SIGforum.com Main Page The Lounge Is there a simple tool to measure the percentage loss of solar efficiency through a window?
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E tan e epi tas |
As a curiosity really I would like to know how much solar energy my windows are blocking. So say I am charging a solar watch. I’d like to know how much more efficient direct sunlight is vs the sun through my home windows. Is there a quick and dirty Amazon tool that will show this? This is really more a curiosity/bored/science experiment so I am not going to dump “real money” into this so to speak. Take Care, Shoot Safe, Chris | ||
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| Raised Hands Surround Us Three Nails To Protect Us  |
Wondered similar myself. Curious how much loss a solar battery maintainer would lose on the dash compared to outside on the windshield. ———————————————— The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad. If we got each other, and that's all we have. I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand. You should know I'll be there for you! | |||
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| Freethinker |
Not inexpensive (perhaps other models are available), but this specifically mentions measurements through windows: https://www.amazon.com/Irradia...-2281435179338&psc=1 I searched for "solar efficiency meter." ► 6.0/94.0 To operate serious weapons in a serious manner. | |||
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| Staring back from the abyss  |
Charge it out in direct sunlight, charge it inside by the window, then do some math and figure out the percent difference. ________________________________________________________ "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton. | |||
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| E tan e epi tas |
You mean use numbers and stuff. The hell you say!  I would do just that but there is no charge indicator on my watch to tell me full charge or I started at X and ended at Y. I guess I could buy a cheap solar device that does have some kind of charge indicator and go from there. Not sure I want to spend 80 bucks on this “project” like the device above. Thanks all. Take Care, Shoot Safe, Chris | |||
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Void Where Prohibited |
There are free light meter apps for smartphones. Does the window open? If it does, take a reading through the open window and then through the closed window's glass. A simple percentage calculation with the two numbers will give you the amount of the loss (i.e. the difference). "If Gun Control worked, Chicago would look like Mayberry, not Thunderdome" - Cam Edwards | |||
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| Saluki |
E glass works quite well. We replaced the windows in the house and killed a fancy “solar wind chime “ my wife was so proud of. Took a bit to realize that was why it quit working ----------The weather is here I wish you were beautiful---------- | |||
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| E tan e epi tas |
Thenks again all. Take Care, Shoot Safe, Chris | |||
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goodheart |
Love it. However we have not noticed much change at all in our electricity bill since having low-E dual pane windows installed throughout the house. _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Member |
This post really made me think for awhile. Is this a Solar "Wind Chime" or a "Solar Wind" chime? What does solar have to do with a chime that operates via wind? How does a wind chime work indoors with no wind? Lots of questions????  | |||
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His Royal Hiney |
I have an idea. Take two same glasses. Put the same volume of water in them at room temperature. Put a thermometer in each and put one outside the window and the other on the inside of the house in front of the window on a hot sunny day. Record the temperature at timed intervals. The outside should increase in temperature sooner. When it levels off, note the time elapsed and both temperatures. Continue monitoring the temperatures until the inside also levels off. Then put your data into Grok and ask your question. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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Member |
I used a free light meter app to measure outdoor court lights (different situation) but my pal Google says that you can use a light meter (free app?) to 'approximately' measure solar irradiance. "A common conversion factor is approximately 0.0079 W/m² per lux. Therefore, to convert from lux to W/m², you would multiply the lux reading by 0.0079." However, "For accurate solar energy measurements, a dedicated solar irradiance meter (pyranometer) is recommended" "Cedat Fortuna Peritis" | |||
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| No More Mr. Nice Guy |
A lot depends on what wavelength your device uses for charging. Visible light? UV? IR? Our new high tech windows block a lot of the IR. I can tell just by opening the window and feeling the heat vs the closed window. The old windows we still have don't feel like they block much or even any IR. The new windows supposedly block a lot of UV. Plastic windows block one part of UV but not other parts of the spectrum. My solar charging watch seems to get charged inside just fine. I haven't experimented with any other solar devices. | |||
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