This is a little solar generator i made for camping and fishing.

It could come in handy

in a power outage as well.

supplies needed:
1.26w weather proof solar panel $30.00 (cabelas)
12v 7.5amp rechargeable sealed lead-acid battery $30.00 (radioshack)
12v socket $11.00 (walmart)
cooler $8.00 (walmart)
nuts/bolts $2.00 (walmart)
wire plugs $2.00 (walmart)
super glue $1.00 (dollar store)

TOTAL: $84.00
w/tax around $90.00

tools needed:
drill
utility knife
screw drivers
wire cutters

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step 1Cutting wires and holes
I made no exact measurements for wire length, just guestimation. using a tape
measurer i centered the panel on the lid and used the 12v socket for the hole pattern
on the side. On the lid I drilled 5 holes, 4 for the panel to mount to the lid and 1 for
the panel wire.

i
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32 Add Comment
comments

Jun 29, 2010. 4:01 PMhow to make a solar panel says:

Thats great using the cooler i must try that.
REPLY

Apr 18, 2009. 3:37 PMsscottE says:

Will this unit power a small space heater? Like the ones you find a walmart that can
fit on a desk or heat a small room? Thanks....
REPLY
May 5, 2009. 5:40 AMthemike says:
A space heater requires a considerable amount of power (most small units start at 500-
1000 watts). A small system like this would not have nearly enough capacity. From
the hugely inadequate solar panel rating of sub-two watts, it is evident that such a
heater could not be run from solar power alone, but you'd have a hard time even
running it from the battery. A 500-watt, 120V space heater draws around 4 amps from
the wall. If you want to run the same heater from an inverter, the wattage will be the
same, but since the voltage is reduced by an order of magnitude, you will now need
40 amps from the battery. Most batteries' amp-hour rating is based on a so-called 20-
hour rate, or how much capacity the battery has when discharged over 20 hours. For
this battery at 7.5Ah, the 20-hour current rating is about 400mA. At 100 times this
load, expect battery capacity to drop by a couple to several Ah, which cuts your
runtime - if it is able to run the load at all - to ten minutes or less. So in summation:
no, this system would not run a space heater. It's much better suited to small loads. To
the author, nice packaging, though.
REPLY

Apr 2, 2009. 2:15 PMhleon says:

This is a cool project. I velcroed my batt to the cooler, as that kept it from sliding
when carring. The solar panel charges slowly, needs about 2 weeks of full sunlight to
be recharged. I love it, thogh. It powers everything in my treehouse (lights, fans, etc.)
I am going to build an air conditioner this summer, so keep your eyes peeled!

REPLY

Jul 16, 2008. 6:10 PMblacknkhak says:

i did something identical to this with a trickle charger panel , a blemished diesel
battery from a local factory outlet and an old 400 watt inverter. i put the panel,inverter
and solar panel on a luggage cart and park it in the sun . When I need it i drag it to the
spot and have power on demand. the only improvement mine needed was a way to
charge it from standard household outlets. those blemished/ factory seconds batteries
are easy to get from battery outlets like interstate battery etc. the amp hour ratings are
pretty good but the sloshy old cells can be leaky. anyway the luggage cart was sort of
tippy and that big battery tended to want to sort of tip over and kind of got leaky.in an
acidly sort of way. so any way wheels are nice to have on a unit like this .
REPLY

Feb 28, 2007. 3:51 PMcrapflinger says:

pardon my ignoance...but...is the lamp (in this scenario) charging the battery that it's
plugged into via the solar panel? obviously your concept isn't to power the lamp
right? it's to charge much smaller devices etc?...just perplexed
REPLY

Jul 16, 2008. 5:51 PMblacknkhak says:

yes this is a divine example of hyper efficient design, a lamp that powers its own
battery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
REPLY

Apr 17, 2007. 2:42 PMzootboy says:

The lamp was just a test. It was not meant to power the solar panel.
REPLY

Mar 28, 2008. 10:46 PMFull Frontal Graphic says:

LOL, that's a cool idea, run the lamp off of the solar panel that is being charged by the
lamp. If you get that to work, you have yourself a nice perpetual motion machine.
REPLY

May 4, 2008. 8:13 PM-Aj- says:

haha yes, you would. but just the fact that its a lamp instantly means that would fail,
being what, 20% efficient maybe? smae as the solar panel. + wiring resistance + ect....
lol unless its all super conducting and you have a way to ensure that every single
electron produces a photon and that every photon hitting the solar panel excites atleast
one electron.. then unfortunately it wont work. electronics are just waay to lossy at the
moment to get perpetual motion with them, unless you do whip out some serious
funky stuff with lots of wire coils, big magnets and atLEAST a half dosen glowing
crystal thingies. then nup NOOO WAY will it happen :P
REPLY

May 28, 2008. 7:20 PMdontcare says:

would this charge a 12 volt battery? i know someone who wants to build a solar panel
system that would...
REPLY

Jul 1, 2008. 2:03 PMmas9779 says:

should but take forever try looking for larger panel
REPLY

Jun 2, 2008. 3:43 PMMorgo says:

are there any battery types outside of the bulky lead acid batteries that you could get a
decent and lasting charge out of but with a lower weight/size?
REPLY

Apr 9, 2008. 11:04 AMfkuk says:

would it be feasible to run something like a small tv off that with a power inverter
also do you have a wiring diagram because I don't get the picture
REPLY

Nov 3, 2007. 3:31 PMrgfoster says:

Here is a nice start for someone wanting to build something like this. Coleman
waterproof jumpstart. Has an 18 Ah battery and a nice waterproof case. My local Pep
Boys had it on sale for $35 last week, may still be that price, regularly $50. Add one
of the battery maintainer solar cells that plugs into the car's cigarette lighter (about
$20 from Harbor Freight), and you are done.
REPLY

Nov 2, 2007. 8:04 PMblodefood says:

Get the cooler at Value Village, Goodwill or other thrift store for half the price. You'll
save plenty and you can head over to Canadian Tire or Zellers for the rest if you don't
like to go to Wal-Mart. But like everything else at the thrift shops, you'll have to keep
an eye out for them. Radio Shack is no longer in Canada. Go to The Source stores.
REPLY

Jul 5, 2007. 2:29 PMcurlyfry562 says:

I am starting work on a larger version of this that I can leave on my roof for several
days a t a time and then lug it down and power something. I don't want to have to
mount anything to my roof so the batteries are what keep it anchored because theyt
are so heavy. I am also going to use a charge controller and a larger inverter. I will
post whaen finished.
REPLY

Jul 3, 2007. 4:20 PMSacTownSue says:

Very handy for an emergency if not sooner. How about something to prop the lid up
for those days when the sun is low in the sky? I may do this project. I don't think I'll
bolt the solar panel down tho in case I want the panel outside while I'm inside.
REPLY
Mar 8, 2007. 12:33 AMjdkmetal says:
Have you thought about flexible solar panels?? I'm sure they are a bit more money but
could be fun......
REPLY

20

Mar 1, 2007. 11:33 AM robbtoberfest says:

4 thumbs up, this is great. I'm thinking a fold out panel system for more juice would
be cool.
REPLY

20

Mar 3, 2007. 1:41 PM robbtoberfest says:

Oh yeah, this is fun; bicycle pedals on the side hooked up to a built-in generator for a
little more boost.
REPLY

Mar 3, 2007. 12:19 AMRoDuS1488 (author) says:

Well every one, I have a new micro-gen design idea that will be much better. it will
cost a few more dollars to build (weather proof sealed case, larger panel ). I have no
need for 2 of them so I'm going to put this one on eBay around 3/27/07, if I can get
$100.00 I'll be happy with that. There are also 2 more larger versions in the works
(prob not backpack friendly). I ordered a 10 and a 20 watt panel today.
REPLY

Mar 2, 2007. 10:43 PMSarahKB says:

the lamp is powering itself? cool.
REPLY

Feb 28, 2007. 11:17 PMRoDuS1488 (author) says:

Thanks every one for the positive feedback! The compact florescent was used just to
test the micro gen out., It would prob only last about 3 hours and yes LasVegas you
are correct, back current protection is built-in. The led lamp in the accessories picture
should run for about 8 days 24/7 before draining the battery. I have been thinking of
adding a analog volt meter w/test button and a second battery in the near future. The
only concern is the weight factor of the second battery, i want to keep it backpack
friendly. There's also a battery harness in the works to keep it from sliding around.
One regret i have was not thinking and buying stainless steel nuts/bolts.
REPLY

Feb 28, 2007. 1:14 PMvolvoturbo says:

Are you sure that a 1.26 watt panel is enough to give the battery a charge? Otherwise,
very cool. Could be expanded upon to become an emergency power supply for
hurricanes and power outages.
REPLY

104

Feb 28, 2007. 1:20 PM trebuchet03 says:

12V @ 1.26 watts is about 100mA. It will give a charge... it's just a mater of how long
it takes to do so ;)
REPLY

65

Feb 28, 2007. 2:27 PM Tool Using Animal says:

75 hours or about ten days. Efficiency could be improved with the inclusion of a cold
six pack
REPLY

104

Feb 28, 2007. 8:01 PM trebuchet03 says:

That would surely make the time pass faster :P
REPLY

Feb 28, 2007. 6:14 AMindyguy says:

Great instructable! Instructions are very clear and basic, and you even gave examples
o ways to utilize the generator for other appliances.

Makes me think a lot of a link I saw recently to build a solar generator for less than
$300:
http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html

In the above link they emphasize deep-cycle batteries. Depending on the size of said
container/cooler, I would think such a battery would work great in your instructable.
Very nice!
REPLY

Feb 28, 2007. 4:34 AMbrianf25 says:

'Cool' idea using the cooler. how long will that battery last running the florescent
bulb?
REPLY

18

Feb 27, 2007. 11:54 PMacaz93 says:

it would be a neat idea to add a small rectifier , so the energy won't go back to the
panel happy instructabling !
REPLY

17

Feb 28, 2007. 12:17 AMLasVegas says:

I'm sure that weather-proof panel already has back current protection built-in.
REPLY
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Author:RoDuS1488
Published:Feb 27, 2007

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Related: green, pv, generator, solar, greenpower, 1volt, 12v, power

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