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Question:

Need help with building a project involving solar panels?

I've built a set of lights, fan and a clock running on only solar power. The problem is, i have to present it tomorrow and when the light isn't particularly strong it won't work too well. It works flawlessly when its under my desk light on max brightness but the only the light works when i set it to low brightness. Currently, tomorrow in my city it won't be sunny so any advice for trying to make it work under low light?

Answer:

Solar panels are designed to be used to recharge a battery or series of batteries, not for direct power. That is the inherent weakness of solar systems. The only way to have it work in low light conditions if to have several cells wired in series and have a voltage regulator to limit the amount of voltage that can be supplied. Other than that, add a battery and a charging circuit that the cell would supply power to.

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