solar panels

**ebsprintin** · 12-13-2009, 09:09 PM

In other conversations, people have asked about how much electricity solar panels put out in real world applications. Here are a couple observations I've made so far. I'm using two 125 watt panels.

I did an experiment to see how much of a difference tilting the panel would make while charging. At the highest sun for the day last week I lined up with the sun and took a meter reading. I pulled the front two wheels up onto a curb to tilt the panels towards the sun and took another reading. Flat on the pavement the meter showed six amps or 47 watts. Up on the curb I got seven amps and 55 watts.

The photo attachment shows the level of the sun that produced one amp.

eb

**danthewolf00** · 12-13-2009, 11:53 PM

which model panels are you running and what model conntroller?

i wound up having my first controller burn up and don't know wny when my 2 panels never make enuff power

**ebsprintin** · 12-14-2009, 01:19 AM

Mitsubishi PV-EE125MF5F for the panels and a Xantrex C35 for the charge controller. I have a second xantrex controller that I use for a low voltage cutoff, so it's harder for me to run the batteries down too far.

eb

**OntarioVanMan** · 12-14-2009, 09:05 AM

What is the total weight of the total solar package?

I mean wiring,brackets the whole set-up.

**Jack_Berry** · 12-14-2009, 10:11 AM

googling the panel reveals they are, and this is for you ken, 13.0 kg, for the rest of us 28.7 lbs ea. xantrex c35 2.5 lbs, or 1.sumpin kg.

**OntarioVanMan** · 12-14-2009, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by Jack_Berry

googling the panel reveals they are, and this is for you ken, 13.0 kg, for the rest of us 28.7 lbs ea. i am guessing 60-70 lbs for the entire install.

Including batteries?

I suppose if one were to get rid of the passenger seat it would be an equal trade-off

Thinking on further...I suppose the weight of my generator plus the gas can...the difference would be nominal.

**ebsprintin** · 12-14-2009, 12:06 PM

60 lbs of panels
05 lbs of panel brackets
25 lbs for controller, cutoff switches, fuse boxes...
15 lbs of cables, and wire

200 lbs of agm batteries

About the only area that can be lightened is within the 25 lbs of fuse boxes and switches. The ones I have are rather industrial. Even then you would only gain about 10 lbs max.

This setup still requires careful management of power consumption and charging. It does allow me to run my electric cooler, computer, espar heater, and roof vent, but not all at once. The batteries are charged by both the solar panels and the alternator. The charging levels are automatic through the charge controller, the alternator switching is automatic through a battery separator.

eb

**oncedrove** · 12-14-2009, 02:18 PM

200 lbs of agm batteries

2 batteries 3, 4?

**ebsprintin** · 12-14-2009, 02:30 PM

two Lifeline GPL-6CT batteries in series. They are the tallish dimensioned, 96 lbs, six volt batteries for 300 amp-hrs of storage. More of a discussion on how I'm maintaining these batteries here: http://www.expeditersonline.com/foru...er-detail.html. See Turtle's comments.

**Freightdawg** · 07-09-2010, 05:11 PM

Hey ebsprintin and danthewolf00, how are the panels working out for you two? Just curious if you can give us an update?
Thanks

**truckpipes** · 09-05-2010, 01:21 PM

I would love to know more about the solar panels on the trucks. That is such a great idea. How many people are using them nationwide??

Has anyone ever heard of another cool gadget that we are working on, its a small wafer like sleave that is placed over your Truck pipe to help charge your battery. It takes the heat from the exhaust and the cold air that is blown from driving and creates electricity.

I will reveal more when we get our Patent confirmed.

Thanks,
Dan
truckpipestore.com

**danthewolf00** · 09-05-2010, 06:49 PM

update from me

so far i have had my roof vent run almost all summer while out on the road . lol i parked in the shade one weekend at home and forgot to turn off the vent came out to dead batterys on the the house bank took most of i think 2 to 3 days to get it back up to 14v on the 4 batterys.

**greg334** · 09-05-2010, 07:03 PM

Patenting a device?

OK I don't want to sound like I am bashing you but there are a few companies that may have beat you to that, Hi-Z is one and another is BMW. It's not new and many have done a lot of work on this very subject, Hi-Z got a kilowatt out of the exhaust system but that was an expensive KW. The power produced at the price per watt on the front end is not cost effective using either a Peltier or Seebeck device. I have yet heard any big breakthrough that would reduce the device size while lowering the price per watt.

Maybe Turtle has something to add or tell me I'm wrong?

**Turtle** · 09-05-2010, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by greg334

Maybe Turtle has something to add or tell me I'm wrong?

No, I don't think you're wrong at all. Every time this guy posts something, something else doesn't add up. Website says it's "The largest online DH Exhaust Aftermarket Company", yet I dunno.

Domain Name: TRUCKPIPESTORE.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Name Server: DNS1.GTA-TECH.COM
Name Server: DNS2.GTA-TECH.COM
Updated Date: 30-aug-2010
Creation Date: 23-aug-2010

E-mail is Comcast instead of their own domain server. They've been on eBay since March, 2208, tho.

And, they manufacture 25,000 truck pipes a day at their manufacturing facilities throughout North America, including being the OEM supplier for every major truck brand, and even John Deere, except that I've delivered too many tractor pipes from a specific OEM manufacturer to know who makes those, and it's a name that was mentioned in another thread as being NOT Truckpipes. So I dunno.

I think the Truckpipes Web site looks and reads like it was created and designed by the same guy who did the one for McClain Logisticss that made McClain Logistics appear to be one of the 10 largest trucking companies in the country when in reality it was one guy in a straight truck.

I think they've got a nice little retail and mail order aftermarket pipe thing going, and it's growing a bit, but that they're exaggerating a bit, too. Just because you obtain your parts from an OEM manufacturing supplier doesn't mean that you are an OEM manufacturing supplier, too. Just like obtaining and selling an electrical generating device, and it's a patented device, doesn't mean you own the patent. Plus, patents don't get confirmed, they get awarded. If you're waiting to get it "confirmed," then it's patent-pending, and there's no reason not to talk about it. Just the opposite, in fact. Maybe there's a NDA on it or something.

Oh, wait, what were we talking about?

**greg334** · 09-05-2010, 08:15 PM

Well I meant the thermo electric generation thing, not the other stuff.

But seeing you brought it up, and as I said in the other thread - it is a bit hard to believe an NDA will be in place for exhaust parts.

I didn't even get as far as the domain name stuff, I just can't believe the address is a house.

With that said, if there is more info that can be confirmed by one of their customers, I can send at least one customer over to the guy with a few thousand to spend if he has the right turbo pipes. This will give him a boast while providing two idle trucks with parts.