A unique solar question

[SWbySWesty]

So I have a spare Pelican 1550 case in the garage. I have the foam for it too. I want to go solar on my van, but I don't want to do a permanent mount.

Is there a panel that will fit in the inside dimensions of the case?
Interior Dimensions:
18.43" x 14.00" x 7.62"

I would get two of them and separate them with the foam to keep them safe. Are there any panels powerful enough to jump up to maybe 60-80W total power?

 

[camp'n_hunt]

Great idea

You could stack a bunch of these in there: LINKor these: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/10-Watt-Volt-Solar-Panel/dp/B003IESN5Y"]LINK[/ame]

Seems most any 10 watt unit would fit.

I like your idea, i have been thinking about getting some solar power as i only have 1 yellow top for my fridge though the PNW isn't a good place for solar power.

 

[expdtnoffroad]

There are a number of options depending on your budget. The option that I would recommend first is the Goal Zero Boulder 15M panel.

Each Boulder 15M produces a max of 15 watts. The nice thing about the Boulder 15M is that you can daisy chain a maximum of 4 panels together.
This would be my first pick. You could easily fit 4 Boulder 15M's in your Pelican 1550.



http://expeditionoffroad.com/expedi...ar_power/goal0_escape/boulder_15m_solar_panel

If you want to get in to military grade solar power I would recommend the FTL Power Fold 70.



We just picked up the FTL line but don't have the product on our website yet. The prices break down as follows:

Power Fold 5: $135
Power Fold 10: $240
Power Fold 20: $465
Power Fold 40: $960
Power Fold 70: $1675

Any of the Power Fold panels would fit in your pelican case as well. The FTL can be airdropped without a parachute for over a mile, shot with small arms fire and still work, and has even kept working after being run over by a semi truck. It is seriously military grade gear.

The third option would be the Brunton Solar Rolls. They come in sheets that store rolled in 12" by 22", 40", and 57". They can also be paired together and produce 15.4 volt (milliampere rating depends on length of roll).



http://expeditionoffroad.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=201_181_283&products_id=396

You could also consider the Brunton Solaris 26 which is a fold-able option that produces 26 watts (12v / 1600 mA) at 11x8.75x1 when folded.

http://expeditionoffroad.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=201_181_283&products_id=395

Do you have any specifics on what you want to power?

 

[BIGdaddy]

So Garrett, in your research...which one of these would I need to keep a engel or edgestar fridge from killing my battery while camping for several days without firing the motor? Assuming full socal sunlight, (and if not, fridge gets shut down)? Thats the only thing that's keeping me from pulling the trigger on a fridge...

I'm very interested in sourcing/building a portable PV unit, too.

Thanks for asking this question.

 

[expdtnoffroad]

BIGdaddy I would suggest the Goal Zero Extreme Explorer Kit for So. Cal. The kit comes with 2 Boulder 30M panels, 1 Extreme 350 Power Pack and 1 Extreme UI (Universal Inverter). This kit should give you plenty of power to run an Engel fridge for a few days with out worrying about turning on your rig.

A good number of fridges run a Danfoss compressor (ARB, Engel, & National Luna). These fridges consume an amp/hour draw of .7 to 2.5 ish. This would give you a range of 10 ~ 30 hours of run time on the Extreme 350 Power Pack alone. In sunny condition the panels easily offset the the draw from the fridge. Naturally temperature and sun light conditions can really effect the equation. I would personally be comfortable with this solution in your region of the country. The nice thing is that the kit is very self contained.

 

[SWbySWesty]

brian, I was able to run my fridge and LED lights in my van all weekend at the desert rendezvous without charging. I was at 12.3 volts on my voltminder when I packed up. I'd like to just extend my standstill by a day or two so perhaps even a 55W panel would do the trick.

For general camping though, my two Optima Yellowtops would do the trick. I want to be able to watch a movie on the laptop through my car stereo which will suck some juice so I'd probably need to be able to charge my 110AH bank in one day. Everyone over on Samba says go 80+watts. It's just so expensive.

Expedition: What about if I have a budget of $600? Do you have anything to support this?

 

[expdtnoffroad]

For general camping though, my two Optima Yellowtops would do the trick. I want to be able to watch a movie on the laptop through my car stereo which will suck some juice so I'd probably need to be able to charge my 110AH bank in one day. Everyone over on Samba says go 80+watts. It's just so expensive.

Expedition: What about if I have a budget of $600? Do you have anything to support this?

SWbySWesty if you wanted to stay with your Optima Yellowtops as the battery source I would recommend the FTL Power Fold 20 ($465) along with a Brunton Solar Controller ($40). So you are looking at $505 total minus any incidental wiring to tie in to your dual battery setup. This would give you an average daily output of 75 watt-hours (18.94 volts / 1.03 amps). The cool thing is the whole package would only weigh 1.32 pounds. It's not quite 80 watts but close and under $600 no less.

 

[expdtnoffroad]

SWbySWesty if you wanted to stay with your Optima Yellowtops as the battery source I would recommend the FTL Power Fold 20 ($465) along with a Brunton Solar Controller ($40). So you are looking at $505 total minus any incidental wiring to tie in to your dual battery setup. This would give you an average daily output of 75 watt-hours (18.94 volts / 1.03 amps). The cool thing is the whole package would only weigh 1.32 pounds. It's not quite 80 watts but close and under $600 no less.

SWbySWesty I had a couple of after thought about my recommendation that I made last night. The FTL stuff is CIGS technology and I want to verify a couple of specs with the manufacture before I stick to this recommendation. I will do some more research and get back to you shortly.

 

[SWbySWesty]

So I did some more research and talked to Optima. The fully discharged voltage of the yellowtops is 10.5 volts. So technically I can run my batteries safely to 11volts and then recharge.

Having that extra room will definitely extend my stay by probably two days! No need for solar for me.

Anybody disagree with Optima about the 10.5 volt fully depleted thing? It's posted on their spec sheets as well.

 

[PirateMcGee]

I would kick off at 10.8-11

 

[dwh]

10.5v is pretty much universally accepted as "totally dead". Repeatedly taking a battery that low will noticeably shorten its life.

I do it frequently, but since I know I'm going to abuse the aux battery to an early death, I don't buy an expensive battery for the aux.

 

[lostworldexpedition]

I am with dwh. 10.5 is beyond dead. If you plan on having your battery for a year or maybe even less, then by all means drop it to 10.5 regularly.

We "killed" a Sears AGM group 31 in a little over a year by repeatedly dropping it to 12, it was sad and painful, specially because we where outside the U.S. and could not get it replaced.

If you do not boondock regularly and you fully charge the battery ASAP I think it would last... But if you spend the $$ on an AGM or spiral cell battery I would opt for no less than 80w solar panel, seriously. Otherwise, purchase a less expensive group 31 wet deep cycle and recycle it once a year(?)

I really like your Solar Pelican Case idea, but I have no panel recommendations.

Take any advice I provide with a large grain of salt

 

[SWbySWesty]

SWbySWesty I had a couple of after thought about my recommendation that I made last night. The FTL stuff is CIGS technology and I want to verify a couple of specs with the manufacture before I stick to this recommendation. I will do some more research and get back to you shortly.

Did you ever find out what you wanted to know about FTL?

 

[dwh]

once a year(?)

Yes, it could be that short of a life.

The one I have now I got from a local battery shop that sells new batteries as well as scratched seconds and whatnot. I bought a new deep cycle FLA 100ah, but I bought the cheapest one they had.

I've had this one for over a year now, and it's been rode hard and put away wet a bunch of times. I would guesstimate it's down to probably 70ah capacity. I'll likely replace it before summer.

But it only cost $45 so I can buy a new one every year if need be and not sweat it.

 

[Xterabl]

If you want to maximize (if you believe the specs) wattage in that 'lil pelican case, then go for 5 or 6 of these:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/HQRP-Mono-crystalline-Anodized-Aluminum-Coaster/dp/B004KSO0QI/ref=pd_sbs_ol_13"]Amazon.com: HQRP 15W (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 15 Watt 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum Frame plus HQRP Coaster: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]

Hey, chinese manufacturing is getting better by the year...and they are fast becoming a leader in solar mfg.

This is a newer product, so there' not much for review. But this (similar) product linked below from them seems well-received:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/HQRP-Mono-crystalline-Anodized-Aluminum-Coaster/dp/B002HSUT40/ref=pd_sbs_ol_3"]Amazon.com: HQRP 12W (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum Frame plus HQRP Coaster: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]


Or you could go with all the highly recommended Uber-solar products $$$$$$$$

Whatever you do, be sure to spend the $$ on a MPPT controller.