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Edited on Tue Jul-08-08 12:20 PM by SimpleTrend
(they are less than 100%), that plugging a regular fan into the wall outlet would use less electricity, than trying to convert indoor bulb-produced light to power a fan. If there's enough natural light inside, by increasing the area² of the solar cells (more cells), you may be able to generate small amounts of 12V DC.
If your apartment has a balcony, even if there's little direct light, you could try putting the solar cells out there, and running some wires inside. The last time I looked, a 12 volt photovoltaic panel that's approximately 2' x 4-5' (it's a standardized size), runs anywhere from $150-$500. There are smaller sizes available, but I believe that's the most area² for the buck.
Then, all you'd need is a 12 volt fan, or an inverter to convert the 12V DC to sine-wave 120V AC, and some wiring to power a regular table-top fan. (I think you may need a diode of some kind in the wire, but I'm not sure about this, it may not be needed if you don't have a battery storing the electricity) Some inverters are square-wave instead of sine, the more costly ones should provide sine instead of square. I've seen cheap inverters for little more than $30. The most costly sine-wave type tie into the dwelling's power at the circuit box and synchronize the sine wave produced to what is supplied by the power company, these are known as grid-tie inverters.
What I'm saying is that these PV systems are simpler in design than you may have been led to believe.
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