Solar power deserves its own section on SEVA Forum, even if this is Seattle

[lenapralos]

Okay,

Perhaps I'm alone on this one and I would be the only one to post on it, but really believe that "Solar Vehicles" or atleast solar power should have a section at SEVA.  I doubt many people here would agree because of all the reasons it is not feasible to put solar panels on an EV, but I believe the reasons you should, outweigh the reasons you shouldn't.  (Obviously)

You've got wind drag, added weight, little extra added power from massive amounts of surface area, dc to dc step up complications because most panels are around 17 volts and most EV pack are around 120, high cost of solar panels....etc, etc.

But........

on the other hand.....

You don't have to plug in or pay anything when the sun is shining thus making you CARBON FREE and although this is Seattle..., Case and Point: Boeing builds their airplanes in one of the cloudiest places in the U.S., not because it's fun to fly in the clouds but because their planes don't stay in WA just like a solar powered vehicle probably won't stay in WA FOR very long.

The added weight of a panel is not that much.  A Kyocera 130 watt solar panel weighs 25lbs.  One trojan 6v battery can weigh easily more than 60lbs.

THe little added power of mounting 4 170 watt 24volt(35rated) panels on the back of a truck for an extra panel weight of around 120lbs. would result in approx. 7amps constant charge in direct sunlight for a 120volt pack.  THat's not bad considering it is more than half of the amps coming from many conventional 120v AC chargers.

FOr small voltage panels such as mine I simply run the power from the panels into a charge controller(xantrax $120----> small SLA ($25)------>inverter------>5 small 3amp soneil 24v chargers in series.   There are power losses, but there are also more creative ways to do it.

Yes solar panels are expensive, but Gosh last time I checked those high voltage Kanekas were still cheap at $213 for 60 watts

http://store.oynot.com/kak6060wasop.html

THose panels are 67 volts(90v open circuit) so with a diode and maybe a few other safety items you could run the voltage of just 2 of these panels into a 120v or maybe even 144 volt battery pack.  Maybe mount just one atop a 72 volt Geo conversion, but I haven't tried it yet.

Anyways......these are my thoughts and I'm stuck in this house for the time being...dreaming of solar and how Germany gets over 20% of all there power from the sun.

-j