I've an old UPS for my computer which draws 50 W on average and less than 150 W at full load. With the the built-in battery I only have about 10 minutes of backup time.
I am thinking about getting a solar panel (around 150/200 W) together with a MPPT/PWM controller (around 10/20 A) so that I can charge the UPS battery (while it is running when utility power is not available). Assuming I just want to use my computer throughout the day, would the UPS be able to supply enough power to the computer as long as the sun is shining?
I also want to know if the above setup would prolong the battery's life because the MPPT/PWM charger will be constantly feeding DC power to the battery (which effectively, I assume, stops the battery discharging).
A brief background of the question: I think I should add the reason why I asked the above question. We are from a developing country in south east Asia. We get electricity only a few hours each day in winter and summer because hydroelectric power is not produced much at that time. This is a major hinderance for young people learning computer programming. Most people may not afford to get inverters along with large batteries or a few kW solar systems. So I am thinking what may be the cheapest way if we just want to use a laptop computer for a long time. Then I may be able to help others telling what can be done. Other options I am thinking include stepping up or down dc voltage of small batteries (about 40Ah or less) to match the laptop charging voltages. And I am not sure if it's appropriate to ask such a general question like "What is the cheapest way to use a laptop for a long time without utility power?".
I am thinking about getting a solar panel (around 150/200 W) together with a MPPT/PWM controller (around 10/20 A) so that I can charge the UPS battery (while it is running when utility power is not available). Assuming I just want to use my computer throughout the day, would the UPS be able to supply enough power to the computer as long as the sun is shining?
I also want to know if the above setup would prolong the battery's life because the MPPT/PWM charger will be constantly feeding DC power to the battery (which effectively, I assume, stops the battery discharging).
A brief background of the question: I think I should add the reason why I asked the above question. We are from a developing country in south east Asia. We get electricity only a few hours each day in winter and summer because hydroelectric power is not produced much at that time. This is a major hinderance for young people learning computer programming. Most people may not afford to get inverters along with large batteries or a few kW solar systems. So I am thinking what may be the cheapest way if we just want to use a laptop computer for a long time. Then I may be able to help others telling what can be done. Other options I am thinking include stepping up or down dc voltage of small batteries (about 40Ah or less) to match the laptop charging voltages. And I am not sure if it's appropriate to ask such a general question like "What is the cheapest way to use a laptop for a long time without utility power?".
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