Journal Entry #1 | 04/07/13
I have to do more research on how Solar energy works and how much solar energy is required for the Solar Powered Battery to keep a small device functioning properly. I haveĀ to determine the size, width and length of the solar battery’s. The battery will act as a universal (one size fits all kind of thing)Ā so it must be of a size that will fit any small handheld electronic device and will not weigh too much to become too much of an inconvenience. I have to also figure out what would be the ideal size of the battery for the solar panel on the back because if the solar panel is too small it won’t hold enough charge for the battery to function properly. So the battery has to be small enough size to fit most if not all hand held electronic devices but at the same time it must be big enough to carry solar cells on the backside that will hold enough charge for small electronic devices.
Journal Entry #2 | 04/14/13
I have finally been able to do some more research on Solar Energy. Here’s a little summary of the information I have managed to gather so far. Solar energy is the energy produced by the Sun; the radiation is emitted by the Sun in the form of light and heat. Almost all the energy on Earth comes from the Sun. The earth receives 170 pet watts of solar radiation. 30% is reflected into space and the rest is absorbed by the earth. Most of the solar radiation falls in the visible to near infrared region of electromagnetic spectrum with a small amount in the ultraviolet region. Today most nanometers based energy conversion focuses on converting solar energy into electrical energy. Solar energy is everywhere as long as sunlight is available. So that makes it very easy to utilize this āfreeā form of energy that our sun provides for everyone throughout the entire planet. The only thing I need to do now is figure out a way that wouldn’t make my invention rely entirely on solar energy. I must figure out a backup energy source even though Solar Energy seems quite promising and is available everywhere for FREE. To read more about solar energy by following these links below.
http://www.universetoday.com/18107/energy-from-the-sun/
Journal Entry #3 | 04/21/13
Okay so I’ve been trying to do some sketches for how and what my Solar Powered battery will look like and I have come to a conclusion that before I create sketches I have come up with the perfect dimensions (length, width, depth and weight). I have decided that these dimensions would be perfect for most if not all everyday handheld devices. The battery will be pretty much the same size or perhaps a little smaller than the average cellphone. The solar powered battery will weigh only 2.5 ounces will is roughly 70 grams. So the battery adding extra weight on whatever its attached to will not be a problem. Here is the specific information about the size of the battery.
- Height: 4.2 inches (106.68 mm)
- Width: 2.0 inches (50.8 mm)
- Depth:Ā 0.50 inch (12.7 mm)
- Weight: 2.5 ounces (70 grams)
Journal Entry #4 | 04/27/13
I’ve been looking for ways to create the Solar Power Battery more efficient. I don’t want it to rely entirely on Solar Power. I have to have a backup source of energy just in case something happens and sunlight isn’t available anymore for example on cloudy days or night times etc. I have to find an alternative way to charge the battery other than solar power. I do not want to rely entirely on solarĀ energy no matter how cost efficient it may seem. So my goal now is to find another way that I can make the solar power battery even better than it is now. I must find other wireless power sources or do more research into wireless energy.
Journal Entry #5 | 04/14/13
Wireless Energy is what I have been doing my research on for past few days, reading articles online and trying to comprehend as much as I can in this short period of time that I have been provided with. Here is a summary of information that I have gathered so far. There are different kinds of wireless charging technologies available.Ā One way is through electromagnetic induction, an electric current is sent through a magnetic field generated by a power conductor to a smaller magnetic field generated by a receiving device. One other method is magnetic resonance coupling. Which was created by researchers working for Intel and MIT. The technology involves setting up a magnetic field that is actually able to transmit energy between two poles from a transmitting device to a receiving device. They experimented with two electromagnetic resonators vibrating at a specific frequency and found they shared power through their magnetic fields at distances far greater than their conventional, magnetic induction counterparts.Ā Where previous technologies only allowed transmission over distances of inches, magnetic resonance coupling would allow transmission at long enough distances that it opens the door to many new applications. So in theory you could have a room full of people with their electronic devices and you can charge multiple devices all at once. With this wireless charging technology finding an outlet will become obsolete. So all I have to do now is to imagine a device in my mind that will be able to transmit electromagnetic waves to the solar powered battery and charge it. I will also have to make tweaks on my original battery model and add some sort of a receiver to gather electromagnetic waves.
Journal Entry #6 | 05/04/13
Regarding wireless energy I have come up with an idea on how the Solar Battery can also be charged using wireless Power Stations or charging docks (I’m not very good at naming these things). These charging docks or power stations will send out electromagnetic waves that will be picked up my the Solar Battery’s built-in receiver to charge the battery. It will be similar to how our WiFi works now days with hotspots available for devices to connect pretty much anywhere such as stores, coffee shops, restaurants, bus stops, train stations, airports and pretty much all other public places. So all these places will have hotspots for not only WiFi but for wireless charging for people who would like to charge their electronic devices on the go. All I have to do now is to do some concept sketches and drawings on how these power station or charging docks will look like. I will soon post my original sketches for the battery.
Good work!