Cali's finest
New Member
i was just wondering if anyone happens to use a solar panel to power there pc and i kinda wouldn't mind seeing your setup and parts
anyone computer run off of solar energy?
- Thread starter Cali's finest
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brian
VIP Member
a computer on solar... that would be hard. A laptop would be easer but still not easy. and a desktop... you would spend a lot. for a desktop you would need;
A) A few large solar panel (or many smaller ones)
B) Many batteries or one huge battery
C) a large DC to AC converter
for a laptop you dont need C but right off, i would not even go for it. computers are very sensitive and if the voltage in the battery goes down enough, you can hurt the computer. its not worth it. i mean i have a small solar pannel hooked up to a battery and from that charge my phone off of it every night but that is it.
A) A few large solar panel (or many smaller ones)
B) Many batteries or one huge battery
C) a large DC to AC converter
for a laptop you dont need C but right off, i would not even go for it. computers are very sensitive and if the voltage in the battery goes down enough, you can hurt the computer. its not worth it. i mean i have a small solar pannel hooked up to a battery and from that charge my phone off of it every night but that is it.
i am planning to give this a go in a few weeks time. You need to make your PC as power affeciant as possible, I currently have 4 hard-disks in my computer, I plan to remove 3 of them to save power, Im also going to disconnect my CD-ROM drive and spare 2 x fans that are running. Hopefully I will then be able to run my PC on solar power 
just a noob
Well-Known Member
mine runs partially on wind power, but thats only because theres a wind farm around here
Cleric7x9
Active Member
it would be difficult to harness enough solar power to run your computer.
a solar panel can generate ~70 milliwatts per square inch, times 6 hours per day (the sun is only strong enough about 6 hours per day to actually create electricty in a solar panel), which means you can get about 420 milliwatts per day per square inch. lets say you have a modest, inexpensive, low power computer, that takes about 200 watts per hour. lets say you want to run the computer 10 hours per day, that means you will need about 2,000 watts per day.
so we now know that you can get 420 milliwatts per day per square inch solar panel, and you need 2,000 watts.
2,000 watts x 1,000 milliwatts/watt x 1 sq. in./420millwatts = 4,762 square inches of solar panels.
that would cost you thousands, not including batteries, inverters, and installation costs. im not sure about my math (im a science guy), so if anyone sees a problem please let me know.
sources:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question418.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/solar-light2.htm
http://www.solartechnologies.com/cm/Solar-Power-Homes/Solar-Power-Cost.html
a solar panel can generate ~70 milliwatts per square inch, times 6 hours per day (the sun is only strong enough about 6 hours per day to actually create electricty in a solar panel), which means you can get about 420 milliwatts per day per square inch. lets say you have a modest, inexpensive, low power computer, that takes about 200 watts per hour. lets say you want to run the computer 10 hours per day, that means you will need about 2,000 watts per day.
so we now know that you can get 420 milliwatts per day per square inch solar panel, and you need 2,000 watts.
2,000 watts x 1,000 milliwatts/watt x 1 sq. in./420millwatts = 4,762 square inches of solar panels.
that would cost you thousands, not including batteries, inverters, and installation costs. im not sure about my math (im a science guy), so if anyone sees a problem please let me know.
sources:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question418.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/solar-light2.htm
http://www.solartechnologies.com/cm/Solar-Power-Homes/Solar-Power-Cost.html