Wednesday, February 18, 2009

SunCat Solar Batteries

SunCat Solar Batteries (Images courtesy Knut Karlsen)
By Andrew Liszewski

Even though they’re still in the prototype stage and not terribly efficient at this point, I still think these solar powered rechargeable batteries are a brilliant idea. Designed by Knut Karlsen, the SunCats are basically a set of old NiMH rechargeable batteries wrapped in a flexible Photo Voltaic cell created by the Institute for Energy Technology. When the batteries are drained, you simply leave them sitting in a windowsill or anywhere with ample sunlight and they’ll recharge themselves.

The PV cells were simply glued onto the batteries and wired up using a conductive silver pen and some flat wires scavenged from a broken canon lens. At the moment they only provide a weak trickle charge to the batteries, but Knut envisions a second version with built-in capacitors and electronics to make the charging process more efficient.

[ Notes from Knut - The SunCat Batteries - DIY prototypes ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]


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  • feckineejit
    so we'll go from a cheap prototype that is proven to work to an expensive second prototype with lots of extra parts, extra parts means more things that can go wrong and make it way more expensive.
  • With a capacitor and a way to bleed off excess charge these should work out great for smaller, travel items and the like.
  • Kevin
    The problem might be that you put them in the sun to charge, hot batteries degrade much quicker. I don't believe this will end well D:
  • polk
    at last a human thinking about future generations
  • pete mack
    the weak trickle charge may be due to the shading on half of the solar cell. Solar cells don't like this so much. try placing a mirror behind them or using smaller cells
  • Pat
    "The problem might be that you put them in the sun to charge, hot batteries degrade much quicker. I don't believe this will end well D:"

    They don't have to go in the sun. Think of all the wasted photos in your office (bouncing off things you're not looking at.)
  • If these rechargeable batteries comes then no one will use not-chargeable batteries and they need to shut the door.
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