Make A Wind Turbine

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Many people know that solar chargers are a good alternative to non-renewable sources of energy, but not everyone has found out how simple they are to build. The purpose of this article is to explain important information about different types of solar battery chargers, including how to put together your own.

Generally speaking, a battery charger is a power supply that sends electricity of a certain voltage to a battery. The battery is connected to the charger, and disconnected after it’s fully charged. If you want to charge a 12 volt battery, you can plug it into a 15-18 volt power supply. However, this type of system poses the risk of overcharging.

When overcharged, a battery’s life is likely to decrease. A badly overcharged 12 volt battery may even lose its ability to hold a charge. Fortunately, you can use a charge controller to ensure that the correct voltage is used to charge the battery and that the battery isn’t overcharged. If you’re using a 12 volt solar charger, you’ll probably want to be able to leave it connected throughout the day while the sun is shining, and thus a charge controller is a necessity.

For 12 volt batteries, the most common type of charge controller is the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) type. In simple terms, this type of charge controller functions by turning a switch on and off rapidly. Initially, the switch stays “on” more. The switch gradually spends less time in an activated state as power is transferred to the battery, and when it’s fully charged, the switch remains off. In this kind of charge controller, a microprocessor chip usually handles the task of monitoring and controlling the charging process. There is no risk of overcharging with a PWM charge controller, even if you leave it connected to a battery indefinitely. Topping up a battery in this way is called “trickle charging,” and it will allow you to make sure that a battery is completely charged for whenever you happen to need it. If you’re using a 12 volt solar charger, it’s useful to have a feature like this. 12 volt batteries for boats and RVs are often charged in this way, for example.

A 12 volt solar charger is no more complicated than that. The source of the electricity is the only thing that differentiates a 12 volt solar charger from a standard 12 volt battery charger. As one would expect, a solar panel is the source of the power for a solar battery charger. If you want to save money, building a DIY solar panel to use in a 12 volt solar charger is a great way to go. To learn more, take a look at DIY Solar Panel.

Usually, solar panels used on houses contain 1/2 volt and 3-4 amp solar cells. If you’re using these types of cells, you’ll need to connect many of them to generate the 15-18 volts needed to charge a 12 volt battery. Currently, there are small solar panels of numerous different voltages on the market. Matching the voltage of the solar panel to your charge controller will allow you to create a working solar battery charger. On each charge controller, you’ll see a voltage rating, which tells you the correct voltage. A solar panel of 15-18 volts is usually a fairly safe bet if you’re unable to use a charge controller for whatever reason. If you are using a charge controller, the required voltage is precisely that – required. One great guide to building your own 12 volt solar charger is GreenDIYEnergy. To read my article about it, visit Green DIY Energy Review.

The method for wiring the solar panel to the charge controller depends on certain factors within the controller. Identify the type of connector used on your charge controller, and solder one onto the solar panel. If you can’t use a charge controller, you can use the same type of connector that’s on the battery. With respect to clamps, the spring loaded type are a good choice for larger 12 volt batteries. Even if you’ve never done soldering before, this procedure would actually be a good place to start, as it’s a very easy one. A soldering iron and solder, which you can find at places like Radio Shack, are all you’ll need to do this. Just twist the wires together, use the soldering iron on the wires, and touch the solder to the wires until it melts. As long as you’re careful not to burn yourself, and remember to heat the wires and not the solder itself with the soldering iron, it’ll be a simple process. Another great guide to building a DIY 12 volt solar charger is Homemade Energy. For more information, visit Homemade Energy Review.

It’s really that simple! Building a 12 volt solar charger is fairly simple as well. First, you’ll have to get a 12 volt battery. Making sure to get one with the appropriate voltage, you’ll also need a charge controller. Next, you’ll require a solar panel that also outputs the appropriate voltage for the charge controller – you can build one yourself or buy one. Then, just connect the solar panel to the charge controller, then connect the charge controller to the battery as outlined. Once you’ve done this, you’ll have permanent, free power! By using solar energy instead of oil to charge your battery, you’re helping cut pollution and dependence on foreign oil, and saving yourself a lot of money in the long run.

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The rising cost of energy is making more people think about off grid living every day. It is now entirely possible to disconnect from the power grid and make all of your own energy. Many people are generating their own electricity with solar panels or wind turbines and accommodate all of their power needs, if their system is correctly sized. By producing some of your own electricity, you can take at least a small step towards off grid living.

We will discuss solar power first. Even in remote or harsh places, solar panels can be a great option for supplying power. The only thing you need is some hardware and lots of sun. For the do-it-yourselfer, the best guide to building a diy solar panel is Review of GreenDIYEnergy.  Solar power systems can be big or small and can even be portable to take in your RV. Solar panels are tough, require very little maintenance and can last up to 20 years if properly cared for.

Some number of solar panels wired together are primary part of any solar power system. Solar panels in the northern hemisphere should be facing directly south for the highest power output. Some solar power systems use panels that rotate so they always point directly at the sun, though with more recent solar panels this is less important than it was with older panels. With more recent solar panels, stationary panels work quite well as long as they are pointed directly south and at the correct vertical angle.  For an article about how to build your own solar panel, check out Build Solar Panel.

Direct Current (DC) electricity is produced by solar cells and can be used to charge batteries to power any DC appliance. Charging batteries can be useful to provide power when the sun isn’t shining, like at night after the sun goes down.

If you want to provide electricity to Alternating Current (AC) appliances like you typically have around your home, you will need a power inverter. The power inverter will take power from both solar panels and batteries and convert it into AC electricity.

A wind turbine can also be used to generate the power that will enable you to begin living off grid. Modern wind turbines are fairly small and very efficient and can be mounted on a tower, a pole or in some cases even the roof of your house. One advantage of a wind turbine over solar panels is they can generate power all day and all night as well. A wind turbine can generate power as long as the wind is blowing.  For information about making a diy wind generator, check out Earth4Energy Review

You can install both a wind turbine and solar panels together. This can give the best of both worlds and the same batteries and power inverter can be used with both. At night the wind turbine can produce power as long as there is a breeze and on calm, sunny days the solar panels can take over and generate electricity.

For people wanting to live the off grid lifestyle, either of these systems can provide enough power. They will let you take your first step towards completely pulling the plug.

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