How to increase the voltage output from my 4.5V DC solar cell?
I would like to increase the DC voltage being produced by my small 4.5V solar cell.
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Wind Turbines, Solar Energy & Green Living
I would like to increase the DC voltage being produced by my small 4.5V solar cell.
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Can’t in any practical way.
You can use a specially designed DC-DC converter, but that would be expensive, and you will lose some power, so current would be decreased as voltage is increased, minus a bit.
CANNOT !
Only one way to do it , add more solar cells in series.
Use a boost converter. The simplest uses an inductor that charges up with current then switches through a diode into an output capacitor. There are ICs made to do the switching job. You can get a LOT of voltage out of that. A voltage multiplier built with capacitors (charge pump) gives a lower voltage but that might be easier to build (use a 555 timer). Remember, you’re going to always get less power out than you put into the converter.
Use a DC to DC converter.
If you are trying to get more power out of the cell, the only way you will do that is by sending more light to it. That could be done with mirrors or a lens, as long as the cell doesn’t get too hot.
If you really meant to increase the voltage, that can be done, at a loss of power. It sounds like the solar cell you have is small, so you would probably have to custom-designed a very lower power dc to dc switching converter.