Solar vs human powered

[tkelly-lord]

Hi guys,

currently designing my own renewable energy charger to charge USB devices. Instead of going for a crazy source of energy i'm limiting myself to what is doable in a short time scale. So its down to one question.

SOLAR or HUMAN POWERED (probably some form of wind-up)

From what i've found small solar cells arent very efficient (and are more expensive) so am edging more towards - a novel approach to a human powered device. However you probably know more than me on the matter, hence me posting a thread.

Would love to hear your point of view on the topic. Electronics is still very new to me so any input would be great. Thanks guys!

Tom

 

[MikeMl]

You are recreating a Gibson Girl

 

[crutschow]

You might Google "human powered radio" or "human powered flashlight" for some info.

In general charging a battery by hand can be a very lengthy and tedious process, especially if the battery has significant capacity.