A solar charger harnesses solar energy and converts it into electrical energy to help charge batteries and other devices. These solar chargers are portable and surprisingly easy to make as well.
Solar battery charger helps in charging batteries and other devices. The mechanism they work on is quite simple, they employ solar energy to supply electricity and thus, powers the device. These 12v solar battery chargers are simple to build and then you can use free power forever! Building a solar battery charger not only supplies you with free electricity but also contributes to reducing pollution. Moreover, a solar battery charger makes complete use of renewable source of energy rather than wasting non-renewable sources of energy. Children can also build this charger as part of their science project and thereafter, use it to charge their iPods or music players.
How to Build a 12v Solar Battery Charger
You Will Need
- 12v solar panel
- Electrical wires
- Small 12v portable battery
- Few machine screws and nuts
Procedure
1. Firstly, locate a place in your house where the sun shines brightly. It can be your window pane or somewhere in your veranda. Once you have located a particular place, install the solar panel there. Make sure it is the area that soaks up maximum sunlight. Your solar panel will produce 100% wattage output if you place it in direct sunlight.
2. Cut two pieces of wire of the same length and strip the insulation, (may be half an inch) from the ends of each wire. Connect one end of each wire to the small portable 12v battery, just like in the picture above.
3. Now if you notice, the portable 12v battery will have two terminals. One is positive (marked as “+”) and the other being negative (marked as “-“). And the same signs are present on the solar panel as well. You ought to know this, because connecting the wires to the right terminal becomes easy then.
4. Attach the free ends of the wires to the solar panel terminals, using screws and nuts, so that the terminals hold the wires firmly. While doing so, make sure you have attached the ends of the wires to the two opposite terminals. For example, if one wire end is wire in attached to the positive terminal of the battery then the other end should be connected to the negative terminal of the solar panel.
5. You are almost done! The solar panel will soak up the sun’s energy and convert it to electrical energy. This electrical energy will be stored in the portable battery. Once the battery is fully charged, detach the wires from the battery and you are free to use the battery to charge other devices!
6. The only drawback with these solar battery chargers is that, it becomes difficult to identify, if the battery is fully charged. Determining the charge of the battery is important, as if the battery gets overcharged, its life is damaged significantly. To avoid this problem, you can use a charger controller to ensure that the battery is not overly charged and that correct voltage is used to charge the battery.
Uses Of 12v Solar Battery Charger
- A 12v solar battery charger can be used to charge your mobile phones, mp3 players, iPods and notebook PC.
- You can also plug in your electricity-powered bike or cigar lighter to charge it when it is not in use.
- Countless 12v appliances like coffee pots, pans, electric kettle and fans can easily be charged with this 12v solar battery charger.
- 12v solar-powered battery chargers, to some extent, can be used to charge torches and calculators as well.
You can also change the voltage of the battery and build a battery that can charge appliances with higher power voltages as well. Using solar power makes you a proud contributor in preserving non-renewable sources of energy and harnessing the renewable resource of sunlight to its full potential. Make an eco-friendly choice!