DIY Solar Panel Kits
Author: Adam Sorenson
For 'do it yourself' types who are interested in alternative energy sources, but are not sure where to begin, solar panel kits are a great option.
Solar Panel Kits are usually less expensive than having a solar panel installed, both because you're doing the work yourself and because most kits are for stand alone, portable or supplemental power sources.
With a solar panel kit, you'll get a complete solution, with all the parts you need to harness the power of the sun and no tools required.
As a rule, a solar panel is fairly simple, and with your solar panel kit you will find easy to follow instructions. And the projects take shape quickly: your solar panel will be up and running in just hours in most cases.
A variety of solar panel kits are available:
a?¢ 'Mini' kits to build a system with a 5 or 10 watt output. This kit is perfect for powering LED lights and recharging small batteries, AA or AAA, and for charging your IPod, PDA or cell phone. Great for experimenting with solar for the first time.
a?¢ 'Midsized' output kits, at 20 to 40 watts. These kits allow you to build a solar panel system which can power a laptop, small TV, or even a fan. It is the perfect kit if you want to add a solar power source to your camper or for a small cabin.
a?¢ Deluxe 60 to 80 watt kits are also available; these kits are great for primary or supplemental source of power at a cabin, or as a backup power source to keep you 'online' in the event of power outages at your home.
Depending upon the source, your actual kit contents may vary, but most include:
a?¢ Framed solar panel
a?¢ Battery
a?¢ Charge controller
a?¢ Wiring
a?¢ Mounting brackets
Any of these solar panel kits can be used for great classroom or science fair projects, they're wonderful tools for learning about solar energy and its myriad applications.
So if you want to learn about solar energy, and you're handy, a solar panel kit is for you.
i really need help!!! what a good topic for solar panel for my science fair project?
Make a solar powered battery charger, say for a laptop computer battery.
What is a clever science fair title for a project about solar panels?
I am doing a science fair title about solar energy and need a clever science fair title.
“Let the Sun shine in” — from the early 70′s song.
how do i fix my solar panel? please hurry i need it for my science fair project?
my solar car works when using the Battery but when there is sunlight i connect the wires to the solar panel and it does not work……………….HELP
If that solar panel came with the car, the panel is most likely defective. Make sure you’re in bright sunlight, and try holding the car so that the wheels are not touching the ground. If the wheels still won’t turn, even slowly, then the panel is bad. If each person in the class got one, see if you can try your panel on a friend’s car, or their panel on your car.
If this is just any little panel, it could be that the panel simply does not have enough voltage, current, or both to power the motor on the car.
Where can i get a solar panel?
I need a solar panel for a science fair project and find out how to hook it up to a small fan. Can someone suggest places i can look in? I need a small one that’s less than 6” by 4”. I also need instructions on how to hook it up to the small fan. Please and thanks. Any of the questions you have an answer for, please answer.
thanks guys but i alreasy found a kit..
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062621&clickid=cart
There are lots of places, even radio shack might the parts, or you can order them on-line from RadioShack.
There are companies like Edmund Scientific that have sold things like this for science fairs for decades. For example:
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3053422
The above should be a link to a kit with a cell and suitable motor for a series of school experiments. If you want to spin a fan, you might need a larger cell. Kits from Edmund should be complete with instructions.
What is an issue or something interesting about the solar panel technology?
I’m hoping to do a science fair project on solar panels. Since energy has been a big issue lately, I was hoping to research on this topic! What are some things that I can possibly do or experiment on?
Thank you!
P.S. Any science fair related tips are also greatly appreciated!!!
It would have to be an outdoor science fair but you can from Amazon solar battery charging systems to show how it works.
Catchy science fair title for solar panels?
Haha, seriously running out of ideas (:
my project is whether using copper, glass, or silicon as the reflective surface of a solar cell increases the efficiency. D:
sunny ambitions : who reflects more of our mister sun?
i think thats a little catchy =D
I have a science fair project and need help.?
ok so I was thinking about doing it on solar panels. what solar panels work the best, i need to buy some solar panels and i have a thin film panel and nothing else. can anyone tell me where to buy any other type of solar panel.
P.S. it has to be one watt.
Try Harbor Freight or Northern Tool. I have seen 12 volt panels there to set on your dash board to charge car battery in the sun. Out put 12v about 600 mil amps. And not to expensive.
How does a solar panel work?
Please help me is for a science fair project.
I deal with these pv photovoltaic systems every day. The panels take light energy fom the sun and convert it to electrical dc power. An inverter converts dc to ac power, which is needed to provide power for a house or commercial property.
Do you need exactly how the panel works?
How do you do a solar panel?
Please help me!
it`s for a science fair project.
Science Fair HELP: Solar energy???
I’m doing my science fair project on Solar Energy: How much more cost-effective they are compared to our regular energy? How different types of soler energy panel designs compare? etc.
I need help designing a testable question and investigation—I’m in the 8th grade so i will be working with limited materials. Thank You.
Hello friend i can able to help you pls visit these links for your project
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/solar_hot_water/homes/q_and_a/
http://earthsci.org/mineral/energy/solar/solar.html
http://www.solarharvest.org/solar-energy/
i hope it will help you…..
Is there a way to measure thou output of a solar panel? like with a voltmeter or something?
for science fair im doing a project on determining weather or not the color of light affects the output of solar panels.
You would measure the solar panel in terms of the open circuit voltage and short circuit current.
Open circuit voltage – use a voltmeter to measure the voltage between positive and negative terminal of the solar panel
Short Circuit current – measure the current by inserting the ammeter between the positive and terminals of the solar panel.
FYI solar panels are modeled as a constant current source up so just make sure your ammeter will be good for the current going through it.
I have to demonstrate a solar panel indoors – what type of light do I use that imitates sunlight?
I’ve built a solar car for a science fair project and have to demonstrate it indoors. I have tried several types of light bulbs and notheing works.
What do you mean by “Nothing Works”? Do you get no voltage out of the cell, or is it just not enough to move the car?
Does it work outdoors in regular sunlight?
I would guess that yuor problem is either a) You have a bad solar panel, or b) It’s not wired properly, or c) the panel doesn’t supply enough energy to move the car.
Any kind of light should be ok for this, although it’s difficult to get a light that’s as bright as direct sunlight.
If it works outdoors but not inside, just use more lights (or higher-wattage lights). If it doesn’t work in direct sunlight, your problem lies elsewhere.
Good luck!
Help me with my science fair project– It has to do with solar panels….?
For my 11th grade science fair project I am trying to find out if the angle of light rays affects the energy a solar panel produces (for example would rays coming in at 90 degrees produce more energy than rays coming in at 30 degrees, ect.) What kind of supplies would I need to test this? I know a solar panel, but how would I measure the energy? Also where could I get the supplies? Thank you in advance.
By the way, I do not know if I am putting this in the right category I am in physics so I put it here… Sorry if it should be somewhere else.
well you can use an LED (or a few) and the brigter the LED is, the more engery you are getting.
To be frank, you get the most power out of it if it is facing the sun.
What Is A Good Web Site for buying solar panels.?
I am looking for a small solar panel so I can build a solar oven for a science fair project.
try this site : http://www.mrsolar.com/page/MSOS/CTGY/wattsort
It’s very good
8th grade science fair projects?
What are some really good 8th grade science fair project? I’m searching for science projects, but at some point it just gets too overwhelming.
I can’t have any projects that have living subjects, or mold.
I avoid plants because you never know if they will grow.
I also don’t really need this elaborate project. Just something on an 8th grade level, but nothing like building a solar panel by scratch.
Thanks for helping!
I would appreciate topics instead of websites because I’m sure most of the websites are things that I have already seen by google.
Thanks again!
These science fair sites can help. It’s hard to give exact topics because we don’t know your interests and abilities.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Resources/GettingStarted.html
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/
http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/sci_fair/science_fair.htm
http://www.scienceproject.com/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html
http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/acat_science-projects.html
Can someone help with an electrical question about solar cells for a science fair project?
I am trying to wire a solar panel to an RC car that is normally powered by 4 AA batteries. The Solar panel puts out 6 volts (which is the total of the 4 batteries, right?) but the motor is still not turning. Is it because the panel is only generating 50 mAh? I know the car works, because I installed batteries and tested it, but when I hook up the solar cell to the power wires, nothing. I know the cell is putting out power because I hooked it up to my multimeter. This is the cell I am using:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index….
regarding the rechargable batteries, I can run that type of battery in the car, would I just wire the solar cell in parallel? the battery charger I have plugs into 120 vAC outlet. I dont really understand how the solar cell would charge the batteries.
thanks for the input. I do have 2 panels so I will try various combination’s of wiring in series and parallel to see what works. and Sr_eng, thanks for the constructive criticism, but this is a 5th grade science fair project, not a nobel prize competition.
Solar cells do not produce a constant voltage, regardless of the current passing through them. They have an open circuit (no current) voltage rating (in full sunlight, usually) and a short circuited (voltage pulled down to zero) current rating. All other combinations of voltage and current fall on a roughly straight line between those two extremes.
For instance, if your solar battery produces 6 volts when it passes no current and produces 50 milliamperes into a short circuit (roughly what you measure when you connect a milliampere meter across the solar battery), then you can expect it to produce about half of the open circuit voltage when it is producing about half of the short circuit current. And that half way between shorted and open circuit is also about the best efficiency point for the battery. That means that this combination of half of maximum voltage and half of maximum current is about the largest power (volts times amperes) the battery can produce.
So to efficiently drove a 6 volt motor, you need a solar battery that produces about 12 volts at no current load, and about twice the needed motor current when it is short circuited.
–
Regards,
John Popelish
Whats a catchy science fair title ?
I need, a catchy science fair title for my project. Its about, cooling a miniature house using solar panels and wires. PLEASE HELP :/
How do you get a solar powered panel to light up a light the size of a christmas tree light?
i’m doing a science fair project and where would i get a solar powered panel to light up a light the size of a christmas tree?
If you’re looking specifically for solar Christmas lights, there is a wide variety available. They come with a solar panel that is designed specially for the strand of lights it is attached to.
Solar Panels Project?
I am doing a science fair project on solar panels, and I need four solar panels to conduct the experiment. I would only need the solar panels for a week. What type of solar panel should I get?
If you mean electric panels, your local Radio Shack should have some low power solar cells. http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2818345 The cheapest ones are about $5 each.
If you mean heating panels, this is something you can construct on your own from cardboard boxes, foil, and saran wrap. Try http://www.solarcooking.org/ for some ideas.
Is this a good science fair project?
Does artificial sunlight produce more energy on a solar panel than actual sunlight? That is the question. I was wondering, “Can this get my son a prize in his elementary science fair?”
Please reply!
I’m gonna be 100% honest and it was his idea.
Well. His and his partner’s.
By the way, he’s a fifth grader.
P.S. He is a science geek.