The Solar Generator
August 14, 2010 by .
Filed under Solar Generator
Every home needs a back-up power system when there’s a power failure due to storms or other unexpected events. One solution that is gaining momentum is an off the grid solar generator that’s portable and can produce power when there’s a power failure. When you buy a generator that uses sun power you can use that energy to keep the home functionining during ice storms, hurricanes, or the typical power outages that occur frequently.
A sun-powered generator consists of three main components that work together to produce an efficient home power plant. Those three components are: a charge controller, a high efficiency solar panel, and a battery. Within minutes a generator can be set up and running household AC as well as DC appliances, and it will continue to recharge itself so the generator can be operating and recharging at the same time. A portable solar generator can go where you go so power is always available.
Gas powered generators have been used for decades as backups for power failures, but they do have some important disadvantages. They are noisy to operate, they emit fumes, and the cost of operating them continues to increase as gas prices increase. A portable solar model produces clean, efficient power using the sun and that energy is free.
Some people use solar power to charge cell phones or to power computers and other telecommunication devices even when they have electrical power. A typical eighteen hundred watt solar generator can be expensive but it does includes a quick charge ninety watt solar panel, a charge controller and about fifty feet of solar cable. Some people make their own sun-powered generators for a fraction of the retail cost. All you need to make your own generator is a good rechargeable battery and a box to put it in, plus a twelve volt DC meter, and an inverter than converts DC power in the battery to AC power.
Attach the meter and the DC input to the top of the box and then use insulated wire to attach the meter to the terminals on the battery. Connect the DC inlet to the battery and then connect the solar panel to the battery the same way. Close the box and put the solar panel in the sun for at least six to eight hours. There are several sites on the Internet that have detailed instructions if you want to build your own solar generator.
