Solar Car Charging System

[Mike Christian]

I keep a couple of cars (one being the GT40) in a hangar that doesn't have electricity. Other than stealing electricity from my neighbor , I was thinking of using the Battery Minder solar controller with some solar panels. I am going to change one battery so that both will be AGM type.

Does anyone have any direct experience with solar car charging systems, and specifically what are you using and how is it working?

Mike

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Re: Soalr Car Charging System

Mike, I used solar charging on a yacht I once had with great success.
Like most of my toys it got seldom used and I ended up selling it.
But the solar panel meant I always had a fully charged battery.
More info here. BoatUS BoatTECH Guides: Solar Panels

 

[Jack Houpe]

Mike, I have a solar panel on the roof of my car trailer that keeps a charge on the 12v system, that system feeds an inverter that give me 120 VAC for small usage. I also have one on a piece of farm equipment that doesn't get used much, it keeps the battery charged all the time. One more on the gate opener which is 1500 ft from my house, all work perfect. Wally World for $40. Someday I plan on a grid tied system for my house, even if its just a small unit, every bit counts.

 

[Mike Christian]

Thanks Pete and Jack! Any idea what wattage you used/are using?

I am definitely going this route...winds were 20mph gusting 29, so I will have to find a way to fix it to the hangar.

Mike

 

[Andrew East]

Hi Mike,

I have a 20watt solar panel on the trailer which powers an electric winch to pull the gt40 up into the trailer. Never had any issues seems to keeps the battery fully charged for loading on and off at track days. The trailer is usually parked in the shed with some clear roof panel sections and this seems to be still enough for the solar panel to keep the 12V battery charged. The solar panel is wired through a small regulator which has a led light which indicates when the panel is charging. When outside at the track the panel gets plenty of UV for charging (Weather permitting of course).

Andrew

 

[Mike Christian]

Thank you Andrew!
Mike

 

[Ron Earp]

My new trailer is "self powered". I got tired of worrying about if I'd make it to the paddock in time to get a spot with 110V hookup.

I have two deep cycle marine batteries in a special power compartment built into the bottom of the trailer. These two batteries are connected to a 3000W DC inverter to provide 110V power to run the impact gun, air compressor, lights, and the AC unit. The batteries also power the 12V fluorescent lights and the stereo system.

The DC inverter can be plugged in and it'll charge the batteries. However, to avoid having to fool with that I have a 100W solar panel mounted on the front of the trailer that can be pivoted for best angle of sun. This is fed through a charge controller to charge the batteries. Thus far in three race weekends I've not run out of power and the system seems to be sufficient for keeping the batteries topped up (note - the batteries ARE NOT connected to the truck charging system or trailer lighting, they are 100% independent and only charged with the solar panel).

Here are a few pictures of the trailer before the solar panel, AC, stereo, and sleeping quarters. Yes, I sleep in it and it works great!

Do it up.

 

[Garry]

Ron,
That's a very nice rig.
Garry

 

[Brian Hamilton]

Solar systems are awesome, but have you looked at some inexpensive wind energy systems for this kind of thing? A small wind turbine would provide more than enough juice for what you're looking for Mike. Let me find that link for all this stuff...

OkSolar Ordering System

There ya go. There's also some Axial Rotation turbines that don't have blades, they just spin.

Pacwind - home

Anyway, those may be viable alternatives for you. Some of the smaller turbines may work for many of you guys on your trailers too.

Laters,

Brian

 

[JohnC]

I have the Battery Minder solar panel and was disappointed with it.

I had it charging the mother-in-law's car at a nursing home, and it failed to keep the battery charged. The nursing home is in a wooded area, so I parked the car in various locations, but evidently it wasn't getting enough direct exposure for enough hours in the day to keep the charge up.

IIRC, I paid around $190 for it, but PayPal me $50 plus shipping, and it's yours. PM me if interested.

 

[Mike Christian]

JohnC, I sent you a PM. Thank you!

Brian, most of the time we have very little wind...we just had a front come in and the wind was up for few hours. I think Solar is the ticket for this application. Thanks for your suggestion.

Ron, did you buy a complete solar system or did you put the components together? If you spec'd it, where did you get the components? What panels? What controller?

Mike

 

[Ron Earp]

Mike, get a 100W panel, the battery will definitely be charged. About $270 on Ebay, good company there that you'll find does a lot of business. They sell controllers too, about $35. Seller sunelec_miami, has stuff for under $3 a watt which is good. Highly recommended, beats prices from Northern Tool or anywhere else I could find selling panels. I'll have some pictures today.

 

[Mike Christian]

Thank you Ron!