I built a very simple DIY solar-powered USB charger for my TP-link 10400mAh USB Power Bank. All I needed was a 6V/3.5W solar panel and the TD1410-based 5V buck converter module. I bought both of them on Aliexpress for less than $8. It was one of the easiest projects I built. All I needed to do was to connect […]
A very simple DIY solar-powered USB charger Read More »
Do not attempt this project if you are not comfortable working with line voltages! *** This projects shows how to create an IV (Current and Voltage) Tracer that can be used to teach the electrical characteristics of a solar panel. This project was created as part of an Electrical and Computer Engineering capstone project at
Create A Solar Cell IV Curve Tracer Read More »
Dresden, Germany – 8 February 2016 – Heliatek R&D teams reached a record conversion efficiency of 13.2% for an OPV multi-junction cell, setting a new world record for the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity using organic photovoltaic cells. The measurement was independently confirmed by Fraunhofer CSP. Thanks to the excellent low light and high
Organic solar cells set new efficiency record Read More »
PORTLAND, Ore.–Now before you get all excited by the headline, which is not click-bait according to the researchers, a new kind of nanoscale rectenna (half antenna and half rectifier) can convert solar and infrared into electricity, plus be tuned to nearly any other frequency as a detector. The invention was made at Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
Solar Cells Made Obsolete Read More »
It’s undeniable that South Africa is experiencing a critical electricity crisis. On the positive side, it’s forcing us to conserve and consider alternative sources of energy. My mom sponsored our household with a cheap Chinese solar panel with battery pack and LED lights to use during load shedding (we live in Cape Town zone 6
Logging harvested solar power using $15 Scorpion Board Read More »
Introduction This is an Arduino controlled light sensing switching unit. Its main use is to control solar lights to turn on when it is dark outside, but it can work in many more applications. This guide will walk you through every aspect of the building process. Prior knowledge of the Arduino unit is not necessary
Arduino Solar Day Night Controller Read More »
A team of Michigan State University (MSU) researchers has created a transparent solar concentrator able to turn any window (or other sheet of glass, such as the screen for a smartphone) into a photovoltaic solar cell. What makes this development different? The panel is truly transparent. Earlier attempts at building transparent solar cells resulted in
See-through solar concentrator harvests energy from sunlight Read More »
Ever wanted to build your own Solar Powered Raspberry Pi or Arduino system? SunAir and SunAirPlus are 3rd Generation Solar Charging and Sun Tracking Boards designed by Dr. John C. Shovic at SwitchDoc Labs. You can use this board to power your projects and add a servo or stepper motor to allow it to track
SunAir Solar Power Controller for Raspberry Pi and Arduino Read More »
This is a clock designed to keep accurate time (independent of atomic or GPS), display local sunrise, sunset and solar noon, and also adjust itself for daylight savings time. I wanted the clock to be easy to use and be flexible. The setting functions are menu-driven, you set each parameter one digit at a time
Solar-Oriented, Arduino-Powered Clock Read More »
PORTLAND, Ore. — Scientists have demonstrated a doubling of the number of electrons produced by carbon-based photovoltaic polymer potentially doubling the efficiency of any solar cell. The process called “singlet fission” produces “identical twin” electrons from a single photon, instead of the normal one, dramatically boosting the theoretical maximum output of solar cells. Instead of
Print-On Polymer Multiplies Solar Output Read More »
