Universal Solar Chargers – The Pros And Cons For Home Solar Power System




Solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into electric power using Photovoltaic (PV) cells. Bell Laboratories first produced these cells in the early 1950s.With ever increasing dependence on technology and the latest devices invented as a result of several technological developments, more and more people are opting for a universal solar charger.

With the tremendous increase in demand for web-connected gadgets, the need for keeping them charged has become more essential than before. Photovoltaic cells operate by using sunlight. Light, basically, consists of photons, which generate an electric imbalance inside the photo-voltaic cells when sunlight falls on their surface.

This electrical imbalance leads to production of an electric current, which passes through a circuit developed in the gadget. The electricity produced by this process is used directly for powering various devices.

In respect of a solar charger, it is utilized to charge a battery and these batteries supply power to other gadgets. A quality universal solar charger can be connected to wide range of gadgets, whose batteries require charging. They can be either connected to the devices to the points of the devices or directly attached to the batteries in the devices.

The Advantages

A superior quality battery charger can totally charge the gadget with the help of its internal battery. One of the major advantages of a solar charger that comes easily to our mind is, obviously, that it does not need any external power to charge a device.

A solar charger will be very useful in places where there is no regular power source from the mains, as for example, when someone is away from home either on picnic or other outdoor activities or attending a music festival, where there is no electricity.

Electricity is mostly produced either by coal or gas fired power plants or nuclear power stations. While coal or gas based power plants emit huge amounts of harmful greenhouse gases and pollute the atmosphere, the dangers of radiation emitted by nuclear power plants cannot be eliminated altogether.

On the contrary, solar power is a type of renewable energy and is totally environmentally friendly. Like other sources of renewable energy, such as wind energy or power generation from tidal waves, it generates pollution-free electricity.

The other great advantage with universal solar charger is that it costs much less than any other charger. Once it is bought, no other costs are involved in charging the device, as opposed to conventional battery chargers that draw power from the mains. The prices of these regular chargers will go up very frequently, at least once in six months.

The Disadvantages

There are also a few disadvantages of solar battery chargers. The biggest disadvantage is that they require sunlight to function. The efficiency levels of the photo-voltaic cells have, however, increased considerably during the last decade or more.

These improvements enable the PV cells to function at optimum level even under overcast conditions, without direct sunlight. Nevertheless, this aspect should be kept in mind depending on which part of the world the user is located.

One more disadvantage is that charging the device using a solar charger takes much more time than the regular charger. This is because the electric current produced by the solar panels is much less than what is supplied at homes.

Lithium-ion battery placed inside the universal solar charger is meant to prevail over this shortcoming. This way they release higher charge than the traditional ‘ni-cad’ batteries and therefore, develop higher electric current in their ‘charging circuit’.

On the whole, many advantages of universal solar charger outweigh a few disadvantages in them and therefore, they are very popular these days.

Understanding The Science & History Of A Home Wiring System




Even though residential wiring is considered to be safe, with many options of residential wiring which you may chose as per the age of your house. Wiring which gives the complete electric solution to your home was started with Knob & Tube wire. It was used somewhere around 1920 to 1930’s and was working well, but now it is considered to be unsafe.

Many insurance companies decline to insure your house, if they find that you still use Knob & Tube wires. It was in 1930’s that steel conduit gained popularity and was normally used in the wiring homes. This method was based o fuse box and was normally used to travel from outbox to out box, from wall outlet to light outlet and to switch outlet.

The wire was laid in such a manner so as to reach the desired locations such as switches, lights and receptacles; this method is applicable even today. During 1940’s & 1950’s many houses used spiral steel jacketed cable known as BX, which consisted of jacket with two or three conductors or wires, which were made of either copper or steel.

Steel was commonly used in WW2. The introduction BX stage of wiring was introduced by Romex; presently Romex is available as plastic jacketed cable with two or three conductors which are similar to BX.

Romex and BX have similar function so that jacket is stripped where it enters the outer box so that the conductors are connected to the switch, light fixture or receptacle from inside the outlet box. Romex is easier and faster to strip which can be done with a simple knife whereas BX requires a special tool that cuts through the steel jacket.

Romex which was available in 1940’s had an outer covering of cloth and had oil based substance, it got transformed to various types of outer coverings till 1970, when plastic covering was used which we use even today. I always would consider the type of residential wire which is protected best from critters, nails to be the safest.

As per Knob & Tube is considered it no longer is safe. Earlier Romex used a method of stapling of studs and attic joists, this system had great potential danger of short circuit which is the most common cause of electric fire. This is a lesson for those who still have older homes to once again get their wiring rechecked by a professional electrician.

It has been seen that in older houses, the kitchen light fixture has burned up the wires. Still in some old kitchens sealed drum type light fixture is used. The maximum load taken by a sealed drum fixture is 60 watts, whereas people use 100 watt bulbs to make kitchen brighter, this makes the fixture hot and the wires start burning.

For the safety of your homes, you must check the wiring especially when your house is old, it would be better to seek the services of a professional and licensed electrician to have a complete relook of the entire wiring of your home. Sometimes these electricians give you a report free of charge, but in any case you should not ignore the safety even if you have to spend some dollars for inspection, this will ensure peace of mind and safety for the entire family and your home.

Now that you understand the science behind your home wiring, you can now determine if it is possible to hook up a DIY solar power system to supplement your home energy usage.

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4 Reasons Why Your Home Solar Panels Are Not Working




Solar panels are arrays of interlinked solar cells. A solar panel normally forms part of an overall Photovoltaic (PV) electrical system to generate and distribute electricity.

PV panels do not sometime function at all and even it works; it does not generate power at optimum levels. There are many reasons for malfunctioning of the solar panel. But the question is, how do you troubleshoot a faulty solar panel?

Here are 4 of the causes for malfunctioning of home solar panels and possible solutions to overcome the problem.

1) Over-heating problem.

If the solar panels are installed in comparatively warm areas; the panels are likely to absorb sweltering heat. In the midday, during the scorching sun, the solar cells function at above their normal temperature limits resulting in considerable drop in voltage of the solar panel system.

This is a usual feature and they recover once the atmosphere cools down. For example, a normal 18V capacity PV cell is designed to operate at around the voltage range of 17 to 18 at 25° C. Even if the efficiency level decreases due to high temperatures, the voltage of solar cells can be still around 12.

However, if the voltage drop is much below this level; it may be due to either a weak PV cell or defective electrical connections at some place in the array.

2) Corrosion and expansion of connections due to heat.

Oxidation and expansion of electrical wiring due to heat can result in increase of resistance and consequent reduction in power generation. Wrapping with a sheet or pour water over it, without removing its outer covering may help in cooling the array.

Once the system is cooled, the voltage may return to a normal range and if it does not happen, there may be a faulty cell in the array. A ‘shading test’ will help in locating any faulty cell in the system.

In order to carry out a Shading Test, the panel should be dismantled first and after that, the faults in the cells or electrical wiring can be identified by just shading portions of the panel by turns. Keeping the panel disconnected, check the output with a multi-meter or test the load using a small fan.

If in spite of shading a portion of the surface of the panel, the power does not drop, it means that cells in that portion of the panel are not functioning efficiently.

In order to locate the faults, all the tabs and wiring at intersections of the nearby sequence of cells should be checked. Any indication of corrosion at any point in the sequence of cells may be the origin of the malfunction of the system, leading to decrease in power generation. This problem requires immediate attention and if it is not rectified soon, it may damage a cell due to excessive heat.

The additional resistance due to faulty soldering increases the load as well as the overall resistance and the prolonged excessive heating of the cells leads ultimately to its breakdown. Besides a visual check of all connections, the Shading Test can be helpful to spot the defective area of the panel. The problem may be due to poor soldering.

3) Moisture in solar panel.

If by any chance the moisture gets into the cell, it will be a very big problem. Moisture is the root cause of oxidation and it corrodes all electrical connections.

If the home is situated close to seashore, all electrical connections can get corroded because of salty moist breeze coming from the sea. Moisture can also make wood go out of shape and twisted wooden panel container can cause breaks in electrical connections or cracks may develop in cells.

In order to overcome this sort of problem, it is advisable to use aluminum or Perspex sealed panel even if it means an additional expenditure. All corroded metal parts and connections should also be replaced without any delay.

4) Damaged blocking diode.

Most of the PV arrays use a “blocking diode” to stop array from discharging the batteries at night. Though not very common, a damaged blocking array can also contribute to the system failure. If this is the problem, there will not be any power output at the connecting leads.

If possible faults in all other vulnerable areas are eliminated; the next course of action is to carry out a “Diode Test”. If the diode is defective, it should be replaced immediately. If one is in a remote place, the diode should be taken out from the circuit till a replacement is procured.

The panels should be disconnected at night till a replacement is obtained; otherwise your battery bank will get totally discharged. In order to minimize expenses, some people try to group several smaller diodes to correspond with the “blocking amperage”.

However, it is not at all advisable to use smaller diodes. This is because the electric current will first flow through the smallest diode, the lowest point of resistance, till it gets overheated and fails, then the current flows through the next diode till it also stops working and ultimately. Everything short circuits and blows with disastrous consequences to the whole electrical system.

If you want to have a diagnostic test carried out on blocking diodes, it is advisable to information about the said diode before proceeding.

Solar panels are, generally, dependable, even in cloudy atmosphere or in snowy conditions, if they are properly maintained and kept clean. Moisture causes a lot of damage and therefore panels should always be in sealed condition.