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Solar recharging of domestic batteries?

 
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 05 1:33 pm    Post subject: Solar recharging of domestic batteries? Reply with quote
    

With so many things using AA and AAA batteries are there any solar battery recharges about? If not would it be possible to connect a solar panel up to a normal charger or even to charger for larger batteries such as cordless power tool batteries? I've seen the solar car battery savers that are advertised to trickle-charge a car battery so I would think something should exist but how well do they work?

Andy B



Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 05 1:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Solar recharging of domestic batteries? Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
With so many things using AA and AAA batteries are there any solar battery recharges about? If not would it be possible to connect a solar panel up to a normal charger or even to charger for larger batteries such as cordless power tool batteries? I've seen the solar car battery savers that are advertised to trickle-charge a car battery so I would think something should exist but how well do they work?


They had a small solar battery charger at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales but it was expensive.

sally_in_wales
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Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 05 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We've got one that was about £7 and takes 4x AA batteries, works a treat propped up in a sunny window (car window is often a good place)

Andy B



Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 05 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl

Have a look inthe shop section under solar products.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45376
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 05 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

a car battery may be trickle charged with a solar panel . then using the 12 volt supply power the aa/ aaa charger . this is an always available system for charging domestic batteries , it will work with fast chargers for convieince and stores energy for later even if you have no batteries to charge when it is most sunny . you can also charge phones like this using a in car charger of the correct voltage for your phone .

dougal



Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent
PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 05 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There are plenty of products like this
https://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31712&doy=25m11D

But note that to charge a pair of modern good 2400mAh NiMH rechargeables would need 12 hours of strong summer sunshine...
and save rather less than 1p worth of electricity - which considering the inputs to make solar charger, sadly isn't going to make a very significant contribution to resisting climate change...
Batteries don't hold very much energy. But modern electronics can do wonders on that meagre supply.

Lozzie



Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 05 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I read this on another forum and it made me smile -

" A 16-year-old boy invented a hamster-powered mobile phone charger as part of his GCSE science project.

Peter Ash, of Lawford, Somerset, attached a generator to his hamster"s exercise wheel and connected it to his phone charger.

Elvis does the legwork while Peter charges his phone in an economically and environmentally friendly way. "

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