I was considering modifying an old electric lawn mower [a Wizard, probably some 40 years old] by fitting a solar panel on top. Some questions:
Is this feasable?
What size of panel would be necessary?
About what would it cost?
Should I ask this at another forum [such as some Solar Forum, if it exists]?
Some background. This lawn mower still works, and works well. It isn't noisy like what you can buy now. In fact, all you hear is the cutting of the grass as well as the slight hum of the motor.
Current Solar powered lawmowers share three things in common.
1. Lightweight materials
2. Large solar coverage area to bladesize
3. Realy slow motors.
You could techincaly do it(And I'd give you bonus points for a great idea in the making, perfect for some TechTV display.)
I don't know enough about engines in general to make any specific comments besides wishing you well on the project and observing that it might take a largish solar pannel to do.
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Solar power isn't really feasible for running a standard electric mower. The smallest I could find was 2hp which requires a huge 120 sq foot solar panel to run. You'd need to get the power requirements way down and that requires a custom build like Mr Bean pointed out.
If it's an enviromental friendly mower that you're looking for then you'd be better off using a manual cutter.
Korvan wrote:Solar power isn't really feasible for running a standard electric mower. The smallest I could find was 2hp which requires a huge 120 sq foot solar panel to run. You'd need to get the power requirements way down and that requires a custom build like Mr Bean pointed out.
If it's an enviromental friendly mower that you're looking for then you'd be better off using a manual cutter.
Okay, that would obviously be way too big, . . . .unless I used it as a really big sun shade for myself.
Thanks for the info. I like using the mower in question. I just don't like the idea of being tethered by a cord, or the possibility of accidently running over it. Oh well. I guess I'll just keep using the ICE mower.
Technically speaking, 2hp is roughly 1.5kW, so a theoretically perfect 100% efficient solar panel angled outside the atmosphere and angled perfectly perpendicular to the direction of the Sun's rays would need to be roughly 1.1 square metres (12 square feet) to get that much power. Of course, a solar panel at ground level would not have such ideal conditions, and there's no such thing as a 100% efficient solar panel.
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The best you could do is convert it to battery power and charge the batteries with the solar cell. That way, you could place the cells on your roof where they'll do more good, and you don't have to worry about the mower not working when it's cloudy.
But the cheapest, most environmentally friendly solution is to just get a manual push-mower. Those don't burn gas (obviously), they don't need motor oil (just some WD-40 to keep them from rusting), there's no cord to drag, and you don't need to spend a fortune on solar cells. And they do a nicer job cutting, too (reel blades are much better than rotary blades, which is why professional groundskeepers usually use a motorized reel mower). Of course, the downside is you have to invest your own muscle power in the cutting. That's partially offset by the fact that the whole thing is lighter and easier to push, but there's still more work in a manual mower.
Now if you're just trying to convert the mower because you want to tinker with it, well, then I suggest the battery idea, if it's doable (I don't know enough about the power requirements of electric mowers to say for sure).
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This has no direct connection to large-scale marketplace activism, but it makes sense on a personal scale, and I'm surprised more people haven't thought of it. Instead of buying a gasoline- or electric-powered lawn mower, I bought a push-powered "reel" mower. Young people might not remember them, but not too long ago (before the status-oriented consumerism of the 1950's convinced everyone that gas-powered mowers were preferable) the typical homeowner cut their grass with a quiet, lightweight mower with cylindrically-spinning blades "powered" by its rolling wheels. Electric-powered mowers are quieter and less noxious than gas-powered, but they're only a half-step in the right direction. Modern reel mowers are less expensive to buy, don't require fuel, don't belch unregulated toxic emissions into the air, are easy to carry and store, are incredibly quiet, cut the grass more cleanly, and provide some very easy, low-intensity exercise that you don't get from sitting on a little tractor or following a self-propelled machine. The only bad news is that you might have to stop mowing and talk to your annoying next-door neighbor once in a while, because there's no noise or safety hazard to prevent him from walking up and saying "howdy" while you're doing it. By the way, the same thinking applies to rakes instead of leaf-blowers.
Okay, that would obviously be way too big, . . . .unless I used it as a really big sun shade for myself. 
