How to Solar Charge an Electric Bicycle

LockH said:
LockH said:
How a solar-powered ebike rider recharges their phone:
http://inhabitat.com/super-thin-foldable-solar-paper-panels-charge-a-smart-phone-in-2-5-hours/
Click to expand...

"Solar paper" shows up again:
https://solarthermalmagazine.com/2015/07/19/solar-paper-the-worlds-lightest-solar-charger/

... and a YT vid:
[youtube]7Kq9UtXOfzU[/youtube]
Click to expand...

From what I can see in the video the only innovation are the magnets that hold the thing together when folded up.
It is typical crap dished out to consumers to make them believe the panels will work in the shade.
I suspect there is a small battery on board to provide charging when a cloud or shade covers the panel.
You can buy them on ebay starting from $1.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/50000mAh-Portable-Solar-Panel-Dual-USB-External-Battery-Power-Bank-Pack-Charg-KK-/251923060143?var=&hash=item3aa7c8d5af

Solar panels don't give useful power in the shade.
Stop pedalling this crap LockH
 
"Stop pedalling this crap LockH"

So, TwitBoy. No wonder I had you on my "Ignore Postings" List - a membership of only one. You. Does your mother still do that thing with her tongue?
 
LockH said:
"Stop pedalling this crap LockH"

So, TwitBoy. No wonder I had you on my "Ignore Postings" List - a membership of only one. You. Does your mother still do that thing with her tongue?
Click to expand...

I thought the discussion was around solar charging an ebike. Seems like your off the subject discussing what you like to do with 80 year old ladies. Perhaps you are on the wrong forum? :lol:
 
"California woman pedals solar bike through Southwest Virginia"
http://wsls.com/2015/07/29/california-woman-pedals-solar-bike-through-southwest-virginia/

She embarked on a journey from California two months ago to cross the country on a solar charged electric bicycle in a push to “get well and do well.” More than 2600 miles later, Muller peddled from Blacksburg to Roanoke Wednesday, striking up conversations along the way.
Click to expand...

And Marissa blogging:
http://www.marissamuller.com/#landing-index
 
Finally something sensible, well done LockH. And I mean that. Anyone can dribble shit all day but to get someone to do the test is worth gold.
A couple of things to note:
the panels are adjustable to maximise exposure
They are mono crystalline cells
Mppts are used
The panels are well behind the rider to minimise shadow.
The panels are big.
She also explains the system works at maximum in 'full sun' and 'almost keeps up'. No wild claims.
I like it.

I would say this is a pretty good example of what is really possible and a good reference for any solar powered ebike.
 
Stumbled across while checking re solar vehicles "World Solar Challenge 21-28 October 2007":
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2499

Call it "solar charging on the fly". :)

Has an entry on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Solar_Challenge

So, at a glance, emphasis on aerodynamic and light-weight.
hdream1.jpg
 
lol.....its always refreshing to come back to endless sphere to read with the witty dialogue...ahhh...

sorry.. you know those solar devices paper thin solar charger for iPhone seems like a good idea because to completely charge ebike..we need to charge up the navigation unit also these small solar panels could charge up those usb rechargeable flashlights. its crazy how the technology has changed since 2011 or atleast made more accessible.'s

90 bucks now. not bad an alternative to genasun.
http://www.bioennopower.com/products/12v-24v-20a-solar-charge-controller-mppt-for-lifepo4-batteries

12V/24V, 20A Solar Charge Controller (MPPT) for LiFePO4 Batteries (SC-1220JU
Bioenno Power 12V/24V 20A Solar Controller (Model SC-1220JU) is a versatile controller for solar systems, that can charge LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries! This solar controller accepts 12V/24V input from solar panels and can handle up to 20 Amps. Please note that if a 12V solar panel is used, then a 12V LiFePO4 battery should be used. Please note that if a 24V solar panel is used, then a 24V L iFePO4 battery should be used. Each battery should have a built in PCM (protection circuit module) that provides protection overcharging, overcurrent, overdischarge, and overvoltage.

User Manual for 12V/24V, 20A Solar Controller (Model SC-1220JU)
 
"Solar panel coating increases energy output by 30%"
http://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/solar-panel-coating-increases-energy-output-30.html

The scientists have developed a coating for solar panels that allows them to use the infrared portion of the light spectrum that usually passes right through solar cells without being converted into electricity, essentially wasted energy. They say the new material effectively reshapes the solar spectrum so that it better matches the photovoltaic materials in the solar cells. The infrared portion is then absorbed and used, boosting the conversion efficiency by at least 30 percent.

The coating includes cadmium selenide or lead selenide semiconductor nanocrystals combined with organic molecules. The resulting material does what they call "upconverting" photons so that they are readily absorbed by the solar cells.
Click to expand...
 
"Researchers at the University of California Riverside think they've developed a technology that achieves just that and could lead to much less expensive solar power in the future."

So they have or they have not. I can "think" about a lot of things I would like but that does not make it so.
Sounds like a grab for research grants to me.
Thats science speak for "give me more money" so I can live the dream. The rest of us have to work for a living.
I have seen this crap for they last 30 years or more.
Still no paint on solar panels at he local store. :roll:
 
"There are two cities in Nebraska that have deployed 'community solar' projects: Central City and Lincoln. Now Bellevue is working on being the third, according to Don Preister and Michael Shonka, who presented it to a meeting I attended this afternoon. If they succeed, then I am hoping we can follow suit here in neighboring City of Papillion."

(Just posted by J William Moore. Publisher: EV World. Founder & Interim CEO of QUIKBYKE. Seen on site LinkedIn.)
 
I currently have a solar panel used for window blinds, its called PFL30, it works in any light!
www.electricfilmpower.com

10-14V
2A
Their battery capaicity is 2Ah which is in the unit itself.
http://www.electricfilmpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EF_PFL30_040815.pdf

Its like a $400 unit.

Not sure how you would charge the ebike batteries up with it.
 
What about adding simple mirrors to capture more light where space is not a concern (like on the roof)? I would not doubt that some people here could even make the thing self adjustable. Even wooden boards with some tin foil could do it.
 
Like the thing in Arizona where its just a bunch of mirrors on the ground that reflect light up to a high tower to heat its fluid.
 
markz said:
I currently have a solar panel used for window blinds, its called PFL30, it works in any light!
http://www.electricfilmpower.com

10-14V
2A
Their battery capaicity is 2Ah which is in the unit itself.
http://www.electricfilmpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EF_PFL30_040815.pdf

Its like a $400 unit.

Not sure how you would charge the ebike batteries up with it.
Click to expand...

These are extremely low power devices. If you covered all the windows in your house you might get a 10 minute ride on your bike after a year of charging. It's the same old stuff rehashed to sound like its new. It's not new technology only new marketing.
 
ewinters said:
What about adding simple mirrors to capture more light where space is not a concern (like on the roof)? I would not doubt that some people here could even make the thing self adjustable. Even wooden boards with some tin foil could do it.
Click to expand...

That does add power in most circumstances, but not all that much, especially in hot climates. As the panel gets hotter, it's output is reduced.
 
LockH said:
V3Solar in the newz again.
http://inhabitat.com/v3solars-photovoltaic-spin-cell-cones-capture-sunlight-all-day-long/

"cells generate 20 times more electricity than flat photovoltaics"
8)
Click to expand...

Solar concentrators have been around since the 70s. They had merit when solar cells were very expensive.
Today solar panels are a fraction of the cost they were even 10 years ago. It seems pretty stupid to introduce complicated moving parts into something with no moving parts which is cheap and works well.
The only thing the v3 generates is big head lines to help sell advertising space in magazines.
 
Researchers in Japan have invented a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can charge itself using sunlight - no solar cell required.
http://www.sciencealert.com/this-transparent-lithium-ion-battery-charges-itself-with-sunlight
transparent-battery_768.jpg


In part:
According to Bob Yirka at techxplore, when the battery is exposed to sunlight, it becomes tinted to about 30 percent light transmittance, and this allows the energy to be captured more efficiently.

"The trick in getting them to be nearly transparent is in making them really thin - the electrodes are just 80 nm and 90 nm," says Yirka. "After discharge, the team reports that light transmittance rises to approximately 60 percent."
Click to expand...
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...lar-energy-at-night-is-closer-than-you-think/

In part:
Why storing solar energy and using it at night is closer than you think
By Chris Mooney September 16 at 1:30 PM

In May, when Tesla Motors announced its new battery product to vast media buzz, the talk was all about people putting batteries in their solar-powered homes, and thereby becoming that much less reliant on the grid.

But there was always another and perhaps even bigger side of the story — the idea that very large scale batteries or battery packs could help out the grid itself by storing large amounts of solar energy for use in the evening or at night. The ultimate effect might be to displace electricity generated from coal or natural gas, and convert an inherently “intermittent” renewable energy source — solar — into a more constant one.

So is it happening? The answer seems to be yes — 2015 has seen several key announced, completed, or experimental grid-scale projects pairing batteries and solar photovoltaic panels.
Click to expand...
 
"Japanese Paper Art Inspires Sun-Tracking Solar Cell"
http://www.livescience.com/52324-kirigami-inspired-solar-cell.html
kirigami-solar-cell.jpeg

The new kirigami-inspired solar cell uses a bending motion to change the angle of its surface. To achieve this, the structure is slowly stretched out using a small, motorized mechanism. Strategically placed cuts in the material make it possible for an object that is normally rigid to stretch and bend.
Click to expand...

"The kirigami-inspired solar cell can also increase energy generation by between 20 and 40 percent..."
 
ES "Search found 3 matches: +rectenna"

"Breakthrough optical rectenna turns light directly into usable electricity"
http://inhabitat.com/breakthrough-optical-rectenna-turns-light-directly-into-usable-electricity/

[youtube]kMdYVLtBtoY[/youtube]

firstoptical-537x326.jpg


“We could ultimately make solar cells that are twice as efficient at a cost that is ten times lower, and that is to me an opportunity to change the world in a very big way,” said Baratunde Cola, an associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Click to expand...
 
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