Adding Solar Power

[Dizzy-Dick]

Originally Posted by Manual Garcia O'Kely

Hm, I don't know what to tell you here - except to say that the ADA might allow you some exemptions, but your neighbors will hate you.

I suggest you e-mail or better yet, call them and ask them what they can do - I'm pretty sure that there are some spaces where you can run a long enough extension cord to a toilet, but many of them up on top of T.meadows simply have no power at all. I imagine that in Yosemite Valley, they probably have a few sites that have access.

I understand your problem, I have an Uncle who has only about 2/3'rds of one lung and lives on a concentrator as well.

Thanks for the reply. I do not like to, and will not knowingly disturb anyone. If I get to the area, maybe I could stay outside the park and just take day trips with the "toad".

Never been to California except to fly in on business quite a few years ago for a couple of days. Got the business done on a Friday, went to Disny Land on Saturday, and flew back to Texas on Sunday. I am sure that I am missing a lot. I like to gold prospect and Calafornia has to be one of the better States to do that in.

Thanks again,

[wa8yxm]

If you want to keep a battery topped off while in storage then 15-25 watt might be good.. I have a 5 watt panel that helps.

If you want to use solar to supplement your generator add at least a digit to that wattage, figure 150 watts, min.

Look about at what you wish to run on solar.. Television, LCD's are usually less than 100 watts depending on size may be less than 50, CRT's can run 200-300, Fridge run on gas, a few watts, run on electric 350, Forget A/C or water heater (1000 to 1500 watts each) save for gas heat and perhaps a swamp cooler in the desert (50-100 watts, favor the low end)

Total the number of watt hours, (Don't forget the sat receiver) then figure out how many hours of sun you have, Divide the hours by TWO (If you have 10 hours of sun 10/2=5, Divide watt hours by that result 1000 watt hours per day/5= 200 amp hours of panels.

NOTE: do not neglect your 12 volt loads.. TS-200 in transmit...... Around 150 watts


Second suggestion.. When figuring amps (As opposed to watts) to determine wire sizes and such,,, Instead of using actual battery voltage use 10.

1: It makes for much easier math

2: It gives you a bit of a safety factor

3: It is not all that far from the proper efficency correction for things like inverrters (12*0.9= 10.8, most inverters are right close to 90 percent at peak efficency)

[Manual Garcia O'Kely]

Well, let's see:

72 amp/hour battery

Loads: 4 small area lights, usually used one or two at a time, max of 3 hours a night usually. Water pump for the sink - maybe a minute a day. Once a week we run the computer for a couple of hours to watch a DVD. Sometimes I run the HF radio for a couple of hours of very casual operation. I might recharge my Ipod.

I figure that if I put 50 watts on the roof, flat, I'll average 25 watts, so that's about 1.5 amps.

The radio draws about 600 mills on receive, and with my usual duty ratio, I probably transmit 6 to 12 minutes per hour so I need maybe 7 amp/hours for an average couple of hours.

Since my trailer battery also recharges from the car when I'm towing it, I figure with 50 watts I can dispense with my the extra 33 amp/hour gel-cell that I have carried to run my radio on most of our trips.

That's 25 lb's, and a charger, plus space saved in the towcar.

At a cost of almost $400 even at Harbor Freight. I must be out of my mind.

[Bill Baxter]

I have found solar to be great. We can go about three days without the generator with normal electrical usage. Each panel, of four, is 175 watts at 24V nominal. Battery bank is 750 AH at 24V.
No more RV stuff for us. 120V refrigerator w/ice maker, TV/sat rcvr, radios 2m, APRS, CB and am/fm w/sirius. We use on the order of 200 AH per day. Panels put in about 130 AH plus day load. I start recharge at 70 to 75% battery capacity.

I didn't realize that a teardrop had enough room for a panel or two. Learn something everyday.

Still trying to figure out HF mounting and antenna.

Bill