alt.energy.homepower

"SteveC" wrote in message
news:47cc185e$0$4060$9a566e8b@...
> if you could somehow power a car alternator to run, could you charge a
bank
> of batteries somehow? Like using solar power to power an electric motor,
> which in turn, turns the alternator which charges up the batteries?
>
> Time to hit the junkyard for a couple of cheap alternators for an
> experiment!!
>
>

Lot's of people do it with small engines
(/). The problem is that with a
built-in voltage regulator the batteries don't get properly charged. The
automotive type are designed to recharge a car battery that is usually only
used to start the car and rarely discharged very much. But it's a lot
better than nothing.