Testing the Panel and Starting Construction

The panel that I will be using to charge my battery is a Suaoki 50W Semi Flexible Solar Module. 

Suaoki 50W Semi Flexible Solar Module

This panel is rated for 17.6 Volts and 2.84 Amps. Even in the extremely cloudy and gray January sky the panel is still outputting over 16 volts when it is directly facing the sky. This is a good thing because it shows that even when the Sun is not shining bright in the sky the panel will still be producing a current. The current that the panel was producing was about .14 mA when it was directly facing the sun. This is enough current to charge the battery when we get there.

Construction:

This past week I have connected the battery and the inverter to the charge controller. Since the battery is already charged I was able to power the inverter and start charging some devices like my phone and laptop. Now we know that this part of the system works. The next step is to add the solar panel and see if we can the battery to charge. The final pieces have been ordered and should be here by the end of the week. Once they come in I will be connecting the panel and starting the charge the battery (hopefully). 

New panel!

Since last week I have continued my research into how all of the pieces to my project work. The more I can understand about how they all work, the better I can make my circuit. I'm hoping to be able to make the most efficient and effective circuit possible.
We have recently gotten a new solar panel which I hope to have connected this coming week. Once that is connected we can start to charge the battery! Before anything gets connected I will need to do some testing on the panel. I will testing the voltage and current that it is producing.
By next week I am hoping to have done enough testing to start building and get everything connected. Once we have everything hooked up the next stop is testing and making sure the battery is getting charged.

My Goal!

Working with Dr. McColgan, I am attempting to charge a battery using a Solar Panel. In Bolivia, schools have a hard time staying open because of unreliable power. Using the panels as a current source, I will look into ways that use batteries as a place to store energy. Hopefully I will be able to find a way to store enough energy to keep the Bolivian schools up and running during these power outages.