I am in the beginning stages of designing a FLED solar engine built from reclaimed components for the Project design syllabus of my HND course.

It is a simple fairly simple design comprising of a 3v DC Solar panel, 2 K resistors, 1.5v Motor and a rumble motor claimed from an XBox controller for movement.
To put a bit of more 'meat on the bone' for my project I am going to set the design out in phases starting with Solar Panel to Capacitor then connecting that with the motors, resistors and of course FLED.

For the intial phase of Solar Panel to capacitor it has been suggested that I implement a rechargeable battery instead of capacitor? The rechargeable battery would be an ideal measurable to take readings and build the next phase of project. My question is should I now look at using a larger solar panel to charge the batteries?

 

The answer lies in the energy balance. Start with the load - how much energy do you need for the load to function as desired? From there you account for losses, roughly 50% overall for charging and discharging of a battery. Now you know how much energy you need from your PV panel. If you have a long time to collect that energy, you can use a smaller panel. If you want to collect it quickly, the panel must be larger.

 

What is your final goal. If you go the battery route then FLED, flashing LED, & big capacitor is negated. Try Googleing, The FLED Solar Engine.