Solar-powered devices include a variety of household and industrial products. Common examples are solar-powered lights, solar water heaters, solar chargers for electronics, and solar radios. These devices use solar panels to capture sunlight and either store the energy for later use or convert it directly into a form of energy suitable for the operation of the device.
Solar-powered devices cover a wide range of applications. Solar-powered calculators, garden lights, and outdoor security cameras are popular examples. In residential settings, fans and solar water pumps are also common.
These devices incorporate solar panels that capture sunlight and convert it into electrical energy to power their operations.
Devices that convert solar energy into heat and electricity include solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic panels. Solar thermal collectors, such as planar collectors or evacuated tube collectors, convert sunlight into heat, which can be used to heat water or air. Photovoltaic panels, or solar panels, convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect.
These two types of devices meet different energy needs: thermal for heating and photovoltaic for electricity.
Devices powered by solar panels are designed to use the electricity generated by the panels. This includes devices such as solar-powered refrigerators, solar water heaters, and solar-powered ventilation systems.
Solar panels can also power smaller devices, such as garden lights, outdoor fountains and small electronics through built-in battery storage or direct connection.
A washing machine can run on solar panels, but it requires a sufficient number of panels to generate enough electricity to run the machine. The solar panel system must be sized to meet the energy needs of the washing machine and take into account variations in sunlight.
In practice, this often means using a combination of solar panels, a battery storage system and an inverter to ensure that the washing machine can be powered reliably.