Connecting SOLIS Solar Tonneau Cover to Main Battery

[Yellow Buddy]

Hi, nice to meet you. I’m the resident forum smart ass.

Yes there is no usefulness to this. The sarcasm is in the fact that it is only useful IF conditions are perfect and even then if one only travels less than 10 miles a day or if you go 201 hours or 8 full days without driving the truck…

The reality is conversion loss will be between 10-20%. Actual sunlight will be closer to 3-4 hours, and there is no actual return on investment.

**This speaking as someone who owns and manages his own solar system generating over 50mWh a year.

Sponsored

 

[JRT]

My observation is that solar farms are designed for where they are installed. By us, most solar panels face south. Some solar farms have various panels at slightly different angles. Not one tracks anything.

We were in Vermont in April. Most of the solar installations I saw (which were smaller than around here), including residential ones, were setup to track the sun. Likely because they were so much further north, and the terrain is steep.

That is because it's cheaper and you need more consistent sun vs the NE for the added complexity to payoff. I would not say NE is ideal solar generation area, I did live in Maine and know the long winters with lack of sun too.

My statement is fact and is what solar farms use in high sun areas.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=30912

 

[RickLightning]

That is because it's cheaper and you need more consistent sun vs the NE for the added complexity to payoff. I would not say NE is ideal solar generation area, I did live in Maine and know the long winters with lack of sun too.

My statement is fact and is what solar farms use in high sun areas.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=30912

I think the article speaks for itself. "More than half". Then remove California...

 

[JRT]

You might consider reading some research, and actual science as I have.

The angle of incidence is critical, all installs you observed are based on a northern lattitude best case, that does not mean it is the best for maximum efficiency which is what I stated.

 

[CyclopsThere]

The ultra prepper in me wants a system like this so that in a mad max scenario, I can be offgrid, sit somewhere out in the open for 3-4 days, and get like 20 miles charge on the truck so i can go to the nearest trading post with my bottle caps.

 

[JRT]

The ultra prepper in me wants a system like this so that in a mad max scenario, I can be offgrid, sit somewhere out in the open for 3-4 days, and get like 20 miles charge on the truck so i can go to the nearest trading post with my bottle caps.

Buy portable solar charging system, travel at night, recharge by daylight like the Martian, that was some actual science there.

 

[queuewho]

Buy portable solar charging system, travel at night, recharge by daylight like the Martian, that was some actual science there.

This guy did just that across the country.

 

[RickLightning]

This guy did just that across the country.

He also ate potatoes grown in his own poop, so we should do that also?

FYI, Mars gets about 59% of the sun energy that earth gets.

 

[JRT]

Note how many panels he uses. To even get enough power for say 40amp 240v system, my math says over 9k watts of panels and of course assume a full sun day. The scale of a tonneau cover is just not enough, and no matter what green promotion says, we still don't have the magic bullet in better solar panel design. It would be great, but a actual vehicles designed around the limits would be better then our brick shaped trucks

 

[queuewho]

He also ate potatoes grown in his own poop, so we should do that also?

FYI, Mars gets about 59% of the sun energy that earth gets.

I think in the book he also had the RTG adding a bit of power also... but in addition, the vehicle would weigh less, and be able to go further on a charge that was acquired by the panels.

As for the youtuber, it wasn't supposed to be practical, just like the solar canopy at the heart of this thread. It's something cool, but not something that really makes any sense.

My solar and battery backup on my house will probably never really pay for themselves. It's worth it to me, for peace of mind both in summer thunderstorms as well as winter ice storms. And I'm saving the environment just a little bit, so all you people with kids should be happy.

 

[RickKeen]

He also ate potatoes grown in his own poop, so we should do that also?

FYI, Mars gets about 59% of the sun energy that earth gets.

Remember that NASA-grade equipment does not have an ROI requirement.

 

[queuewho]

Also remember that NASA-grade equipment does not have an ROI requirement.

Everyone should keep in mind, real-life non-NASA stuff doesn't actually have a ROI requirement either. If someone sees value in a solar cover or tonneau, then maybe it makes sense for them.

I bet we see some van life types use these.

 

[Lytning]

Remember that NASA-grade equipment does not have an ROI requirement.

NASA uses ROT versus ROI.

ROT is "Robbed Off Taxpayers", a financial metric not taught in MBA courses.

Sponsored