PiSAT Solar - The Next Generation In Recreational Lighting

The K-Light is designed to get the fastest and best charge possible from the sun. However, unlike rechargeable products that plug into the wall, solar charging can be fickle. This is because the sun does not always cooperate.

The K-Light will recharge its battery through the solar panel no matter what kind of sunlight you have, how fast it charges depends on the sun’s cooperation.

Strong, bright, direct sunlight will provide the best charge times, but don’t worry, even in less than perfect conditions you can follow these tips and examples to maximize the charging of the K-Light.

Tips
Angle the panel so that it is hit by as much direct sunlight as possible.

Clouds and shadows will reduce effectiveness, but if there is no avoiding them, then make sure the panel is facing the sun as much as possible.

Having glass between the panel and the sun will reduce charging effectiveness as well. If you cannot place it outside, make sure the panel is angled toward the sun as much as possible.

Here are some examples showing how much of an impact clouds, time of day, angle, and windows have on charging current.

On a very cloudy day the charge current is near zero.

Partly cloudy conditions result in a charge current (0.025 A) at about 15% of max current. Pointing the solar panel toward the sun almost doubles the charge current (0.040 A).

With the solar panel lying flat on a sunny winter morning in Michigan the charge current is 0.048 A.  Placing the solar panel so that it points toward the sun increases the charge current to 0.124 A.

With the solar panel lying flat at noon on sunny winter day in Michigan the charge current is 0.100 A.  Placing the solar panel so that it points toward the sun increases the charge current to 0.186 A.

So what happens to the charge current when the solar panel is behind a window.  At noon on a sunny day with the panel lying flat on the dashboard of a vehicle the charge current is only 0.034 A, with the solar panel placed so that it faces the sun the charge current increases to 0.063 A.  Many of the windows in homes are double pane and some have special films on them to block UV light.  This means the charge current will even decrease more.

If you want your lantern to charge as quickly as possible, make sure the solar panel is outside in direct sunlight and it is placed so that it faces the sun.

There are several different types of rechargeable batteries in the market place today. They include Lead Acid, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), and several Lithium based batteries. The K-Light utilizes a NiMH battery because NiMH batteries don’t contain any heavy metals and they have been safely used by consumers for over 20 years. Toyota uses them in the Prius. Lithium based batteries are becoming more and more popular but still have some legitimate safety concerns when exposed to high temperatures or short-circuited.

There are three main types of solar panel technology. They are mono-crystalline, poly-crystalline, and thin film. Mono-crystalline panels are the most efficient of the three types. They are generally smaller than poly-crystalline and thin film but they also tend to be the most expensive. Thin film panels are generally the cheapest but are also the least efficient. A mono-crystalline solar panel is used with the K-Light because they are the most efficient and take up the least amount of space.

For best results when charging with a solar panel the panel needs to be outside in direct sunlight. For most places on Earth this means during peak sunlight hours from 10 am to 3 pm. The K-Light needs about 10 hours of direct sunlight to be fully recharged. In most cases this could require 2 days of charging. Placing the solar panel in a well-lit window instead of outside in direct sunlight can reduce the rate of charge by 50% or more. Shadows, clouds, air pollution, higher latitudes and angle of the solar panel in relation to the sun will also reduce the rate of charge.

One of our customers had repeated power outages a few nights ago.  Luckily for him, he had his K-Light charged up and ready to go.

Rowster Coffee is located in Grand Rapids, MI.  They specialize in roasting and brewing special blends of coffee.

Earlier this year the Kopernik gathered funding to help get K-Lights to the SISARI Women in Kenya.   A Rapid Impact Assessment Report has been conducted.  See what the SISARI Women have to say about the K-Light by clicking here.

Peninsula Trading is a new retailer located at Cherry and Diamond in Grand Rapids, MI.  They specialize in outdoor apparel and other items to make travel more organized and enjoyable.

Check out this article about PiSAT and the Koinonia Foundation on Examiner.com.

“RoHS” is an acronym that stands for “Restriction of Hazardous Substances.”

The European Union issued the RoHS Directive (Directive 2002/95/EC) to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. These restricted substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE).  From July 1, 2006 all homogenous materials making up new electrical products put on the market in Europe should not contain any of the above-mentioned substances above the restricted limits. In other words the limit applies to each individual component/part that makes up the final product. The restricted limit for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is 0.1% or 1,000 ppm.   The restricted limit for cadmium is 0.01% or 100 ppm.

PiSAT is committed to producing products that are safe for its customers and for the environment. Therefore, the company voluntarily chooses to produce products with the above-mentioned substances below the restricted limits.

If you would like to learn more about the RoHS directive go to www.rohs.gov.uk

These are photos of the K-Light in Rwanda.

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This is a photo of the K-Light being used to provide medical attention in Kenya.