The Back Shed: Ultra Capacitors "Boost-Caps" MrDelancoRegular Member Joined: 12 November 2011Location: United States Online Status: OfflinePosts: 99 An ultracapacitor is different than a battery, and depending on the application, may be a better solution.
Often, a combination of the two is the best approach, combining the excellent power performance of the ultracapacitor with the greater energy storage of a battery. An ultracapacitor can be charged to any voltage within its voltage rating, and can be stored totally discharged. Proper system sizing includes accounting for a capacitor's voltage change as it is charged and discharged. State of charge of an ultracapacitor is simply a function of voltage. An ultracapacitor stores much more energy than a conventional capacitor of similar size. The ultracapacitor is able to deliver frequent pulses of energy without any detrimental effects. An ultracapacitor can be charged extremely quickly. Ultracapacitors from Maxwell are rated at 2.5V each. Individual cells are rated to 2.5V each. Building a diy designer greenhouse in 5 minutes.
United States, Caribbean, Bahamas. S.P.R.E.E. (Solar Photovoltaic Renewable Electron Encapsulator), a Compact, Durable, and Portable Solar Energy Generator. For under $160 you can construct a S.P.R.E.E. to harness clean carbon-free solar electricity to power your portable electronic devices.
Project: S.P.R.E.E. (Solar Photovoltaic Renewable Electron Encapsulator), is an experiment in alternative energy and solar generated electricty.The impetus for construction was the desire to have my cellular phone and other small electronics run entirely from free* renewable solar energy. The goal was to spend the least amount of money possible to design, construct, and maintain a portable, weather-proof, small-scale solar powered battery charger to re-charge any small electronics. Since I live in Southern California, with plenty of sun, the plan is to leave it charging on my balcony during the day, then charge my cellular phone at night.
Note: Do not place on a balcony rail like I did, that was just for the picture. My design was inspired from a do-it-yourself section I saw in Popular Science. I have added several optional modifications in Step 5. A New Solar / Wind Charge Controller Based on the 555 Chip. UPDATE This 555 based solar charge controller project has won first place in the Utility Category of the 555 Design Contest!!!!!
Scroll to the bottom of the page for more information on the contest. Several years ago I began building my own wind turbines and solar panels to provide power on my remote, off-grid property. A charge controller is an essential part of any wind or solar system to ensure the batteries aren't over or under charged. The charge controller monitors the battery voltage and switches the batteries off charge when they are fully charged, and switches them back on charge when they reach a pre-set level of discharge. This is a new and improved charge controller design based on the 555 chip. When I originally posted my home-built wind turbine, solar panel and charge controller designs on the web, they became wildly popular.
The original charge controller design is still working after years of field use. Here is the schematic of my original charge controller circuit.
Heliostats.