The field of drones is becoming more and more crowded as new models are released on the market. This article explores one of the newest trends in drone design: solar-powered drones. These devices harness energy from the sun to fly for extended periods of time without needing a charge at all. In this article, we will explore why these types of devices are so popular, how they work, and what you need if you want to make your own!
What Are Solar-Powered Drones and What Makes Them So Popular?
Solar-powered drones take their power from the sun. This is different than a lot of other types of drones that use rechargeable batteries or are powered by motors. Solar energy provides an unlimited source of power, so solar-powered devices can fly indefinitely as long as they have access to sunshine!
How Does a Solar Drone Work?
In this section, we will examine how a solar drone works. This is an area of great focus for many industries in the coming years, as the solar power industry continues to grow.
Solar drones are essentially unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are powered by solar cell panels attached to their wings and propellers. Solar drones are most often used for short-range missions such as photographing landscapes, checking on crops, and monitoring water levels or weather conditions.
To understand how solar drones work, first, we need to take a closer look at their power source: Solar cells provide all of the energy that these vehicles need to power their propellers and wings. These cells convert sunlight into electricity which can then be stored in batteries or used directly. The UAV uses its energy from the batteries or from the solar cell panels to move through the air.
In order to understand how a solar drone works you have to understand the different parts that make up this type of drone. First, it has a propeller at its tail that is used to propel the drone into the air. Next, there is an engine on top of one end which propels the propeller in order to generate electricity from spinning blades. Lastly, there are sensors on each side of the fuselage or main body of the drone which help it to avoid obstacles.
Where Can You Buy a Solar-Powered Drone?
Solar-powered drones are still not available commercially easily. They are exorbitantly priced and available on pre-orders only. The first commercially available solar-powered drone is expected to be released in 2019.
However, there are a few ways that you can get your hands on one of these devices now:
- Directly contact solar drone manufacturers with your use case and ask for a quote
- Find an online retailer that may have some available and purchase one there. You can also try to find solar-powered drones on sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, but keep in mind these projects are often not yet finished products
- Lookup sites like Aliexpress to find a solar-powered drone (China is a leading manufacturer of innovative products.)
- Make a drone yourself
Tips for Building Your Own Solar-Powered Drone
If you want to make your own solar-powered drone, here are a few tips that might help:
Building the frame is most important. It should be light and durable enough not to shake or break during the flight but rigid enough so that it doesn’t bend in strong winds. The base of the device needs to have three equally spaced supports.
Next, attach the solar cell panel to one of the supports and use a propeller on each side (for stability) with enough space in between so that it can whirl without hitting the frame. Attach an engine or motor at either end for power, make sure there is room for your battery pack as well!
You will also need a controller, sensors for obstacle avoidance, and an autopilot.
The components of the drone are largely found in hardware stores or on sites like Aliexpress so it’s fairly easy to get your hands on them!
The Benefits of Using a Solar-Powered Drone vs Traditional Battery Powered Drones
There are two main types of drones that we’re going to look at in this article: motor-powered drones, which use motors or rechargeable batteries for power, and solar-powered drones. Motor-powered devices can fly continuously as long as they have power, whereas solar-powered drones can fly indefinitely as long. Motorized devices have a more limited range and flight time than do their counterparts because they are powered by batteries or motors that need to be recharged periodically. The number one advantage of using solar energy for your drone is the unlimited energy supply!
Final Thoughts
Solar-powered drones are a great way to make sure that your drone will always have power and is capable of flight. The best part about solar-powered devices is that they can fly indefinitely as long as there’s enough sunlight! If you’re interested in this type of technology, it might be worth checking out the benefits for yourself before investing in one commercially available product or building your own if you feel so inclined. Solar Drones offer many advantages over traditional battery-operated ones, such as their unlimited energy supply which never needs charging!
