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Thread: Safety Quiz: Do Solar Panels Create Electricity From Lightning Flashes? (4K)

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    Safety Quiz: Do Solar Panels Create Electricity From Lightning Flashes? (4K)

    Is it safe to work on solar electrical systems at night or when it's (very) cloudy? You may be surprised by this video. This was taken of an LED light that is connected directly to a solar panel during a relatively distant lightning storm.




    What you are seeing is a 12v LED spotlight (20watts) tied to a 40watt 12v solar panel on the roof via a LM7812 voltage regulator.


    Lightning distance:
    Sound (thunder) speed: 5 seconds / mile, 3 seconds / kilometer
    For lightning distance in miles, divide seconds between lightning and thunder by 5, for kilometers divide by 3.


    Consider this: a 300 volt DC string of solar panels at 1/6th output voltage (remember voltage rises much faster than current) would be 50 volts - painful at best, and considered dangerous. At 1/3rd voltage it would be 100 volts!


    A little free ASMR too!

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