A very highly recommend that everyone get at least a 100 watt solar panel that runs on 12 volts or actually produces around 15 to 16 so it will output 12 to charge 12 volt batteries. Then get several simple DC 12 volt motors. You don't need a large battery but you can use a small lithium iron phosphate battery a very small amp hours as an in-between battery when running motors off of solar panel directly. Basically using the battery as a capacitor.
With this setup you will always have power and you will always have motive power. In addition there are abundance of DC battery powered used drills at thrift shops and things and those are ideal for such a situation. A hand drill that runs off 12 volts can be strapped with a couple of pipe clamps to a bicycle to make a motorized bicycle with a solar panel on your back and a small battery you can intermittently operate purely on the motor or have the motor augment your ability to pedal greatly. Such a system can also be used on the water with small skiffs. And of course such a motor can power a fan which can substitute for an air conditioner in a lot of heat or can be an exhaust fan if you're in a sealed room or something else. Electric motors like that are extremely reliable and unsophisticated if they do go bad they're usually easy to repair. But quite frankly they almost never go bad. Especially hand-drill motors which are built to take a ton of forward pressure on the bearings so they have very good bearings. And of course the solar panel and a small battery can directly power some heater coil wire which can be an immersed in any container of water to boil the water and sterilize things or to cook or do all sorts of other things. A beer cooler made of Styrofoam full of hot water can retain heat throughout the night in essence making a solar powered heater that works at night. Solar panels are incredibly cheap now they're very durable they're very simple they're very lightweight. I would avoid the flexible ones all of their extremely lightweight and great for many things they are not as durable as something with a frame.
Crackinjokes 0 points 1.5 years ago
A very highly recommend that everyone get at least a 100 watt solar panel that runs on 12 volts or actually produces around 15 to 16 so it will output 12 to charge 12 volt batteries. Then get several simple DC 12 volt motors. You don't need a large battery but you can use a small lithium iron phosphate battery a very small amp hours as an in-between battery when running motors off of solar panel directly. Basically using the battery as a capacitor.
With this setup you will always have power and you will always have motive power. In addition there are abundance of DC battery powered used drills at thrift shops and things and those are ideal for such a situation. A hand drill that runs off 12 volts can be strapped with a couple of pipe clamps to a bicycle to make a motorized bicycle with a solar panel on your back and a small battery you can intermittently operate purely on the motor or have the motor augment your ability to pedal greatly. Such a system can also be used on the water with small skiffs. And of course such a motor can power a fan which can substitute for an air conditioner in a lot of heat or can be an exhaust fan if you're in a sealed room or something else. Electric motors like that are extremely reliable and unsophisticated if they do go bad they're usually easy to repair. But quite frankly they almost never go bad. Especially hand-drill motors which are built to take a ton of forward pressure on the bearings so they have very good bearings. And of course the solar panel and a small battery can directly power some heater coil wire which can be an immersed in any container of water to boil the water and sterilize things or to cook or do all sorts of other things. A beer cooler made of Styrofoam full of hot water can retain heat throughout the night in essence making a solar powered heater that works at night. Solar panels are incredibly cheap now they're very durable they're very simple they're very lightweight. I would avoid the flexible ones all of their extremely lightweight and great for many things they are not as durable as something with a frame.