Solar Truck
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Solar Truck
Cars Starting To Use Solar Power In Novel Ways
We are probably a long ways from having a fully solar powered car. But solar enhanced automobiles emphatically have a place in the near future. For instance, Toyota's Prius optionally comes with a solar panel that is powered solely on it's own solar based power. You know how when you leave you car too long in the sun on a hot sunny day how hot the interior is when you first sit down?
The purpose of the ventilation system is to help cool off the parked car on those hot sunny days. You can start the fan by remote control before you reach the car. This starts the cooling off of the car before you even get in. As a result, once you start the car, the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard to bring the temperatures down to a comfortable level. This process saves energy all around.
Solar power is competing with other energy efficient technologies such as hydro-electricity to become the wave of the future as far as powering cars, van, and trucks.
Solar cars work by converting sunlight directly into electricity. Technology has already advanced far enough to be able to guide the development of solar powered golf carts and bicycles. In fact the first solar cars were actually bicycles called solarmobiles. Solar powered cars are a ways off, however, as the surface area of the car severely limits the amount of electricity that can be generated from the sun.
Solar powered cars derive their energy directly from the sun via photovoltaic panels. But the panels in electric cars are not yet powerful and efficient enough to power a vehicle as big as an electric car for long distances. The limitation is the small amount of available space on a car to hold the solar panels. The solar power panels can, however, supplement the primary means of powering the car whether it's electric, gas, or hydrogen powered.
Having a car completely powered by solar energy is a dream and it's one that won't come to fruition until many years at the earliest.
Many believe that instead of attempting to create a fully solar powered car that time is better spent developing an electric car and merely use solar power to generate electricity to power the electric car's battery.
The thought is that smart grid technology will enable electric cars to be recharged during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper. The other alternative is that the car will be recharged at any time using solar generated power.
Not content with waiting until full fleets of electric cars are roaming the highways, some companies are getting a head start on the new eco energy age by manufacturing solar carports. These are fully solar powered structures that allow you to plug in your electric car and recharge it for later usage. The excess electricity that it generates can be used to provide supplemental electricity for your home.
Toyota is the largest automaker to date to place solar power into a mass produced car such as the Prius. But, you can be sure that more are on the horizon.
About the Author
John Kuzniar is a freelance writer who writes articles relating to alternative energy usages. For articles on <a href="http://www.solarpowerfamily.com/solar-panels-for-electricity.html">solar panel electricity</a>, <a href="http://www.solarpowerfamily.com/solar-hot-water-panels.html">solar hot water panels</a>, and other energy saving resources please visit his site.
Charging battery in a travel trailer?
I am new to camper with a travel trailer. I am aware that the rv batteries are charged from the tow vehicle but is it efficient enough (more efficient than say a 10watt solar panel)? If I charge the batteries at home fully and than go on a 7 hour trip to the campsite that has no hookups, will my truck maintain the charge on the rv battery? What happens if the rv batteries go dead, can my truck recharge them? I do not have a generator.
What advantages does two 6v batteries have over one 12v batteries have?
Hey Chuck, your other answers here are correct, but understand, a 10 watt solar panel will accomplish almost nothing. It will put out about 1/2 amp, in direct sun only, for a couple hours in the middle of the day. If it were me, I would go with the deep cycle batteries, not the ones you buy in the Walmart automotive section, but golf cart batteries, in particular Trojan T-105. They are 6 volt, so you need 2 of them wired end to end for 12 volts. Then if you had a real panel, something like 50 to 75 watts, you could put it on the roof of your camper, and it would make some power you can use. You would still be able to charge them from home before the trip, or at a campsite with hookups, or with the vehicle, the panel will only add power when it is needed. Also, by using a panel not over 75 watts, you would not overcharge the golf cart batteries even if they were full and the sun was out. That size panel has a max current of about 4 amps, less than he 2% limit to operate without a charge controller.
As far as how long they would last, it is just a matter of usage. You'll have to go camping some time and try it out. In a few nights, you'll get an idea for what items use power the fastest, and how long you can operate your normal loads without a charge cycle, but a good sized panel will vastly extend the recharge times, if it is at least partly sunny. Check out some sources below, and good luck, Rudydoo
Greenpeace's "Rolling Sunlight" Solar Truck Travels to Penn State