Using solar cells from calculators ?

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I have an idea which may be possible but I am not really sure. Let's say a city of 50,000 people finds itself without power due to fuel shortages.It needs a means to pump water from an underground well to provide water.

Most people have in their homes solar-powered calculators, from an Electronics book I have, most solar cells have a voltage of .26 volts per cell and very low current. This is not much in itself but if each of the 50,000 donated a solar cell calculator would it be possible to take them all out and mount them on a platform to produce DC to power a motor to pump water ?

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 08, 1999

Answers

I have an idea. If a city of 50,000 people loose power and water due to fuel shortages, they can use their calculator to figure out how long it will take for them to expire.

Himmmm, let's see, how long can I live without..."Honey!, where's my calculator?"

-- Wasting Bandwidth (response.to@a.troll.com), December 08, 1999.


I nominate Stanley to solder up those 50,000 cells and his mom to collect them. Should be done by 2002.

-- TOO (little@too.late), December 08, 1999.

I suspect that this is the great grandson of the founder of Lucus Electrics in Great Britian.

Why do the British drink their beer warm?

Because Lucus makes refridgerators.

You would get the joke if you've ever owned a 60's or 70's British sports car.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 08, 1999.


Are you really stupid enough to think this could possibly work, or just extremely bored?

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 08, 1999.

Ooh Ooh! If you use the solar batteries to run your lights, you can charge your batteries with the lights, to run your lights to charge your batteries to run your lights.... Wow Al E. whadda think?

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), December 08, 1999.


Oh lighten up cavscout.

Remember there were people suggesting that we just all start all computers with a 70's date to avoid the problem. Just not thinking it all the way thru.

The image of all those little solar cells and tangles of wire is really worth the price of admission.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 08, 1999.


Sorry LM.

I guess between I'm just a little cranky from listening for 18 months to the government tell me outright lies and the corporations hide behind their legal mumbo-jumbo. On top of that all the pollies I know trying to convince me with muffled mumbles (due to their heads being so far up their asses) that everything will be ok, don't worry.

And now Stanley comes along and suggests (seriously, I have to assume) that, Hey no problem, we'll just pump water to 50,000 people with the solar cells off of calculators! By actually posting something this moronic, I have to question wether Stanley is capable of pouring piss out of a boot even if the instructions were printed on the heel.

Poor stanley; he's probably doomed. And I need a drink.

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 08, 1999.


Okay it's a dumb idea, I had to ask, please delete

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 08, 1999.

cavscout,

I did not read that it could be done, no problem. I read a question asking if it could be done. At least Stanley was asking if something could be done to help the community. I think we all need a break! There is no such thing as a stupid (or moronic question). Just stupid answers.

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), December 08, 1999.


Stanley, I officially apologize.

goodnight.

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 09, 1999.



I hate to expound on a probably stupid idea, but my idea was to generate enough power to run a water pump all day to supplement fuel, doing some rough figuring I came up with 500 watts of power generated, something but not really worth the trouble.

If you think that idea was stupid, just wait until the new year, the ideas from the hysterical polly's will blast this idea of mine right out of the water.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 09, 1999.


Stanley-

just to give you a rough idea:

My pump for my well at my house pumps 7 gallons/ minute.

It is at 400 ft.

It requires about 2000 watts to do this after its started. It requires about surge 3500 watts on startup.

As I said, I get 7 gallons per minute from this pump.

50,000 people would require at LEAST 250,000 galons/day JUST TO SURVIVE. This does not include bathing well everyday, or any kind of business or industrial use- strictly survival.

Are you getting the picture now? I hope this has helped. Once again, sorry for the snotty post above.....

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 09, 1999.


Thanks cavscout,

I am not quite sure if my wattage figure is correct, had to guess as to amperage. My sun-mate radio has it solar cells in parallel mounted on a metal strip, figured maybe to avoid soldering could have two long aluminum sheets to act as conductors for negative and positive poles, overlay with clear plastic to keep out rain, in any case sounds like a big mess to keep tidy.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 09, 1999.


cavscout, your figures are for 5 gallons of water/day per person, just for bare survival. The most commonly mentioned water volume requirement in survival literature I have read is one gallon per person per day. Please explain this rather substantial difference.

www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), December 09, 1999.


Actually I was off a good bit, new and better calculatons give an approximate wattage of 6,250 watts.

Excluding startup that would produce about 10,000 gallons for 8 hrs of sunlight, even if it worked what about food ?

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 09, 1999.



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