Solar Radios and Solar Crank Radios

Solar radios, along with other solar powered, portable devices are becoming more available and popular everyday. This is because of the huge availability of solar energy. The light from the sun can effortlessly be converted from light into electricity through photovoltaic cells. In the past photovoltaic cells, or solar panels as they are often called, have been very expensive, brittle, large, heavy and difficult to manufacture. All these limiting factors have kept solar panels off of smaller electronics that require a decent amount of power, with small calculators being almost the only portable solar powered devices.

Radios require a certain amount to power to amplify the signal to the point where it can be heard through either headphones or a speaker, and with recent advances in photovoltaic cells they are beginning to be powered by the sun. Solar panels have become efficient enough to power a wide range of portable electronics including solar radios. The panels are light and small, and in many cases flexible enough to conform to the shape of the device, instead of having a flat panel extruding from the top as was common in the past.

Solar radios need sunlight to work effectively, and many models include a battery that is recharged when it is sunny and stores the energy until the music is played. This allows the unit to be charged up when it’s sunny, but can allow for playback at night or cloudy days. The battery life of each solar radio varies from model to model and greatly depends on the amount of time the music is played, as well as the volume. Listening to music very loudly, or through a loudspeaker will drain the batteries much quicker than listening with headphones at a reasonable volume.

Some solar radios also have a hand crank to generate electricity when the suns power can not be harnessed. By cranking the handle, mechanical energy is produced that can be converted to electricity very easily. A flashlight is commonly attached to these devices as well, making them very useful in emergency situations. Some solar powered radios are the size of a regular boom box, and can generate enough electricity to power other items such as cell phones with A/C or D/C connectors.

The problems with solar radios happen when there is extended periods without sufficient sunlight to power the device and the batteries have drained. If there is no hand crank to generate electricity manually then the radio becomes useless, which could be a problem in emergency situations. If using a solar powered radio in an emergency kit it is advised to have extra batteries, or a back-up radio that is powered by something else. For recreational use they provide a long term source of powering the device with almost no maintenance. Often the product will deteriorate before the solar cells lose their electricity generating abilities. Solar power is an effective and long term alternative to other energy sources, and is able to be converted to electricity anywhere on, or off, the planet.

 

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