Solar Panel Requirements –
Solar panels could be used to power our device without the user having to expend any
energy but their viability must first be determined in terms of both cost and power output.
What must be first determined is whether a solar panel could deliver enough energy to
directly power the device or if it would only be powerful enough to trickle charge a
battery that would then power the device. If battery is required, it would have to be
determined how long the panel must remain in the sun to fully charge the battery and then
the number of uses that battery could deliver. This data would be then compiled into a
time in sun to use ratio. Solar panels are also inherently expensive so a cost analysis
would have to be done to determine whether the cost to reliability/life span ratio was
Acceptable.