Small Scale Solar Generator Basics
Solar energy generators are surprisingly simple technology. I believe that most people can learn and build their own solar generator. As a disclaimer I would like to say that I am not an electrician or an electrical engineer. Electricity can be dangerous and deadly. I am simply explaining basic theory and giving my own personal experience. Before deciding to build your own device you must research electrical safety from other reliable sources.
There are 4 Basic Components of Solar Energy Generators
1. Solar Panel
This is the device that converts solar energy into DC electical energy. A 12V panel however may produce up to 20v and as little as 0V depending on the amount of solar energy that it is receiving. You can technically directly power a USB or 12V Car Outlet from your panel. But the varying voltage could potentially damage your electronics, and you could only power them when the sun was out.
2. Battery Bank
A battery bank allows you to store excess electrical energy that you are not consuming as it is being produced. This also allows you to use energy at night or when the sun is not bright enough. I will be talking mainly about deep cycle, sealed, lead-acid batteries because these are the most cost effective option for a small scale system like ours. The main downside to lead acid batteries are their weight.
3. Charge Controller
A charge controller does what its name implies. It will convert your varying voltage from the solar panel to a stable voltage that can charge your batteries and power your DC outputs safely. It will also prevent your batteries from being over charged. Many charge controllers also have DC Outputs that you can use to power USB or 12v Car Outlets.
4. DC to AC Invertor
This device is necessary if you would like to use any AC power such as regular home wall outlets. I will not explain the differences of AC and DC in detail, but you can find this information explained by performing a simple google search. However, it is important to understand that there are two main types of electrical energy known as Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). DC's voltage does not vary with time which means that 12V DC will be a stable 12V constantly. AC's voltage however is based on a sine wave and varies up and down. You can imagine that a regular 120V AC house outlet actually outputs in the range of +120v to -120V depending
on the time. View the chart for a better visualization.
An inverter converts DC to AC. This allows you to take your DC Battery voltage, convert it, and power AC wall outlets. There are two types of inverters that you can potentially use. They are modified sine wave and pure sine wave inverters. A modified sine wave inverter will ouput a curve that approximates the AC sine wave voltage. They are much cheaper, but they can damage certain sensitive electronics. Pure sine wave inverters match the sine wave almost perfectly. These are the best choice based on performance, but the cost is almost double.
There are 4 Basic Components of Solar Energy Generators
1. Solar Panel
This is the device that converts solar energy into DC electical energy. A 12V panel however may produce up to 20v and as little as 0V depending on the amount of solar energy that it is receiving. You can technically directly power a USB or 12V Car Outlet from your panel. But the varying voltage could potentially damage your electronics, and you could only power them when the sun was out.
2. Battery Bank
A battery bank allows you to store excess electrical energy that you are not consuming as it is being produced. This also allows you to use energy at night or when the sun is not bright enough. I will be talking mainly about deep cycle, sealed, lead-acid batteries because these are the most cost effective option for a small scale system like ours. The main downside to lead acid batteries are their weight.
3. Charge Controller
A charge controller does what its name implies. It will convert your varying voltage from the solar panel to a stable voltage that can charge your batteries and power your DC outputs safely. It will also prevent your batteries from being over charged. Many charge controllers also have DC Outputs that you can use to power USB or 12v Car Outlets.
4. DC to AC Invertor
This device is necessary if you would like to use any AC power such as regular home wall outlets. I will not explain the differences of AC and DC in detail, but you can find this information explained by performing a simple google search. However, it is important to understand that there are two main types of electrical energy known as Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). DC's voltage does not vary with time which means that 12V DC will be a stable 12V constantly. AC's voltage however is based on a sine wave and varies up and down. You can imagine that a regular 120V AC house outlet actually outputs in the range of +120v to -120V depending
on the time. View the chart for a better visualization.
An inverter converts DC to AC. This allows you to take your DC Battery voltage, convert it, and power AC wall outlets. There are two types of inverters that you can potentially use. They are modified sine wave and pure sine wave inverters. A modified sine wave inverter will ouput a curve that approximates the AC sine wave voltage. They are much cheaper, but they can damage certain sensitive electronics. Pure sine wave inverters match the sine wave almost perfectly. These are the best choice based on performance, but the cost is almost double.