Solar Power Your Pi
Originally published on hackaday.com by Al Williams on 2 August 2023
Running a Raspberry Pi on solar power has its challenges, as demonstrated by [Bystroushaa]’s experience. In the initial attempt, the PiJuice hat and solar panel were employed, but success wasn’t achieved. However, a second attempt using a LiFePO4 battery, a solar regulator, and a solar panel turned out to work better.
Although the setup works, some concerns remain. Winter conditions might challenge the system’s viability, and the absence of automatic restart after battery depletion poses a drawback. Despite these issues, the system is usable, and solutions could be found.
The revised approach used a LiFePO4 battery, a solar regulator, and a solar panel, eliminating the PiJuice hat from the equation. While the cheaper regulator has limitations such as no monitoring and cell balancing capabilities, these issues can potentially be addressed externally. The successful implementation demonstrates the feasibility of running a Raspberry Pi with solar power, even though some refinements are necessary for optimal performance. Did you know, you can also power a Raspberry Pi Pico with solar power, check this article out to learn more.
Your Solar power Grocery list:
- Dual USB 9V/12V/24V/36V to 5V Converter DC-DC 3A Step Down Power Module
- PWM 30A Dual USB Solar Panel Battery Regulator Charge Controller 12/24V LCD
- Semi-flexible Polycrystalline silicon Solar Panel (18V 10W), Supports 5V regulated output
Read more: Solar Power Your Pi
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