Design And Development of a Low-Cost Portable Solar Power Generator for Rural and Off-Grid Applications

Reliable access to electricity remains a major challenge in rural and semi-urban regions, where frequent power outages and weak grid infrastructure disrupt daily life, education, healthcare services, and small-scale economic activities. Conventional backup solutions such as kerosene lamps and diesel generators are commonly used; however, they are associated with high operating costs, safety hazards, noise pollution, and harmful emissions. In recent years, decentralized renewable energy systems, particularly solar photovoltaic solutions, have emerged as a promising alternative to address these challenges. This paper presents the design, development, and experimental evaluation of a low-cost portable solar power generator intended to provide basic electrical energy for essential low-power applications. The proposed system utilizes a 10–20 W polycrystalline solar panel as the primary energy source, a 20 A PWM solar charge controller for battery management, and a 12 V, 8 Ah VRLA battery for energy storage. Regulated 12 V DC output ports and 5 V USB ports are provided to power LED lamps, small DC fans, and mobile phones, with provision for connecting a small inverter to demonstrate limited AC load operation. The design emphasizes affordability, portability, safety, and ease of maintenance using commonly available components. Electrical protection mechanisms such as over-charge, over-discharge, reverse-polarity, and short-circuit protection are integrated to enhance system reliability and battery life. A structured methodology involving component selection, system integration, and step-wise testing was followed. Experimental results demonstrate stable voltage regulation and backup durations of 4– 5 hours for LED lighting and 2–3 hours for combined loads. The findings confirm that the proposed system is a practical, eco- friendly, and economical backup power solution suitable for rural households, students, small vendors, and emergency applications.