Solar Power

[Yankee802]

I don't know if this has been discused before or to what depth, so I'll just go ahead and ask and if it has, just point me to the relevant thread.

SOLAR, sound like an awesome idea, and I'm starting my research into this and wanted any/all input from the knowledge base here.

My intention is to have a system in place that will allow me to be completely free of shore power or my generator, or as much as possible. That said, I don't intend to replace these power sources, and I know that A/C usage will require the use of either of these sources, but I want to generate the most power I can from the sun. I would like to have the ability to boondock indefinitely, with my only limitation being my water tanks/usage.

I found this website: http://amsolar.com/ that I've started my research with. So now I'm asking for your input. Any input is good, has anyone installed any of these systems?

Geoff

[garyde]

Geoff, As long as you are full timing , it sounds like a good idea for dry camping. I don't see where it is needed if your hooked up constantly to shore. People use them mostly to keep coach batteries up to full charge and your inverter/charges do that while plugged in.

[Yankee802]

Geoff, As long as you are full timing , it sounds like a good idea for dry camping. I don't see where it is needed if your hooked up constantly to shore. People use them mostly to keep coach batteries up to full charge and your inverter/charges do that while plugged in.

I know and you are absolutly right, I don't need it being I live/work at a KOA. However, maybe it's just the boyscout/survivalist in me, but I want to have the ability to be self suficient when/if needed. Who knows, campgrounds could start charging for power soon the way things are going.

Geoff

[sawdust_128]

These are links that I have found over the last year that seem to be useful. They may not be to the org's home page, but you will be able to get there from these.

Hope that helps.

Ed

http://www.siliconsolar.com/complete-air-x-rv-wind-kit-p-17943.php

http://www.mb-soft.com/solar/intake.html

http://www.mb-soft.com/solar/intake.html

http://www.pasolar.ncat.org/lessons.php

http://www.homepower.com/

http://www.kyocerasolar.com/

http://www.mrsolar.com/page/MSOS/PROD/wattsort/Sharp216/SESSION_ID/59ca8fb5b5e43626d8060292c8889be5

http://www.partsonsale.com/

http://www.wholesalesolar.com/

http://www.solarhome.org/index.html

http://www.rvsolarelectric.com/

http://store.solar-electric.com/helpwanted.html

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The capital costs of installing a sufficiently large solar system combined with having to live in a luxury coach using minimal assets strikes me as being akin to living in a metal tent, and getting a return on the investment in a decade or so.

If I had to balance living expenses in a luxury coach and campground, versus living in a primitive setting with no utilities, I would instead research a less expensive way to get campsites. That might mean finding cheap monthly rates, using cheap military facilities, or work camping like Dale and Paulette did.

Just the solar panel array to make a meaningful contribution to battery charging is going to be very expensive and I'll be damned if I want to sit in the dark just to save battery power til the sun comes up.

[sawdust_128]

I'm pretty much in agreement with Jon on solar for these coaches at this time. However, here is a link to a site that I believe will have some application in the near future and great promise in the long run.

http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/index.htm

Look at the application for their power film to architectural fabrics, like our awnings.

Seems like this is beginning to address many of the issues like:

-Cost/sqft of collector
-Large enough collector surface to matter
installation and attachment to the bus (don't want to put holes in the bus)
-Collector efficiency. My last contact with them suggested that hey were working a coating to allow photon collection from both sides of the crystals. They were able to take advantage of direct and back-reflected energy.
-Manageability in that the systems for awnings and slide tops and coach roof is already managed.

Additionally, they have power film integrated into membrane roofing material. I believe that will open up a whole bunch more avenues in the mortorhome and marine industries.

I keep looking at this. I think that there is promise. I think that in the not too distant future, we will have greatly enhanced boondocking capacities because of this type of innovation.

As Jon said, PV electricity is not cheap. On the upside, battery storage and inverters are already installed in your bus and the PV sources are add on to what you already have.

You might also look at a solar supplemental water pre-heater. I started with this on my solar house and added a solarium during the design stage. I supplemented those with electric, high efficiency, ground-water sourced heat pump and high mass flooring. About 3000sqft and cheap to operate. The nice thing about doing solar is that there are a lot of right answers.

[gmcbuffalo]

I have 8 panels on my roof and I see the numbers on the meter but can't really tell you it's doing any good. They really needs to be a major improvement in technology before it really works. If you go to Quartzite, AZ you see people with system that tilt and track the Sun. They also have panels around their RV on the ground. We only have some much space on the roof.
GregM

[ronwalker]

My fourteen panels are generating over 100 amp hours per day, occasionally sending down 40 amps at 24 volts... but you've got to stay where the sun shines. Reducing noisy generator time works for me.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Forgive me for thinking but this stuff seems like a decent place to invest some doe right now.

Maybe some Campbell Soup shares too, to balance the portfolio:rolleyes:

[sawdust_128]

Forgive me for thinking but this stuff seems like a decent place to invest some doe right now.

Maybe some Campbell Soup shares too, to balance the portfolio:rolleyes:


A couple of good overviews here:

http://www.sunrisesolarcorp.com/investors.html

I checked, nothing here on campbell soup. Joe, get in on this and you could buy some really fancy slippers.

hey, with all the hoopla about Joe the Plumber, are you thinking about changing your handle to Joe the Bus Guy?

[Joe Cannarozzi]

It has always baffled me how more who own these high end campers, that are complete power hogs and are equipped with endless exotic accessories and redundancies, do not have more interest in solar.

I am unaware of a single Prevo conversion by the big guys that was ever equipped with it. Maybe someday.

Sawdust you can call me Cherokee for short;) Just don't call me to dinner for raw oysters.

[sawdust_128]

It has always baffled me how more who own these high end campers, that are complete power hogs and are equipped with endless exotic accessories and redundancies, do not have more interest in solar.

I am unaware of a single Prevo conversion by the big guys that was ever equipped with it. Maybe someday.

Sawdust you can call me Cherokee for short;) Just don't call me to dinner for raw oysters.


Joe: I grew up on the coast. I worked oyster dredges as a kid and later worked at the hatchery. I grew up eating all kinds of shell fish and loved it. Somewhere around 20 years old, I developed a severe allergy to anything that has two shells (bivalves: clams. mussels, oysters, scallops) . It is so severe that I can't even get close to anything that has been fried in the same oil. Don't dare go near a most seafood salads as they flavor with clam juice. Most seafood houses have to broil or I'm out of there.

Don't worry, I won't be calling you or anyone else for oysters.

Check your PM

[ronwalker]

Joe, you'll never see the conversion companies who put out a coach that requires two 50 amp plugs for shore power or a 24k generator suggest that solar panels will do much of anything for you. The output of the best solar system available will be a drop in the bucket compared to the power the ladies are accustomed to using on a daily basis. Consider that a roof covered with panels in full sun will compare with only a half day's running of a little 1000 watt generator. Can she run the AC, cook supper on that 220 volt cooktop and watch that 40" TV for six hours without draining the batteries? Hardly! She's not gonna be a happy camper and when mama's not happy, no-one is!

On the other hand, if you make good use of the wheels to get to comfortable temperatures and cook the steak and potatos on the gas or charcoal grill while she watches the smaller TV, there's a chance you might get to boondock on the shore of that picture postcard lake for more than a couple days. You could also extend your stay by cooking the game hens in the convection/microwave in the middle of the day when the solar system is putting out more than what the batteries will accept, then nuking them later to just warm 'em back up. Asking her to conserve much more than that is pressing your luck. She doesn't like the idea of cooking those smelly trout in her clean kitchen anyhow. :) (In all fairness, my wife enjoyed the freedom from hook-ups and was an expert at putting every one of those free amphours to good use.)

Is investing in companies that sell solar panels a smart decision when we can't get the average family to buy one energy efficient light bulb to help us attain energy independence? I'm a believer and I have a friend who sells power to the grid from the $50,000 array on his house, but he won't break even in his lifetime. I doubt the public will get serious until pressured heavily to do so. Sad!

My two cents worth.

[truk4u]

Just for the record, many Marathon's, my ex 97 included, came from the factory with a solar panel to keep the gen battery charged and it worked well.

[sawdust_128]

Joe, you'll never see the conversion companies who put out a coach that requires two 50 amp plugs for shore power or a 24k generator suggest that solar panels will do much of anything for you. The output of the best solar system available will be a drop in the bucket compared to the power the ladies are accustomed to using on a daily basis. Consider that a roof covered with panels in full sun will compare with only a half day's running of a little 1000 watt generator. Can she run the AC, cook supper on that 220 volt cooktop and watch that 40" TV for six hours without draining the batteries? Hardly! She's not gonna be a happy camper and when mama's not happy, no-one is!

On the other hand, if you make good use of the wheels to get to comfortable temperatures and cook the steak and potatos on the gas or charcoal grill while she watches the smaller TV, there's a chance you might get to boondock on the shore of that picture postcard lake for more than a couple days. You could also extend your stay by cooking the game hens in the convection/microwave in the middle of the day when the solar system is putting out more than what the batteries will accept, then nuking them later to just warm 'em back up. Asking her to conserve much more than that is pressing your luck. She doesn't like the idea of cooking those smelly trout in her clean kitchen anyhow. :) (In all fairness, my wife enjoyed the freedom from hook-ups and was an expert at putting every one of those free amphours to good use.)

Is investing in companies that sell solar panels a smart decision when we can't get the average family to buy one energy efficient light bulb to help us attain energy independence? I'm a believer and I have a friend who sells power to the grid from the $50,000 array on his house, but he won't break even in his lifetime. I doubt the public will get serious until pressured heavily to do so. Sad!

My two cents worth.


I agree with your assessment of condition/opinion/attitudes here in the U.S. BP Solar, Kyocera, Seimens and other global industry movers and shakers are jumping in the game. They saw the rapid deployment of cellular phone technology to eastern Europe after the fall of the wall. It was driven by the lack of infrastructure. This is very similar to what is happening with small-medium sized, stand alone power production in many third world locations. Thus, there appears to be a growing investment opportunity here, especially in off-shore and emerging markets.

Also, over investing in solar array to sell power back to the grid ranks right up there in the "sure thing" investment category as buying a Prevost conversion to make money.