device giving less than 1% efficiency.
- 1887 - Heinrich Hertz investigates ultraviolet light photoconductivity and discovers the photoelectric effect
- 1887 - James Moser reports dye sensitized photoelectrochemical cell.
- 1888 - Edward Weston receives patent US389124, "Solar cell," and US389125, "Solar cell."
- 1888-91 - Aleksandr Stoletov creates the first solar cell based on the outer photoelectric effect
- 1894 - Melvin Severy receives patent US527377, "Solar cell," and US527379, "Solar cell."
- 1897 - Harry Reagan receives patent US588177, "Solar cell."
- 1899 - Weston Bowser receives patent US598177, "Solar storage."
- 1901 - Philipp von Lenard observes the variation in electron energy with light frequency.
- 1904 - Wilhelm Hallwachs makes a semiconductor-junction solar cell (copper and copper oxide).
- 1904 - George Cove Solar electric generator.
- 1905 - Albert Einstein publishes a paper explaining the photoelectric effect on a quantum basis.
- 1913 - William Coblentz receives US1077219, "Solar cell."
- 1914 - Sven Ason Berglund patents "methods of increasing the capacity of photosensitive cells."
- 1916 - Robert Millikan conducts experiments and proves the photoelectric effect.
- 1918 - Jan Czochralski produces a method to grow single crystals of metal. Decades later, the method is adapted to produce single-crystal silicon.
- 1921 - Einstein awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.
- 1932 - Audobert and Stora discover the photovoltaic effect in Cadmium selenide (CdSe), a photovoltaic material still used today.
- 1935 - Anthony H. Lamb receives patent US2000642, "Photoelectric device."
- 1941 - Russell Ohl files patent US2402662, "Light sensitive device."
- 1948 - Gordon Teal and John Little adapt the Czochralski method of crystal growth to produce single-crystalline germanium and, later, silicon.
- 1950s - Bell Labs produce solar cells for space activities.
- 1953 - Gerald Pearson begins research into lithium-silicon photovoltaic cells.
- 1954 - On April 25, 1954, Bell Labs announces the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell. Shortly afterwards, they are shown at the National Academy of Sciences Meeting. These cells have about 6% efficiency. The New York Times forecasts that solar cells will eventually lead to a source of "limitless energy of the sun."
- 1955 - Western Electric licences commercial solar cell technologies. Hoffman Electronics-Semiconductor Division creates a 2% efficient commercial solar cell for $25/cell or $1,785/watt.
- 1957 - AT&T assignors (Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller) receive patent US2780765, "Solar Energy Converting Apparatus." They refer to it as the "solar battery." Hoffman Electronics creates an 8% efficient solar cell.
- 1957 – Mohamed M. Atalla develops the process of silicon surface passivation by thermal oxidation at Bell Laboratories. The surface passivation process has since been critical to solar cell efficiency
- 1958 - T. Mandelkorn, U.S. Signal Corps Laboratories, creates n-on-p silicon solar cells, which are more resistant to radiation damage and are better suited for space. Hoffman Electronics creates 9% efficient solar cells. Vanguard I, the first solar powered satellite, was launched with 0.1W, 100 cm² solar panels.
- 1959 - Hoffman Electronics creates a 10% efficient commercial solar cell, and introduces the use of a grid contact, reducing the cell's resistance.
- 1960 - Hoffman Electronics creates a 14% efficient solar cell.
- 1961 - "Solar Energy in the Developing World" conference is held by the United Nations.
- 1962 - The Telstar communications satellite is powered by solar cells.
- 1963 - Sharp Corporation produces a viable photovoltaic module of silicon solar cells.
- 1964 - The satellite Nimbus I is equipped with Sun-tracking solar panels.
- 1964 - Farrington Daniels' landmark book, Direct Use of the Sun's Energy, published by Yale University Press.
- 1967 - Soyuz 1 is the first manned spacecraft to be powered by solar cells
- 1967 - Akira Fujishima discovers the Honda-Fujishima effect which is used for hydrolysis in the photoelectrochemical cell.
- 1968 - Roger Riehl introduces the first solar powered wristwatch.
- 1970 - First highly effective GaAs heterostructure solar cells are created by Zhores Alferov and his team in the USSR.
- 1971 - Salyut 1 is powered by solar cells.
- 1973 - Skylab is powered by solar cells.
- 1974 - Florida Solar Energy Center begins.
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- 1974 - J. Baldwin, at Integrated Living Systems, co-develops the world's first building (in New Mexico) heated and otherwise powered by solar and wind power exclusively.
- 1976 - David E. Carlson and Christopher Wronski of RCA Laboratories create first amorphous silicon PV cells, which have an efficiency of 2.4%.
- 1977 - The Solar Energy Research Institute is established at Golden, Colorado.
- 1977 - The world production of photovoltaic cells exceeded 500 kW
- 1978 - First solar-powered calculators.
- Late 1970s: the "Energy Crisis"; groundswell of public interest in solar energy use: photovoltaic and active and passive solar, including in architecture and off-grid buildings and home sites.
- 1980 - John Perlin and Ken Butti's landmark book A Golden Thread published, covering 2500 Years of Solar Technology from the Greeks and Romans until the modern day
- 1980 - The Institute of Energy Conversion at University of Delaware develops the first thin film solar cell exceeding 10% efficiency using Cu2S/CdS technology.
- 1981 - Isofoton is the first company to mass-produce bifacial solar cells based on developments by Antonio Luque et al. at the Institute of Solar Energy in Madrid.
- 1982 - The first >10% amorphous silicon thin film solar cell is reported.
- 1983 - Worldwide photovoltaic production exceeds 21.3 megawatts, and sales exceed $250 million.
- 1984 - 30,000 SF Building-Integrated Photovoltaic [BI-PV] Roof completed for the Intercultural Center of Georgetown University. Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. took 20th Anniversary Journey by Horseback for Peace and Photovoltaics in 2004 from solar roof to Ground Zero NY World Trade Center to educate public about BI-PV Solar Architecture. Array was still generating an average of one MWh daily as it has since 1984 in the dense urban environment of Washington, DC.
- 1985 - 20% efficient silicon cells are created by the Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering at the University of New South Wales.
- 1986 - 'Solar-Voltaic DomeTM' patented by Lt. Colonel Richard T. Headrick of Irvine, CA as an efficient architectural configuration for building-integrated photovoltaics [BI-PV]; Hesperia, CA field array.
- 1988 - The Dye-sensitized solar cell is created by Michael Grätzel and Brian O'Regan. These photoelectrochemical cells work from an organic dye compound inside the cell and cost half as much as silicon solar cells.
- 1988–1991 AMOCO/Enron used Solarex patents to sue ARCO Solar out of the business of a-Si (see Solarex Corp.(Enron/Amoco) v.Arco Solar, Inc.Ddel, 805 Fsupp 252 Fed Digest.)
- 1989 - Reflective solar concentrators are first used with solar cells.
- 1990 - The Magdeburg Cathedral installs solar cells on the roof, marking the first installation on a church in East Germany.
- 1991 - Efficient Photoelectrochemical cells are developed
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- 1991 - President George H. W. Bush directs the U.S. Department of Energy to establish the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (transferring the existing Solar Energy Research Institute).
- 1992 - The PV Pioneer Program started at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). It was the first broad based commercialization of distributed, grid-connected PV system ("roof-top solar") It became the model for the later CA Million Solar Roofs Program.
- 1992 - University of South Florida fabricates a 15.89% efficient thin-film cell.
- 1993 - The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Solar Energy Research Facility is established.
- 1994 - NREL develops a GaInP/GaAs two-terminal concentrator cell (180 suns) which becomes the first solar cell to exceed 30% conversion efficiency.
- 1996 - The National Center for Photovoltaics is established. Graetzel, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland achieves 11% efficient energy conversion with dye-sensitized cells that use a photoelectrochemical effect.
- 1999 - Total worldwide installed photovoltaic power reaches 1,000 megawatts.
- 2003 - George Bush has a 9 kW PV system and a solar thermal systems installed on grounds keeping building at the White House
- 2004 - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed Solar Roofs Initiative for one million solar roofs in California by 2017.
- 2004 - Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius issued a mandate for 1,000 MWp renewable electricity in Kansas by 2015 per Executive Order 04-05.
- 2006 - Polysilicon use in photovoltaics exceeds all other polysilicon use for the first time.
- 2006 - California Public Utilities Commission approved the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a comprehensive $2.8 billion program that provides incentives toward solar development over 11 years.
- 2006 - New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology - New Solar Cell Breaks the “40 Percent Efficient” Sunlight-to-Electricity Barrier.
- 2007 - Construction of Nellis Solar Power Plant, a 15 MW PPA installation.
- 2007 - The Vatican announced that in order to conserve Earth's resources they would be installing solar panels on some buildings, in "a comprehensive energy project that will pay for itself in a few years."
- 2007 - University of Delaware claims to achieve new world record in Solar Cell Technology without independent confirmation - 42.8% efficiency.
- 2007 - Nanosolar ships the first commercial printed CIGS, claiming that they will eventually ship for less than $1/watt.[28] However, the company does not publicly disclose the technical specifications or current selling price of the modules.
- 2008 - New record achieved in solar cell efficiency. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8% of the light that hits it into electricity. However, it was only under the concentrated energy of 326 suns that this was achieved. The inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell was designed, fabricated and independently measured at NREL.
- 2010 − IKAROS becomes the first spacecraft to successfully demonstrate solar sail technology in interplanetary space.
- 2010 - US President Barack Obama orders installation of additional solar panels and a solar water heater at the White House
- 2011 - Fast-growing factories in China push manufacturing costs down to about $1.25 per watt for silicon photovoltaic modules. Installations double worldwide.
- 2013 - After three years, the solar panels ordered by President Barack Obama were installed on the White House.
- 2016 - University of New South Wales engineers established a new world record for unfocused sunlight conversion to electricity with an efficiency increase to 34.5%. The record was set by UNSW’s Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) using a 28 cm² four-junction mini-module – embedded in a prism – that extracts the maximum energy from sunlight. It does this by splitting the incoming rays into four bands, using a four-junction receiver to squeeze even more electricity from each beam of sunlight.
- 2016 - First Solar says it has converted 22.1 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity using experimental cells made from cadmium telluride—a technology that today represents around 5 percent of the worldwide solar power market.
- 2018 - Alta Devices, a US-based specialty gallium arsenide (GaAs) PV manufacturer, claimed to have achieved a solar cell conversion efficiency record of 29.1%, as certified by Germany's Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.
- 2018 - The first dedicated solar panel recycling plant in Europe and "possibly in the world" is opened in France.
- 2019 – The world record for solar cell efficiency at 47.1% was achieved by using multi-junction concentrator solar cells, developed at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA. This is above the standard rating of 37% for polycrystalline photovoltaic or thin-film solar cells as of 2018. It was reported in a study published in 2020.
- Solar cell efficiency of perovskite solar cells have increased from 3.8% in 2009 to 25.2% in 2020 in single-junction architectures, and, in silicon-based tandem cells, to 29.1%, exceeding the maximum efficiency achieved in single-junction silicon solar cells.
- 2020, 6 March – Scientists show that adding a layer of perovskite crystals on top of textured or planar silicon to create a tandem solar cell enhances its performance up to a power conversion efficiency of 26%. This could be a low cost way to increase efficiency of solar cells.
- 2020, 13 July – The first global assessment into promising approaches of solar photovoltaic modules recycling is published. Scientists recommend "research and development to reduce recycling costs and environmental impacts compared to disposal while maximizing material recovery" as well as facilitation and use of techno–economic analyses.
- 2021, 3 July – Scientists show that adding an organic-based ionic solid into perovskites can result in substantial improvement in solar cell performance and stability. The study also reveals a complex degradation route that is responsible for failures in aged perovskite solar cells. The understanding could help the future development of photovoltaic technologies with industrially relevant longevity
- 2021, 12 April – Scientists develop a prototype and design rules for both-sides-contacted silicon solar cells with conversion efficiencies of 26% and above, Earth's highest for this type of solar cell.
- 2021, 7 May – Researchers address a key problem of perovskite solar cells by increasing their stability and long-term reliability with a form of "molecular glue".
- 2022, 21 May – The first industrial commercial production line of perovskite solar panels, using an inkjet printing procedure, is launched.
- 2022, 13 July – Researchers report the development of semitransparent solar cells that are as large as windows, after team members achieved record efficiency with high transparency in 2020. On 4 July, researchers report the fabrication of solar cells with a record average visible transparency of 79%, being nearly invisible.
How To Use A Small Solar Battery
I will be leaving my little folding solar battery bank in the window sill of a window that gets a lot of sun during the day or on the dash of my cars thats parked outside in the parking lot, so that it charges the 26.8 Ah LiPo battery when sun hitting it, such that when I wake up at 5am the next day to charge my laptop, phones & watch, when the sun is not out, the battery give off stored solar energy & pump it out of the USB-C port into my digital electronic gear!
Solar in Seattle
Often times around here near Seattle, Wa, USA, cloudy weather or raining & solar energy available low, especially recently as the sunlight has been blocked by forest fire smoke & soot. It looks foggy outside & been like that for weeks because of forest fires nearby. It has not rained for over a month & that's producing arid dry conditions that are not typical, higher temperature weather, & other drought factors that make forest fires worse. They believe this particular forest fire was not natural, some careless person not putting out their camping fire or similar sparked it unintentionally.
Public Signs Powered by Solar Battery Systems
Solar battery charging often used to keep PBA or AGM storage batteries fully charged. Many crosswalks & pedestrian crossings & other lighted roadway markers & signs are equipped with 50-200 watts of solar PV panels mounted in ridged aluminum brackets & tilted at a ~30 deg angle facing southward to optimize solar energy capture, which is connected to an MPPT charge controller & batteries to store the solar energy & this system thus utilized to energy LED lights in motorist & pedestrian signage & displays near roadways & sidewalks, especially near schools. The feasibility of such a system depends on the at location cost of accessing grid power, the cost to connect to a local utility line.
Wired to Grid of Solar Battery Setup
If the cost of wiring in the fixture to the grid excessive, a solar battery energized fixture often becomes cheaper to install in that specific location. Often times this blink lights or warming displays are located away from buildings where the electrical utility accessible. Digging up the street or breaking the concrete, sometimes adding a grid connection for a low power device not sensible or cost effective. In remote locations & locations where grid power not practical to access, solar battery electric energy systems shine. Oil companies have been using solar PV battery energy systems in remote oil production sites since the 1970's. Solar battery systems are very common on space stations & space satellites.
RV Solar Roof Energy Capture
Many RV's have solar panels on the room which energize or charge large format batteries used either directly or through inverters to power electrical appliances or loads inside the RV, that way people living in the RV can have internet, charge their smartphones & other electrics, power the fridge & microwave & stove top & water heater, though often water heating accomplished by propane combustion since that less expensive that premium solar electricity.
Solar Systems in Africa
When I was working at Batteries + Bulbs, sometimes an African merchant who exports goods in shipping containers, would come in looking to purchase large format 8D truck batteries of around 220Ah capacity, under the Duracell label, made by DEKA in the USA. They told me their customers in Kenya, Ghana, the DRC & other states in Africa, would hook up a few Solar PV modules, several hundred watts of Panels to the tops of their homes, running the wires down to a MPPT charge controller connected to this large format lead acid batteries. A 220 vac 50 hz inverter was connected to the batteries & appliances were plugged into the inverter.
Thus solar energy captured by the PV panels & stored in the large battery were used to energize the inverter to make power to energize appliances like microwave ovens, fridges, wifi routers hooked up to 4G LTE modems, to charge their android smartphones & windows laptops, to recharge their electric bikes or e-bikes. These low cost improvised home solar energy systems are common in rural parts of Africa where there is ample sunlight & no electrical grid or electrical utility to connect with. So distributed rooftop solar energy the default way to make electrical energy, stored in batteries so that power available 24/7/365, even when the sunlight not shining on the panels.
Watts Solar PV to Ah of Battery
1:1 or 2:1 or 3:1 depending on how far away from the equator !
Usually I recommended a ratio of 1 watt solar to 1 amp-hour of battery for sunny locals near the equator, such that my 36 watts of PV capacity paired with 26.8 Ah of battery similar to a 1:1 ratio. Here in Washington State & similar norther regions & locals where solar energy only available for 1-3 hours per day, I recommend that people use 3 watts of solar per 1 Ah of battery or 3:1 so that the battery can be charged up during the shorter pulses of sunlight available, on cloudy days when there is less solar energy hitting the panels, during winter storms etc. I am not using my solar kit for primary energy, its more experimental, a novelty or for recreation & testing, to keep my smartwatch & smartphone charged & possibly to charge my highly power efficient laptop, all through USB-C. The 30W panel will be connected to the power bank over USB-C. USB-C bidirectional power means you can link thins together to move energy too & from one device to another. For example, I can plug my iPhone USB-C to lightening cable into my MacBook Pro M2, since it has 2 USB-C ports, the faster newest Apple Watch inductive charging puck also has as a USB-C connector, such that I can charge my phone & watch from my laptops battery.
USB-C Now :)
I though USB-A would last forever, then the fragile stupid Micro-USB became popular & widely utilized. I literally hate Micro-USB, especially because Mini-USB way stronger & way more durable & robust, more like USB-A. It seemed like USB-A would be around for my whole life, but then in 2020 things with USB-C ports started showing up around the house. My latest M2 MacBook Pro & Series 8 Apple Watch inductive charger use the new USB-C, as does our blendjet portable blender bottle, Medic Therapeutics Handheld Laser Pain device, Soundcore Wireless Earbuds, & other devices. Supplanting USB-A & micro-usb (I don't like it), the USB-C standard enables much higher power charging, its bi-direction meanings USB-C ports on my MacBook can take in power over a USB-C cable from a USB-C power adapter from the grid outlet connection on a 15amp 120v 60z link to the utility panel, ultimate connecting to the utility grid to a mix of energy from different electrical power plants.
The USB-C ports on the MacBook can also give out power if I plug in the Apple Watch charger so my laptop battery energy thus utilized to accomplish charging my Apple Watch. So USB-C ports can take in power or give out power. This two-way flow of energy makes USB-C more usefulness, as does the symmetrical plug that you can plug in upside down or rightsize up. The USB-C cords & connectors are also much stronger than micro-usb & similar to the strength of USB-A! It seems even Apple is going the way of the USB-C devices power port emergence. USB-C input or output / charge or dischage / power in - power out / bidirectional charging / power sharing / higher power / more energy capacity / easier to connect - its just better all around!
30W PV to Improve Energy Capture into Battery Bank
After considering the imbalance between the nearly 30Ah battery of the Power Bank above & its 6 watt folding PV generation peak, I decided to build a solar backpack power kit using a 30 watt folding PV panel to pair with the 26.8 Ah Battery Bank & its 6 watts off folding PV modules. I did hours of Amazon research to arrive at this particular 30 watt folding USB-C solar charger!
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| Link to product on Amazon |
An ELECAENTA IPX5 waterproofed ETFE portable solar PV or photovoltaic charger made with monocrysalline silicon panels featuring a micro-concave-convex design to achieve conversion efficiency of up to 24%. The PD18W USB-C fast charging works with all my newer USB devices, it also has a single QC 3.0 USB & regular USB-A port.
The charge controller inside the pouch equipped with TIR-C automatic charging that recognizing the device & delivers optimized current. Oxford-cloth backing strong & resilient while the ETFE films offer water resistance, dust resistance, fire resistance, making it extremely durable. It weights about 845 grams our around 2 pounds & folds up to the size of a tablet to place into a backpack when not in use. A zip closure pouch contains the charing ports & you can zip your phone into it for storage while the panels face the sun for solar PV charging your smartphone! You can use the 2 included carabiners to attach the unit to the outside of your backpack, tend, or vehicle - so long as direct sunlight hitting the panels!
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