I've been hearing about electricity in Nigeria from my post topic on electricity.
Check here for the posting topic
Or check the #Be Frugal not Stingy channel for the responses.
The general opinion I'm getting from people there is that electricity is unreliable and pricing can be inconsistent in Nigeria
Now I'm a big fan of solar power, even if it is just in a small way, and I think it could be exceedingly useful. However, I've had a few people say that they don't like it. Which leads me to wonder...Why not?
In that light I thought I would present my super basic, carry with me when I travel, solar system.
It all starts with a solar panel.
Now this panel is nothing special. I bought it for about $6 HBD a long time ago on sale. It only makes 2.5W maximum which is less than most cellphone chargers. However, it uses amorphous silicon which means whether you have direct sunlight of even shade it will produce power.
Notice that little blue LED glowing. That is in the shade.
Of course full sun is better... but even on cloudy days you get something.
Connecting wires.
Now the solar panel makes electricity but you have to have wires to get it to a place that will store that power.
In this case I'm using a simple power wire.
and connection is just as simple as this
Then I plug it into my power bank.
but its easier to see it charging when I move the power bank into the house
How long does it take to charge the power bank?
Very simple math says that this power bank is going to take a long time to charge.
The Power Bank holds 100W of power
The Solar Panel provides 2.5W of power (max)
In ideal situation it would take 40hours of sun to power up the power bank.
(100W/2.5W/hr)
In real life it takes longer than that.
However, the take home message isn't that it takes a long time to charge..... its that the sun WILL charge the bank and give useable power little by little day by day. In sun its faster, in shade its slower, at night its nothing...but still over time the bank does fill up! Also, if you have electricity at home you can charge up the bank quickly when the power is on.
What can I use the power for?
100W of power maximum really isn't that much but it still provides some great use for me!
Examples:
USB Shaver
Shaving is important for me. So much nicer with an electric shaver and with this setup I can pretty much always guarantee my shaver is ready to go
USB Fan
Ever get stuck in the tropics without a fan? In the heat of the day? It really sucks. So when I'm in the Philippines its nice to know I have a fan nearby to help cool me off. If its hot and sunny enough to cook me its sunny enough for the solar to get the fan going!
USB Blender
Ever want a nice drink on a hot day? Have some fruit and some water? Maybe with some ice? This blender makes an awesome cool smoothie and its USB powered.
12V Water Heater.
Ever want some hot coffee in the morning? No power to heat up the water and too lazy to make a fire?
A 12V immersion heater will heat up a cup of water to 60C or more in under 3 minute leaving plenty of power in the battery pack for other things.
Cellphone!
Of course charging up your phone is a must for any HIVE blogger and I'm no exception. However, I also find that writing on the cellphone screen is awful. The answer?
This setup. All USB powered and all happily charged with my solar panel/battery bank.
Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to my cellphone on a stand make a great way to post a blog. Side note: The cellphone is a Samsung A03S which has a big battery and low power processor. The combination is a modern phone (latest operating system) with a nice screen for a low price that can last for well over a day of regular use or a few days with limited use. Compare that to my Samsung S20 FE which dies in 10hrs and the less powerful phone wins in reliability every time.
Battery charger.
Now I mis-spoke a little bit. The Bluetooth mouse is actually NOT USB powered. It is powered on AA batteries. Never fear though.
I have this:
A USB battery charger so I can use my solar panel/battery pack setup to charge my AA batteries for my mouse or anything else that is battery powered.
Lights!
Now there are plenty of USB powered lights out there. I would take a picture of one but I have it sitting in my cabin elsewhere. However, if you look at the power bank:
It has both a room light and a flashlight depending on what I might need.
Overall I think this is a very basic, easy to setup and easy to understand introduction to solar. For people who have simple electricity needs like @jmis101 who inspired me to write this post I think it would be a great way to make sure that her phone never runs out. Also portable enough to use while she is sitting waiting for a bus for 3 hrs (yes, I do read your Actifit reports there jmis ;)
Is this a perfect setup?
Of course not.
Are there better setups?
Of course.
However, better setups usually get more complicated. You will need charge controllers, fuses, more complex wiring and all the other joys of a more complex system.
This system is dead simple. Place panel in sunlight. Connect wire to power bank. Wait for power bank to charge and then use the power.
Overall price?
Well, its cheap by Canadian Standards...not cheap by Nigerian standards.
I paid a little under $60 HBD for the power bank. I paid about $6 HBD for the solar panel. About $6 for the connection wire from panel to battery bank.
In my opinion I think it would be useful for any blogger who doesn't want to be caught with a dead phone. Especially useful because you can charge up the power bank easily in those hours when the electricity IS on in Nigeria. Great for longer term backup if the transformer is down and you don't know when it will go back up.
Also small enough for me to put into my luggage with lots of space left over for extra stuff.
Ohh....
and I almost forgot one of my other uses for it in an emergency.
It can run my portable fridge/freezer to either make some ice. Cool some drinks. Keep ice cream frozen or store meat in cool place. It can run this for up to 5hrs when on a full charge.
Also great for taking food on picnic with the family with little power box to keep things running.
Anyways,
I like my tiny solar setup. Sure its not much compared to many much more elaborate systems but with small size, easy to use, and low price tag I think its a great little system to start off with....just for fun.
Thanks for reading.