A solar-powered service trucks - Come see how we work all day with our solar-electric power tools

This article gives our readers an idea of ​​what is needed to build a vehicle, solar cells, a DC-AC inverter and a battery, allowing use to use 120-volt appliances and utensils, and furniture and away from any power. Our system is mounted on a wheel Chevrolet pickup with a shell utility, commercial.

Several solar cells are connected together is called a solar system. For our purposes, we used a 12-volt array. There are also 24-volt array asand reserved 48 volt arrays, which are normally used for residential or commercial. We are dealing only with 12-volt array for this article. Our service truck is equipped with four Kyocera 125 watts, 12 volts on the roof of our shell utilities. The formula to calculate how many amps, which refers, 125 watts divided by 12 volts = 10.42 amps per panel, or 41.68 for set of four amplifiers. To put things in perspective, it is a great car-type charger 40 amp. This is very highPower system and is enough electricity to power our personal travel trailer for about two cloudy days.

Then We Came

The next important component of our system is a charge. The performance of the modules is the controller, which is a Xantrex 40 amp, three-step control that will empower the bank battery if maximum load current is required. As the battery approaches full bank pays off the controller "tapering" for a lower charge current until the bank reaches about14 volts, then it has to be a way to "float", which basically just takes the batteries to 100%.

A solar-powered service trucks - Come see how we work all day with our solar-electric power tools

Used batteries for renewable energy, is not the same as starting batteries used to start a vehicle. The batteries are flat energy sources much more often and for many cycles to be discharged and recharged like a battery of departure should be established. They also have the ability much more than a starting battery. We use four 6-volt Concorde Sun ExtenderThe batteries are in series and parallel. This wiring is our bank of batteries, about 440 amp hours of power reserve. They are AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries are sealed and spill-resistant and therefore do not present security risks as far as liquor. Each battery has a 220-ampere-hours. When using a series and parallel circuit configuration, however, you end up with 440 amp hours. To illustrate the power to recall here the houses are newer in-depthElectricity from the company services 200 amps!

If we saved all that power in our battery bank we need to convert them into usable alternating current. This is achieved through our 2500 watt inverter. The bank of batteries and inverters are connected via cable welding large caliber. An inverter takes the 12-volt DC current from the bank and change the battery to 120 volts AC, so you can use appliances like coffee makers, microwave ovens for ourCaravan and especially on our service truck for all our instruMents of power.

Our system allows us to go and work on construction sites all day, even if there is no electricity for the building, even without the noise or the cost of a generator. Of course, the battery bank will eventually be dissipated, and because we have a great building. A system should not be drained below 50%. The lower the flow rate, lower life expectancy to receive your batteries. Moreour equipMent was of Backwoods Solar in Idaho, we have found to be very knowledgeable and reasonable in price of purchase. They also made ​​it possible for us when we had questions. The cost for our system was $ 4,000.00 with us to Supply all the labor market.

A solar-powered service trucks - Come see how we work all day with our solar-electric power tools

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