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Solar powered LED from the LED light - long lasting?

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R2-D2

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This is just a thought I came up with.

An ultra-bright LED and miniature solar panel are both hooked up to a rechargeable battery. While the LED is lit, it also illuminates the solar panel which is also hooked up to the same rechargeable battery which powers the LED. It seems that while the LED is lit, the solar panel will gather some of its illumination (small amount) to constantly recharge the battery to greatly extend its charge. I guess this is like some sort of "freewheeling effect."

I'd like to experiment with this idea and find out how long an LED will remain on.
Any thoughts?
 
It would make very little difference, it certainly wouldn't 'greatly extend' it's life.

Thanks Nigel for the quick response.

Maybe one of these days when I'm really bored, I'll do the experiment anyways just to see what happens. :rolleyes:
 
I doubt you would even be able to measure a difference. Most solar panels work on infrared wavelengths, and LEDs are very specific in what wavelengths they emit. It would be much more efficient to use a lower power LED and use all the light from it, then capture part of the light from another one.
 
Most solar panels work on infrared wavelengths, and LEDs are very specific in what wavelengths they emit.

I wonder if I were to use a secondary bright LED which emits infrared at a certain wavelength that the solar panel can easily absorb would make any measurable difference?
 
Yes, just dump this thought process now. There is nothing there to go after. Every time you convert energy, you lose some.

Nobody here is being cynical, but you have to think about the numbers. Even a good solar panel is only about 20% efficient, so only 20% of the light that hits it from the led is going to be captured. The other 80% is lost. Why not use the other 80% of the light to do what the LED is meant to do, and then use a smaller led which uses less power. It will easily be more efficient than trying to capture it and convert it back into electricity.
 
Yes, just dump this thought process now. There is nothing there to go after. Every time you convert energy, you lose some.

Nobody here is being cynical, but you have to think about the numbers. Even a good solar panel is only about 20% efficient.....

Thanks, I got the message. I didn't realize a solar panel is only that efficient.

I think I'll just have a hamster run in a wheel cage rotating a generator to power the LED instead. Oh wait.....I have to feed it too - not very efficient either. Oh, well.
 
But that's easy. You have the LEDs grow plants which the hamster eats, who then runs the wheel which powers the LEDs. BRILLIANT!!
 
But that's easy. You have the LEDs grow plants which the hamster eats, who then runs the wheel which powers the LEDs. BRILLIANT!!

But wait theres more energy, make a methane digester and a gas turbine then use the hamster crap to make methane gas to power the hamster wheel when the hamster is tired......
 
you can also put a propeller on the hamster wheel, and generate more energy with another propeller with a generator :D
 
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