Kitronik Solar Power Starter Kit

Solar Energy Starter Kit by Kitronik

With the new Solar Power Starter Kit by Kitronik, you can learn to harness the power of the sun in your electronics, design and technology projects. This kit allows you to build a basic solar charging and power system for a range of useful low-power gadgets.

Renewable energy accounted for over 25% of the energy generated in the UK in 2017. Environmental targets indicate that this figure will increase year on year. Solar power is currently a major player in the renewables industry, and has the potential to become even more so. It is thought that just a quarter of the Sahara desert covered with solar panels would provide enough electricity to power the entire planet!

The solar power starter kit is easy to assemble and understand. The batteries will start charging once the kit has been installed and placed in direct sunlight. If the light level is insufficient to allow charging, the diode prevents any charge stored in the batteries from being discharged again via the solar cell. The included switch allows you to disconnect the electricity from the kit you are powering for better charging efficiency.

Fully charged batteries, for example, can produce light for 17 hours when used with the included Kitronik LED desk lamp kit, which is more than enough time for a little reading.

• This kit requires some soldering and assembly.
• As the kit does not include a connecting wire, you will need to use wire such as multi-strand wire.
• Use the power of the sun by adding a solar charging and powering system to your low power gadgets.
• Learn more about renewable energy and how to integrate it into your designs.
• A low signal Schottky diode is provided to prevent unintentional discharge of the battery by the solar cell.

Contents and requirements of the Kitronik solar energy kit

Contents :

• 1 x 5.0V 130mA Polycrystalline Solar Cell.
• 1 x BAT41 Signal Diode.
• 1 x SPST Toggle Switch.
• 1 x 5V LED Desk Lamp Kit.
• 1 x 3x AA Battery Holder with Flying Leads.
• 3 x Rechargeable AA Battery (1300mA/h).

Prerequisites :

• Soldering Iron.
• Solder.
• Wire Cutters.
• Wire Strippers.
• Multi-stranded Wire.