ECE Day '08 - Team 6: HydroLite (Part 2)

Even though the use of natural energy has become an increasingly popular alternative for residential outdoor lighting systems, solar powered garden lights are often rendered ineffective during rainy days. The purpose of this device is to eliminate this dilemma by powering these lighting systems by harvesting energy from both sunlight and rainwater. On sunny days, the system will utilize solar panels to charge a set of rechargeable batteries in order to provide power to two garden lights. On rainy days, the system will employ a four-gallon water reservoir in order to retain rainwater from a standard residential downspout. The system is designed to automatically empty the reservoir when it reaches full capacity, allowing water flow to strike the runner fins of our micro-hydro generator system. The generator will provide power to the batteries, guaranteeing that a user will enjoy at least 6 hours of outdoor illumination each night. The micro-hydro generator is also designed to provide more than 150 extra hours of illumination yearly when compared to traditional solar powered outdoor lighting systems.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4n1jWlBTh8&hl=en