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solar panels

flattop40

flattop40

Expert Expediter
I saw a panther cargo van several months ago that had 2 solar panels on the roof but did not get the chance to talk to him. Was hoping to run into him again sometime but thought maybe someone on here knows him.

Had several questions for him such as:

Where did he get them?
Did he use them to charge a battery system?
Whats the cost?
Was there any noticable effect on MPG?
How much power did he really get from them?
How much do they weigh?
Etc...

If anyone knows this man or knows how to get ahold of him it would be intresting to pick his brain about this or if anyone out there knows alot about solar power to talk about the advantages of using this(I am assuming to charge a single or multiple battaries) vs a generator or inverter system.
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
I talked to a guy Weds in Monroe Michigan that was driving a panther van with a 4 ft solar panel on the roof. It was pretty flush fitting so I don't think it would affect gas mileage at all.

He uses it strictly as a "trickle" charger for the batteries. It has a 60 watt 8 amp output and it also works off of light from the "parking lot lights", so look under them for those guys with the panels and it did need a "control" as it was big enough to "boil" the batteries.

He said they run around $450-$500 and he installed it.

After i talked to him, i googled them and these 2 seem to be pretty reasonable for just charging the batteries:

West Marine: Sunsei™ Solar-Powered Battery Trickle Chargers Product Display

You can also get a pretty cheap little one at Bass Pro. They say they will also "trickle charge" "A" battery:

12-Volt Solar Battery Charger

For $35 bucks each, these might be worth buying and trying to see how they would work. They don't look like that are sold as a "permenant" mount, but i am sure that wouldn't be too big a deal to figure out.

Hope this info helps.

Oh the guy that i seen, his CB handle is "short thumb", one of his thumbs was cutoff, give a shout out , you might find him and he can answer more questions. He said he was from Tenn.
 
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E

EagleRiverWI

Seasoned Expediter
About a year ago I picked up a new type of apu in Michigan at Webasto. I did notice on their web site that they are coming out with systems for 4 wheelers. That might be a better bet than trying something that charges batteries on your boat while it sits for weeks like mine does.
 
flattop40

flattop40

Expert Expediter
Thanks Chef.

The links were very helpful.

Any clue how many watts are in 1 amp?

The large one puts out 1.2 amps but was wondering how that converts to watts?
 
davekc

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
They are a trickle charge, but so far they have been extremely reliable on a boat and RV. I beleive that some of the sleeper manufacturers are just starting to use them.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Check out Paddock Solar; solar power solutions for the trucking industry.

Great strides are being made in solar energy. One that is especially exciting recently came out of MIT but made surprisingly little news. See the story about solar powered fuel cells. Additional story

I am following these developments with great interest and do not expect to have a generator on our next truck. I believe a solar system of some sort will replace the generator.
 
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greg334

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Solar panels?

OK here is one scoop, I think Turtle may have a lot more info.

Sorry for the scattered info.

They have been using solar panels on RVs for while. RV=truck, about the same. Some RVers have been off grid while in the southwest and enjoying a near free living style.

There is no solar panel manufacture (meaning ridged solar panel) who will say it is 'ok' to use a solar panel on an RV or truck. I talked to BP solar last week about the use of panels on the box of my truck as an experiment, seeing I am 12' 11", having about 128 sq ft of surface area and I can use the box safely, it will give a good amount of power to keep things charged. Kyocera, Sharp, Suntech and Sanyo all say the same thing, I have talked to the sales and engineering people at these companies since my visit to Denver's Alternate Energy center and have tons of data, samples and info from them.

Remember that there is a loss involved with the converter (or regulator) between the solar panel and the electrical system, even so if I remember right there is an 89% efficiency involved with the regulator.

The solar panel being marketed for trucks seem to be repackage unit at three times the cost of an off the shelf panel and regulator. The one link here in this thread mounts to the front of the sleeper (and provides one picture) but the problem is that you have to face the sun with it. The company has a cheesy website, I wish these trucking aftermarket supplies stop being so secretive about things that they didn't develop, they all act like they are the only one who thinks of these things. (Rant over)

I have heard that KW and Freightliner are working with Kyocera and BP to produce a system for their trucks but even then, the gains with the surface area won't be all that great until the power density moves up a bit farther on the commercial end.

For a truck, I would still keep the APU, until compressor technology improve by 300% and the use of diesel burning stoves are put into trucks, the APU is going to be needed.

Here are some real links;

Solar Electric Systems

RV Solar Panels, Battery Charger, Winegard TV Antenna, King Dome

Marine and RV Solar Power: MrSolar.com, Online Solar, Inc.---Solar Panels and Solar Power Systems

Welcome to RV Solar Electric!

AND I recommend getting the FREE book (*click on the link>>>>) [FONT=Arial,Geneva,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]SOLAR ELECTRIC CATALOG & DESIGN PLANNER[/SIZE][/FONT]
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Ok, like with expediting, I know just enough about this solar stuff to get myself in trouble, so I'll ask you all this question.

when charging a bank of batteries (2 or more) with 1 panel, do you split the lead with 2 positive cables and 2 negative cables or do you simply just use the 1 set and hook them to the 1st battery since they are i parallel?

I am thinking the use of 1 large panel of 10 watts would "trickle" charge 2 batteries when used in parallel, but also see that 2 smaller panels hooked directly to each battery may be more efficent, nit sure , thats why i am asking...

Oh and I'd love to repleace a generator with a panel big enough to handle all of the 120v dc stuff i use!! I'd miss the noise of the generator like I'd miss my MIL!!!! LOL!

Thanks ahead of time.
 
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