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Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#11

Post by whydoineedthis »

squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Don't you think he has them on the roof as well? While not optimal, he will get some power no matter what direction he's facing, and that may be enough for the small task. Sri Lanka is ridiculously sunny.

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#12

Post by imtringued »

squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

The cost of used solar panels is unbelievably low.

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#14

Post by conductr »

whydoineedthis wrote: post #11
squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Don't you think he has them on the roof as well? While not optimal, he will get some power no matter what direction he's facing, and that may be enough for the small task. Sri Lanka is ridiculously sunny.

Along these lines, he may also have a very small daily range and thus below optimal charging conditional could meet his needs

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#15

Post by hemapani »

squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Sri lanka has lot of sun, so effect of angle may be less

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#16

Post by squarefoot »

whydoineedthis wrote: post #11
squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Don't you think he has them on the roof as well? While not optimal, he will get some power no matter what direction he's facing, and that may be enough for the small task. Sri Lanka is ridiculously sunny.

> Don't you think he has them on the roof as well?

He doesn't, and you replied without even watching the video. He has the usual tent on the roof, which would have been the best spot to mount the panels. Had the kid been some some western youtuber, those who downvoted me would be in line to write my same exact post. Please be honest with yourselves and others.

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#17

Post by harikb »

squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Flat roof panels are visible in 00:05 through 00:08. I think he used panels are door because they are available cheap. Typical Tuktuks have a curved cloth/plastic material as roof

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#18

Post by squarefoot »

hemapani wrote: post #15
squarefoot wrote: post #10

Those solar panels are mounted in a way to get the worst possible efficiency (aside making them facing down). I'm very skeptical of the outcome, or maybe they're incredibly oversized for the task so that even a couple of them getting a fraction of the sunlight can make the vehicle work. If he mounted them on the roof they would work a lot better by taking more direct sunlight, and he would save a lot of money by usin…

Sri lanka has lot of sun, so effect of angle may be less

That is true, but carrying people around requires a lot of power, nothing that panels put that way can offer. He probably can gain a few minutes of driving by recharging his batteries in several hours of sun on one side (unfortunately making all panels pointed to other directions useless) but I am 100% sure that thing cannot carry people around just with solar power, especially with panels mounted that way. There's not enough data to call it a fake, but surely there's enough data to tell it's not optimal.

As i wrote in another reply: had this kid been a western youtuber, those who are downvoting me would be in line to write my exact words.

To make it even more clear: correcting a technical error does not mean I'm bashing the kid who committed it, and correcting a kid of a certain country doesn't mean I'm bashing that country.

Re: Sri Lankan teenager builds solar-powered tuk-tuk from scraps [video]

#19

Post by trhway »

squarefoot wrote: post #18
hemapani wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sri lanka has lot of sun, so effect of angle may be less

That is true, but carrying people around requires a lot of power, nothing that panels put that way can offer. He probably can gain a few minutes of driving by recharging his batteries in several hours of sun on one side (unfortunately making all panels pointed to other directions useless) but I am 100% sure that thing cannot carry people around just with solar power, especially with panels mounted that way. There's n…

>carrying people around requires a lot of power, nothing that panels put that way can offer.

humans produce 100-200w (top cyclists can do 700-800w for 1 minute), that is 0.5-1 m2 of modern solar panels under Sri Lanka sun.

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