NOMADICISTA

Once you got a trailer then you need a rack to put the panels on

Damn, almost thought I would be able to indulge in some laziness!

Do you have the solar panels on your bus and yes please explain as asked above. Show pictures please.How much do the cost? Are they hard to install? I want to be able go and stay anywhere without an outside need. Remember I am still in (conversion) kindergarten!

Hey Dennis I got a idea, you could come down here and build one of the solar systems just like yours, for the extra practice, just so you could get a charitable writeoff, for your taxes, and install it on my bus. You would get all types of advertising out of it, and write across the back of my bus, SOLAR DESIGNS BY DENNIS THE BUS DWELLER. I don't mind being the ginnea pig. LOL James in da GRAYDAWG

/pokes Dennis to revive this thread because I see him on....

Dennis are you on an air card where you are living now?

Hi Kids

Im parked way out on the end of an old air strip so the only way for me to get on the net is through tethering my laptop to my cell phone. It works pretty good most of the time. Id be glad to get this thread going again if you'd like. I think a better way to go about what size system you may want to build is to put some thought in to how much money you have to work with. The system on my 5'X10' trailer has 8 / 6 volt / 220 amphr gulf cart batteries in it ( I think they are the best bang for the buck at about $75 each. I have a 2000 watt xantrex inverter/ charger at about $600 to $1000 ( there are better or cheaper inverters but I would always get an inverter/charger ) there is a trace c60 charge controller which works great but today there are some great MPPT charge controller that boost your solar somewhere around 30 % ( mine is about $150 to $200 and the MPPT controller is about $250 to $500 and I will always buy one or these from now on ,why not get the most out of your system ) there is 9/51 watt panels that at the time they were about $3.00 per watt = $153 each ( these days good, high wattage panels are going any from $1.00 to $2.00 per watt so there are some good deals out there ) then you have a few hundred bucks in wire and cable and then the grunt work and there you have it. I would say if you cash is low the I would spend the money and get a good inverter/charger ( xantrex or Outback or something good ) then a good MPPT charge controller ( outback, morning star, xantrex ) and a couple of 200 or so watt panels ( evergreen seem to be a good buy these days ) and 4 to 8/6 volt gulf cart batteries and you'll have a good exspandable system to start out with. Thats the best I can do for now. As to building the solar trailers for money, It kind of don't work out cuz by the time I buy a new trailer for 3 to 5 grand build a rack 5 to 7 hundred and throw 3 or 4 grand in solar equipment on it i'm looking at an out of pocket cost of about 8 or 10 grand with out labor so most folks would most likely buy a pretty sweet generator for that and save the 3 or 4 grand I would tac on for myself. But I get a kick out of building for myself

OK. I'll bite. What's an MPPT charge controller?????

Rufus

rlaggren wrote:OK. I'll bite. What's an MPPT charge controller?????

Rufus

The MPPT controller allows your use of high voltage/high wattage panels instead of just the 12V panels which are more limited in performance and optimizes system performance in bad weather situations. For me it's well worth 2x the money

Maximum Power Point Tracking - what Dennis said!
Here is a little bit of detail, if you are interested.

http://www.windsun.com/ChargeControls/MPPT.htm

Thanks, guys.

Good link.

Dennis,
Quick question - you have the Xantrex...have you ever tried others (like Outback?) in a system? Am presuming since you use the Xantrex, that you must kind of like it??

Selfish reasoning - I figure I have one shot at spending that kind of money on a controller and if someone has experience across a range of devices, I will try to learn from them. Sharkey talks about the Outback, so I think it will have to be one or the other.

Thanks!
Dan

Outback is great stuff, I have a brand new GVFX3648 or VFX3648 ( I don't remember which ) and 2 MX 60 charge controllers still in boxes stored in my barn that im gonna use for something some day. If your pricing equipment why don't you start here, they have good prices http://www.sunelec.com/index.php?main_page=miami

The are 136 watt peel and stick UnSolar panels. The down side is they are 18' long I also have a few 67 watt ones too