How To Build Your Own Solar Generator
A generator is a device that that mechanical energy into electrical energy that can be used to power household appliances like, fridges, geysers and light bulbs. Different generators use different natural power sources to generate electricity, like the sun, wind, water or fossil fuels.
Generators might sound complicated, but you can easily and simply build your own solar generator to power your home appliances or as school science project. South Africa is one of the sunniest countries in the world, which makes a solar generator the perfect choice to generate your own electricity.
What You Need
You will need to buy a small solar panel with a voltage of about 16 volts. They are relatively inexpensive and can be found at outdoor or specialty stores. Next you will need to buy a deep cycle battery of about 12 volts. Depending on what you are going to use your solar panel for, you might need to get e higher voltage battery. For example one room in a family home will need about 20 amps.
You will also need to buy a battery box to put your battery in and to cover any loose wires. Next you will need a 12 volt DC meter, this will help you monitor the charge in your battery. Batteries should not be discharged below 50 percent, and over charging can also damage it. It should be kept at about 80 to 90 percent to prolong the life of your battery.
You will also need to buy a DC input. You can find a triple outlet model at most car part stores. This will allow you to power DC appliances, like fans, hair dryers and vacuums. But if you want to run AC appliances you will have to invest in an inverter. This will convert the stored DC power in the battery into AC power that can be use to power most household appliances.
When buying an inverter you will need to calculate the watts that you will need. A small color TV uses about 60 watts and a DVD player uses 22 watts, so you will need 82 watts to have enough power to power them.
How To Build Your Solar Panel
Once you have all your parts you can start putting it all together. Use a drill to attached the meter and DC input to the top of the box. Use insulated wire to attach the meter to the wing nut terminals on the battery. Connect the negative wires first, and make sure to only handle one wire at a time. Connect both the DC inlet and the solar panel in the same way.
Close the lid of the battery box and secure it with rope or bungee cords. Put the solar panel in the sun and wait for it to charge. A new battery will take between 5-8 hours. Your solar panel will be able to power fans, radios and lights. Over time you can even add more solar panels and batteries to generate more power.
Get quotes for generators from 3Q today.