cordless power tools
Tanna H asked:


I would like to charge a cordless hand tool from a solar panel. Is this possible?

CAROLINE
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Comments

krazybob613 on 27 August, 2009 at 8:33 pm #

Yes in theory … the difficulty is in matching the panel output in both voltage and amperage to the tool battery charging input requirements, which are actually very restrictive in order to protect the battery pack from damage. The simplest method is to employ an inverter which raises the solar panel output to 120 VAC then use the standard tool charger to convert back to charging voltage. Simple but severely inefficient. Like a 5% overall efficiency effective.

The process of regulating solar panel output to the limited input of the small cells is very touchy, if the tool charges at any of the standard cell multiples (12, 24 or 36 volts ) the issue is considerably simplified by connecting the tool in parallel to the solar panel with standard battery banks. The bank of batteries will both dampen and regulate the panel output and continue to provide charging current to the tool battery during periods of cloud cover or darkness because the battery bank is capable of absorbing and distributing power at a much greater rate than the tool battery.