# Did anyone else read this?



## Countrybumpkin (May 12, 2002)

In the new issue of Countryside, on page 48, Phillip Kautz is talking about a small solar operation. At the end of the artice he states, ..'' with a CFL placed in a garbage can, controlled by a timer, with the interior wall of the can lined with small solar panels, you can charge batteries all you want to!'' Now, if he was hooking the CFL to the battery bank, say it is a 13 W bulb, and had 18W of panels in there, he could not be making more energy than he was using, right? Its been a long while since high school, but I seems to recall something to that effect. I know the light lumens would have something to do with it also...


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

> he could not be making more energy than he was using, right?


Right


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

Laws of Thermodynamics:

You can't win.

You can't break even.

You have to play the game anyway.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Well

1. You need to include the rest of the paragragh. Taking only what you did took it completely out of context.

2. You added the numbers, so it is a complete misquote of what he wrote. 

It may be your interpitation but you where way off.



> Here's a dilly: Back in the 1970's, in my area at least, the power company was having a fit in regard to "The Hippies" stealing electricity. No, not stealing that way. They were recapturing energy with solar panels near steet lamps during the night! And if you use a solar calculator wherever there's a light source, then what does that tell us about solar panels in general? With a CFL placed in a garbage can, controlled by a timer, with the interior wall of the can lined with small solar panels, you can charge batteries all you need to!


Hope I didn't mistype anything there.

I do have to say this is poorly written. He states "wherever there's a light source", Not that his is light source is ran by the power from the panels.

What I think he is trying to get across is that if you have power (light source) from another source you can charge you battieries at night for more wattage per day. Just like "The Hippies" were doing.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

To say that it was poorly written is putting it mildly.


Ah but then you should see what what my 2k of PV produces on a full moon night....

Usually those hippies had some very good smoke . . . . . . . .


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Is the full moon 7 or 11% of the brightness of the sun? Does that give you 5% of the output or so of a sunny day? Was always curious about that. Or is it so small it drains away before you can actually pick up net power?

--->Paul


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

I can tell you CFL bulbs dont work worth a darn for charging.Tried em on my solar battery charger,absolute duds.

BooBoo :gromit:


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## Countrybumpkin (May 12, 2002)

I was wondering if they would work...


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I'm pulling somebodys chain about PV out put from the moon.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Something as simple as a street light can mess up soybean growing - up here in the North our beans keep growing until the daylight gets shorter.

Fellows planting beans along urban sprawl run into issues from the light output of street lights.

So, not unheard of for small amounts of light to make a difference. I remember back in the 80's when I followed alternative energy a bit more, they spoke of light from the moon. But didn't remember so well what they were saying back then....

--->Paul


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

Whoa, Paul...yer saying that _light pollution _ is causing yer beans to grow over a longer than normal season?


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Jim S. said:


> Whoa, Paul...yer saying that _light pollution _ is causing yer beans to grow over a longer than normal season?


I've not had it happen to me - town is 5 miles away..... 

Saw it next to the car dealership tho, as well as other places.

Beans up north grow until the daylight gets shorter. That signals them to quit growing & mature - er - die off. If they don't get that signal, they continue to grow until they freeze - green. They don't keep in the bin that way, not ripe.

It's a circle near the lights couple 100 feet maybe - not affecting the whole field. But still, it's an effect.

--->Paul


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