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need help on small solar panel project.

sydcal2011

Apr 23, 2012
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Apr 23, 2012
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hello everyone.

I want to use a solar cell(3x3") to power a 12V, 0.7A fan.

all i can find is that the solar cell has extremely small watt(0.5watt), and the rating is 5v 100mA, which is not enough to power up my fan. so i am thinking to add a DC-DC converter to step up the voltage to 12V. Will i get a boost on the current too? As i notice, there are a lot DC-DC boost up converter out there and claim it can output a few amps? is that true? Any suggestion to help me to finish the project is appreciated.

Welcome to throw me some ideas.

Thank you for your helps.:)

Jan
 

CocaCola

Apr 7, 2012
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You can't magically create energy...

The solar cell supplies 0.5 Watts, you require 8.4 Watts, not going to happen...

If you 'boost' the 5v @ 100mA to 12v you would get about 12v @ 40mA on a good day, likely closer to 12v @ 30mA That is far from the 700+mA you need to get that fan cranking...

Get a matrix of 20-30 of them solar panels and then you might start to see results...
 
Last edited:

GonzoEngineer

Dec 2, 2011
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Dec 2, 2011
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You can't magically create energy...

The solar cell supplies 0.5 Watts, you require 8.4 Watts, not going to happen...

If you 'boost' the 5v @ 100mA to 12v you would get about 12v @ 40mA on a good day, likely closer to 12v @ 30mA That is far from the 700+mA you need to get that fan cranking...

Get a matrix of 20-30 of them solar panels and then you might start to see results...

I couldn't have said it better than this.:D
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Well, you could use your solar panel + a DC-DC converter to charge a 12V battery, then run the fan off the battery. It would take about 20 hours of charging to run the fan for 1 hour though.

Bob
 

sydcal2011

Apr 23, 2012
14
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Apr 23, 2012
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How do I charge a battery using the solar panel? I have no idea at all. Thanks
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Depends on the battery type.

http://batteryuniversity.com/

However, my reply was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. It you want to run the fan for about 1 hour a week this would work, otherwise you need a bigger solar panel to run it whenever the sun out.

Why don't you tell us more about your requirements.

Bob
 
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