direct wireing a 12v car heater to a solar panel
- Thread starter jlustig83
- Start date
fizzit
10 kW
Yes you could. But... why? Solar panels are only about 20% efficient. A piece of cardboard painted black is close to 100% efficient as a heater.
Does your room have a window that faces the sunny side? If so, put a piece of metal painted black on both sides in it and it will work better than panel-heater.
Or just let the sun shine straight in, if it will do so long enough to warm up the room any.
Or build a thermosiphon (thermosyphon) system if you have space outside, to move heated water to the inside of the room thru pipes and re-radiate the heat inside, if there's no direct sun path. Would probably move more heat into the room than the panel-heater, at a guess.
Or just let the sun shine straight in, if it will do so long enough to warm up the room any.
Or build a thermosiphon (thermosyphon) system if you have space outside, to move heated water to the inside of the room thru pipes and re-radiate the heat inside, if there's no direct sun path. Would probably move more heat into the room than the panel-heater, at a guess.
Samd
10 MW
Sunlight is the ability to transmit heat. without converting it to electricity.
Use a heliostat.
Converting infrared to electricity and back to heat is super-lossy.
Use a heliostat.
Converting infrared to electricity and back to heat is super-lossy.
Dauntless
100 TW
jlustig83 said:
I'm incredulous at the question. You're saying you have some little heater that plugs into your cigarette lighter? The main heater for the car is a small radiator that comes from the cooling system and a fan. There's nothing to generate heat without the car running, without the engine. I would think at 150 watts it would get so hot as the cigarette lighter, which won't provide much heat. I don't heat my house in the winter beyond cooking, the fireplace and a 1,500 watt electric heater in my bedroom on cold nights that doesn't do much.
Im trying to figure out more ways to lower my heating bill in my home cheap and easy. i already have a solar air heater on the side of my house. every little bit helps. im not sayin im right and im glad for the feedback.
How do most people that are totally off the grid heat there home?
How do most people that are totally off the grid heat there home?
el_walto
10 kW
I think most of them burn wood. Or live in a place where heat is not required. Paint your house black if you want to get solar heat
Dauntless
100 TW
My Mother is 100% off grid. She has solar, she also has propane delivered both for central heat and to run a generator because the solar doesn't keep up with the demand. If you ever read of the Crawford Ranch of George W. Bush while he was president, yeah, much like that.
My Sister had her first 100% off grid house with no overhead lights and no central heat, the solar gave power outlets only. Lit by kerosene lamps and heated by a Franklin stove if the lamps weren't giving enough. Her second is more like Mom's.
Ma even has a solar trailer rather than a generator to be hauled to parts of the land needing some power for the moment, but it's only capable of so much.
My Sister had her first 100% off grid house with no overhead lights and no central heat, the solar gave power outlets only. Lit by kerosene lamps and heated by a Franklin stove if the lamps weren't giving enough. Her second is more like Mom's.
Ma even has a solar trailer rather than a generator to be hauled to parts of the land needing some power for the moment, but it's only capable of so much.
