Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. robocon@xxxxxx (06 Oct 2015 23:38 UTC)
Re: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Jeffrey Schwartz (07 Oct 2015 13:17 UTC)
RE: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Michael Fischer (08 Oct 2015 06:11 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Bruce Johnson (07 Oct 2015 16:09 UTC)
Re: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. shadow@xxxxxx (08 Oct 2015 06:16 UTC)
AW: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Michael.Fischer.Bonn@t-online.de (08 Oct 2015 12:55 UTC)
Re: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Phil Pugliese (07 Oct 2015 16:13 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Bruce Johnson (07 Oct 2015 17:30 UTC)
RE: [TML] Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Anthony Jackson (08 Oct 2015 18:56 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Bruce Johnson (08 Oct 2015 20:30 UTC)
RE: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Anthony Jackson (08 Oct 2015 21:57 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Craig Berry (08 Oct 2015 22:02 UTC)
RE: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Phil Pugliese (09 Oct 2015 13:38 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. shadow@xxxxxx (09 Oct 2015 07:03 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Phil Pugliese (09 Oct 2015 15:34 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Jeffrey Schwartz (09 Oct 2015 15:44 UTC)
RE: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Anthony Jackson (09 Oct 2015 16:43 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Bruce Johnson (09 Oct 2015 20:49 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Phil Pugliese (09 Oct 2015 22:32 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. shadow@xxxxxx (11 Oct 2015 03:40 UTC)
Re: [TML] Understanding batteries and solar and motors. Kenneth Barns (16 Oct 2015 22:19 UTC)

Re: Understanding batteries and solar and motors. robocon@xxxxxx 06 Oct 2015 23:38 UTC

With regard to solar panels:

You are limited by the amount of sunlight you are starting with.

So at the top of Earth's atmosphere solar constant is about 1300 watts per square metre.

At ground level you are down to less than half of this. Best insolation is at the equator and gets worse with increasing latitude.

Theoretical maximum efficiency for solar cells is about 60% with current designs and materials.

You could potentially concentrate incoming sunlight with mirrors and lenses but you're ultimately limited by the incoming light (inverse square law with distance, directly proportional to stellar luminosity,  peak wavelengths a function of stellar surface temperature).

Rob O'Connor
Sent from my android device.