Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #09895



To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: "FCO Enr." fco@total.net
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2000 14:18:38 -0500
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Solar power question


greetings Robert,

Do you happen to know if large solarcells meant to be used
to draw solarpower for home, boats, etc.. are as efficient as the smaller
solarcells? I mean a few years back I had look into some 4 foot x 2 foot
solarpanels which could be used to make your own little home power
station. it even had a light seeking circuit to tilt and rotate panels to
follow the sun's position. But what I am wondering is if they have more
efficient large photocells too.

Thanks for your help.

Andy

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 08/02/00, at 9:42 AM, Robert Selby wrote:

>I seem to remember a warning that while it was OK to connect them in=
series
>to get extra voltage, it was NOT ok to wire them in parrallel.
>
>Something to do with manufacturing tolerences and the output voltage.
>
>If you want to wire them in parrallel you have to use diodes to prevent
>reverse current.
>
>When the sheets are made and cut to provide a given current it is OK since
>it
>is all from the same batch.
>
>
>Regards,
>Bob
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>Robert Selby email : rselby@madge.com
>Senior Development Engineer, voice : +44 (0)1753 661 243
>Madge Networks Ltd, fax : +44 (0)1753 661 888
>Wexham Springs,
>Framewood Road,
>Wexham, Slough
>SL3-6PJ
>England (UK).
>------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Dave Hrynkiw [mailto:dave@solarbotics.com]
>>> Sent: 08 February 2000 09:01
>>> To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
>>> Subject: Re: Solar power question
>>>
>>>
>>> At 12:44 AM 2/8/00 , FCO Enr. wrote:
>>> > 1 SCPD solarcell outputs .4volts and 0.0014amps. We can fit
>>> > 25 of these/square inch. 144 square inches / square foot.
>>> >
>>> > 25*144 =3D 3600
>>> > 3600 SCPDs wired together would be 1440 volts and 5.04 amps
>>>
>>> Close, but not quite.
>>>
>>> It would be 1440 volts at 0.0014amps if you string them all
>>> up in series.
>>> OR, 5.04 amps at 0.4V all wired in parallel, but not both
>>> at the same time!
>>> So your power rating would be 0.20 watts per square foot -
>>> that sound more
>>> realistic?
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>> "Um, no - that's H,R,Y,N,K,I,W. No, not K,I,U,U, K,I,_W_. Yes,
>>> that's right. Yes, I know it looks like "HOCKYRINK." Yup, only
>>> 2 vowels. Pronounciation? _SMITH_".
>>> http://www.solarbotics.com
>>>



9896 Tue, 8 Feb 2000 11:17:08 -0800 Re: BEAMLAND gets a facelift... beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Bruce Robinson [mailto:Bruce_Robinson@telus.net]
"Feser, Jason" wrote:
>
> Well, I'm back after half a year of 'other stuff' I've optimized
> my site and gave it a facelift, so if you 28.8 users could check
> it out and let me know if it's still too graphics intensive...

Well, I suppose I ought to whine about how I have to go back and update
all my Beam Web Index references to your robots, but I won't. Don't know
how you did it, but you sure managed to squeeze those graphics files
down. Too graphics intensive? Definitely not.

Regards,
Bruce



9897 Tue, 08 Feb 2000 14:23:35 -0500 [alt-beam] Re: Solar power question beam@sgiblab.sgi.com "FCO Enr." greetings Wilf,

I read (while browsing through) in the new Popular Mechanics that
certain Gas Station chains would be installing solar panels on their roofs
as well as a power collection system (deep cycle batteries) to power the
entire Gas Station. I have read of a great deal of people who are using
such systems to power their country places and some even their homes.
But I think in Montreal that wouldn't be very good unless you made a huge
investment cause of the amount of light we get in an avg winter day is not
much at all compared to those who live in Phoenix Arizona :)

Oh and what's the lifespan of a solarcell?

Andy

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 08/02/00, at 7:18 AM, Wilf Rigter wrote:

>That should read 2W per square foot. And at what $ is per watt I wonder?
>Even with solar power there is No free lunch.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dave Hrynkiw [SMTP:dave@solarbotics.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 1:01 AM
>> To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
>> Subject: Re: Solar power question
>>
>> At 12:44 AM 2/8/00 , FCO Enr. wrote:
>> > 1 SCPD solarcell outputs .4volts and 0.0014amps. We can fit
>> > 25 of these/square inch. 144 square inches / square foot.
>> >
>> > 25*144 =3D 3600
>> > 3600 SCPDs wired together would be 1440 volts and 5.04 amps
>>
>> Close, but not quite.
>>
>> It would be 1440 volts at 0.0014amps if you string them all up in=
series.
>> OR, 5.04 amps at 0.4V all wired in parallel, but not both at the same
>> time!
>> So your power rating would be 0.20 watts per square foot - that sound=
more
>>
>> realistic?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Dave
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>> "Um, no - that's H,R,Y,N,K,I,W. No, not K,I,U,U, K,I,_W_. Yes,
>> that's right. Yes, I know it looks like "HOCKYRINK." Yup, only
>> 2 vowels. Pronounciation? _SMITH_".
>> http://www.solarbotics.com



9898 Tue, 8 Feb 2000 14:59:07 -0500 (EST) [alt-beam] Re: Tutorial beam@sgiblab.sgi.com jester96beam@iname.com I don't know what your skill level is, but I think you should make a tutorial for building a walker with at least 3 motors. There are already a few good tutorials for everything else, but only for 2 motor walkers. Since a 3 motor is esentially a 2 motor with a waist, make it a 4 or 5 motor walker.

Chris

---- you wrote:
> I say walker...
> -William
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Geoff Waters
> To:
> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 2:15 PM
> Subject: Tutorial
>
>
> Hi- I am thinking of making a tutorial for my site, but what should it be?
> (Two motor) walker, Photovore, solaroller, symet, head? Any suggestions as
> to what i can make a tutorial on, anything that would be significant to the
> world of BEAM, something that somebody's never done before.
>
> Cheers
>
> Andrew Waters
> Port Elizabeth
> South Africa
> e-mail: waters@intekom.co.za
> Website: www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Hoop/2853/default.html
>
>


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9899 Tue, 8 Feb 2000 15:54:55 -0500 Re: Tutorial beam@sgiblab.sgi.com jester96beam@iname.com [mailto:jester96beam@iname.com]
I don't know what your skill level is, but I think you should make a
tutorial for building a walker with at least 3 motors. There are already a
few good tutorials for everything else, but only for 2 motor walkers. Since
a 3 motor is esentially a 2 motor with a waist, make it a 4 or 5 motor
walker.

Chris

---- you wrote:
> I say walker...
> -William
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Geoff Waters
> To:
> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 2:15 PM
> Subject: Tutorial
>
>
> Hi- I am thinking of making a tutorial for my site, but what should it be?
> (Two motor) walker, Photovore, solaroller, symet, head? Any suggestions as
> to what i can make a tutorial on, anything that would be significant to
the
> world of BEAM, something that somebody's never done before.
>
> Cheers
>
> Andrew Waters
> Port Elizabeth
> South Africa
> e-mail: waters@intekom.co.za
> Website: www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Hoop/2853/default.html
>
>


---------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://www.iname.com



9900 Tue, 8 Feb 2000 15:12:09 -0800 (PST) [alt-beam] Re: Solar power question beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Lee Golden The first one in the United States is actually in my
town (Olney, Maryland)! The Amoco station was
rebuilt, and the entire roof that covers the gas pumps
is made of row after row of slanted solar panels.
They have a display out front that shows the amount of
power that is being generated by the array.

I was very surprised to say the least... :-)

Lee Golden
http://www.geocities.com/leemon1/Bots/beambots.html

--- "FCO Enr." wrote:
>
> I read (while browsing through) in the new Popular
> Mechanics that
> certain Gas Station chains would be installing solar
> panels on their roofs

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9901 Wed, 09 Feb 2000 10:53:52 +1100 [alt-beam] Re: Solar power question beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Elmo Question: If you have one cell that produces stacks of current at a low
voltage and another that produces heaps of voltage but with very little
current. Is there some way to connect the two to get a good overall
balance of votage can current?

Elmo


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