A solar battery for tourists is a semiconductor type device. This is a collection of solar cells that are connected according to the established scheme and are enclosed in a frame or mounted on a frame.
Often they are combined to increase the final level of power, for which one or even two batteries are not enough. The panels have a different area - from 2-5 centimeters to several square meters. In this case, the parameters do not have the main effect on the resulting efficiency. The main key factors of the panel's operating coefficients are weather, time of day, latitude (geographical location), the angle of sunlight and the intensity of ultraviolet radiation.
Important details
A solar battery for tourists, which consists of several photocells, converts the energy of radiation from the sun into electricity, so needed in hiking. Today you can find a wide variety of power supplies and chargers based on this type of battery. The only problem is the difficulty of choosing.
Of particular importance is the protection of photocells, mounting methods, weight, overall dimensions, the presence in the kit of several connectors and add-ons that make it easy to use the battery and charge multiple devices. General mobilization has contributed to the widespread dissemination of all types of electronics: radio stations, flashlights, PDAs, telephones, video cameras, echo sounders that require autonomous energy.
Power
The main characteristic is the output power, the ability to supply the load of the installed power and the charging speed of the connected batteries depends on this. It is worth noting that some foreign-made devices have many battery compartments, but at the same time a small area of solar cells. It may seem that they are able to immediately charge everything. But this is just a marketing ploy, since the actual charging speed is revealed by the total power of the device, equal to the area of the available photographic plates. A solar battery for tourists with a small plate and low power is actually ineffective.
The coefficient consists of two characteristics - voltage and current. Two such values can be present in the device parameters - operating and maximum. For current, the operating range and short circuit value are indicated, for voltage - standard and without load. Operating and maximum voltage differ by about 20-25%. During operation, it is desirable that the output voltage under load is equal to the working one, which is noted in the technical data. So the solar battery for tourists will be used as efficiently as possible.
Devices having an output voltage that is slightly greater than or equal to the existing requirements are more rational. There is no need to purchase a battery with too high a voltage, since most of it will simply be lost. It should be noted that photocells have rather variable output properties, which are highly dependent on loads.
How to get maximum performance
Modern gadgets, for example, voltage converters, are able to provide maximum power or create a stable output voltage under different lighting options. In large solar panels , such converters are often used, unlike pocket options. But with the development of technology, much has changed, and in stores there is an increasingly common solar battery for tourism, the kit of which also includes a converter.
What are the types
The solar battery for tourists is presented on the market in several types:
- Toolbars As a standard, they include a set of plates connected to a substrate. In fact, this is a workpiece for creating more convenient and powerful devices based on them.
- Universal solar batteries designed to provide field energy for a wide range of devices. Imported ones have an attractive design and good workmanship at an affordable cost, as well as many adapters. Russian batteries come in both semi-series and factory production. Value for money varies in a fairly wide range. Such a solar battery for tourists is the most convenient.
- Batteries with low power, which are used to charge PDAs, phones and other equipment. Their characteristic difference lies in the small area of photographic plates at not the lowest price. In the field, they are of little use.
Portable battery
The solar battery for tourism in a 60 W case is small in size. There are even options in the form of trinkets attached to anything. They have a flashlight convenient for lighting a tent or road, and various mounts. It is desirable that this device has a built-in battery for charging gadgets in the rain and at night.
Manufacturing technology
As you know, the solar battery for tourism, hiking has several integral elements. The panel is a rectangular transparent box with black silicon squares. Silicon used in the manufacture is the main component.
The technology for creating batteries is constantly being improved and consists of several stages. First, raw materials are prepared - sand is cleaned and calcined with coke. Due to this, oxygen leaves it, and it turns into silicon particles, outwardly similar to coal. After that, the structure is ordered, and crystals are formed from it. To do this, silicon is lowered into the crucible, it is very hot with the addition of seed in the molten lava. The seed is the standard for the future crystal, around which silicon is formed layer by layer with a different structure. After a few hours, a monosilicon crystal appears. The workpiece is cut into the thinnest plates of 100 microns, they are tested and transferred to another part of the processing.
The plates are subsequently soldered into sections that are connected into blocks to prevent the possibility of mechanical damage to the finished elements. Most often, blocks consist of 5-7 sections.
At the third stage, the plates are laminated with an ethylene vinyl acetate film and a protective coating. A special device monitors temperature, vacuum and pressure.
At the end of the work, an aluminum frame and a junction box are installed. Tests are being conducted to measure the maximum capacitance point, voltage, and short circuit current.
Do-it-yourself solar battery for tourists
Any radio amateur or person who is interested in this topic can make such a device on their own at home. A solar battery for tourism at a cost of money will cost much cheaper than the factory. When calculating, designing and the work itself, you can take into account all personal needs and technological tasks.
Before you start creating a solar battery, you need to decide on the choice of modules used - these can be amorphous, polycrystalline or single crystal. The last two options are more affordable. For a competent choice, it is desirable to have an idea of the main properties. After completion of work, you need to check the resulting device to get rid of possible problems that affect efficiency.
Materials for work
Single-crystal type wafers have an efficiency of about 15%, but even a little cloudiness significantly reduces the coefficient of the device created from them.
Polycrystalline wafers have low efficiency, reaching a maximum of 10%. But their distinctive feature is the ability to work during cloudy and cloudy weather.
When buying silicon wafers for assembling a device with your own hands, you should pay attention to elements with minor defects - type B modules. You can replace some parts, and you get, therefore, a solar battery for tourists for a much lower price.
The gadget can be made without a protective coating, but it is still desirable to make it from materials such as plexiglass, plexiglass and ordinary glass. All coatings can be applied without losing a significant amount of energy, but of the materials listed, the least penetrates rays through Plexiglass.
Solar battery for tourism - one stop solution
When traveling, the main advantage of using such devices is the inexhaustibility and availability of free energy, thanks to which the operation of electronics is possible anywhere, regardless of outlets. It is only worth considering the low efficiency when used in cloudy or foggy weather. Given this fact, storage systems have been created that conserve energy. In addition, the amount of energy from the sun differs in different regions and affects productivity.