FFPI #6: DIY Car Solar Sunshade
This is a FuncFash Product Idea (FFPI) I’ve had for a while, but finally found a way for it to actually work. My idea is for a solar powered car sunshade. One of those shades you put on the inside of your car windshield so your car isn’t on fire when you leave it out in the sun.
If you live in a sunny area like California or Florida you know how useful a sunshade is. If you have black leather interior on a sunny day one of these shades will save you from getting 1st degree burns. However, the thing that always bothered me was that considering how hot my car got there must be a lot of energy that is wasted. What if I could take that energy to power other stuff? Or what if I could save that power for later? Hence the idea for the solar sun shade was born.
It’s actually a really simple idea and you can actually do it now. There are 2 things that are needed:
- Solar panel that can double as a sun shade
- A portable battery back that can store the solar energy
Basically you would just hook the two devices together and then while your car is baking out in the sun you can take pleasure in the fact that you are storing energy that you can use to charge or power your cell phones, iPods, computers, TV’s, and other electronics.
To actually build my solar sun shade this is what I would use…
SOLAR PANEL: Brunton Solaris 26 Foldable Solar Array ($300)
This is a solar panel that generates 26 watts of power which apparently is a lot of power. The size unfolded is 21.5″x37.5″ (which is just about the size of regular sunshade). It also folds down compact into the size of a sheet of paper about an inch thick (11″x8.5″x1″).
It also comes with a bunch of connection cables so you can charge your devices by plugging them directly into your “solar sun shade.” However, the downside of this is that you would have to leave your devices in the car as you were charging them.
The best setup for our solar sun shade is to hook it up to an external portable battery that after charging we could use to power up anything our hearts would desire. That’s where the Brunton Solo power storage units come into play.
PORTABLE BATTERY: Brunton Solo Power Storage Unit ($222-$324)
The Brunton Solo power storage units store energy in a lightweight lithium polymer battery and come in two main flavors. One is the Brunton Solo 7.5 amp/hour and the other is the Brunton Solo 15 amp/hour unit. Basically the larger one (15 amp/hour) can store more power and hence charge longer and run electronics longer.
In addition to charging electronics this battery can run and power electronics for a significant time. Below are some reported times for how long you can run devices on a full charge.
| Solo 15 | Solo 7.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop | Run 6 Hours | Run 2.9 Hours |
| Small Radio | Run 154 Hours | Run 72 Hours |
| Power Tool Battery | Run 80 Hours | Run 34 Hours |
| Cellphone | Run 77 Hours | Run 36 Hours |
| Digital Camera | Run 237 Hours | Run 111 Hours |
| Portable Game Console | Run 183 Hours | Run 86 Hours |
| Digital Camcorder | Run 103 Hours | Run 48 Hours |
In our car solar sunshade application we will be charging this battery using the solar power panels, however you can also charge this battery with any 12 volt electronic source (like your car’s cigarette lighter). This makes it convenient to charge when the sun isn’t cooperating.
Included DC invertor allows you to charge and use regular AC devices
Even cooler is that included with the Brunton Solo is a 120 volt DC Inverter which converts its to 110 AC which allows you to charge and run your AC devices (like laptops, tv’s, playstation’s, etc…)
Brunton Solaris and Solo = CAR SOLAR SUNSHADE ($522 – $624)
By attaching some suction cups to the Solaris panel and combining it with the Solo power storage unit we now have our car solar sunshade that will not only keep your car nice and cool while sitting in the sun, but will also store energy to power up and any electronic device that you may need on the road.
Used only as a car sunshade it is quite pricey, but the nice thing is that you can use this solar panel and battery storage for a variety of purposes: camping, tailgating, on the go computing, etc… The car sunshade idea is just one way to get the most out of your solar panel since I know must of us are parking our cars outside and why not get some free energy courtesy of the sun?
Where to Buy:
- Amazon: Brunton Solaris 26 Solar Panel $299.95, Brunton Solo 7.5 $222.64, Brunton Solo 15 $324.19
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- Solar Focus Solar Duo
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- Solio Magnesium Solar Charger
- Solar Vest Man to the Rescue!
- Introducing FFPI: FuncFash Product Ideas
