Looking for a way to put 2 panels on the roof of a motor home.
Need to be able to swivel and tilt them to get best input in the Alps in the winter, so snow and wind are major factors.
Can't find a useful site, so any body know of a source of mounts or, preferably, designs, please?
Run the engine for 10 minutes a day.
You will get more charge out of it.
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 11:09:42 +0100 someone who may be PeterC wrote this:-
Depending on circumstances the best option is usually the simple one. You don't say how big these proposed panels are, I presume they are electricity generating ones, but a tilt and turn mounting implies a large hole in the roof and a means of supporting the weight of and wind loading on the panels. Probably far easier to put them on the ground on a tilting frame.
Could run out of fuel - stationary for 6 months and most of those with deep snow.
2-off, 52"x27". PV panels. Usually mounted on a frame that can be turned/tilted manually; often then left for 2 or 3 months.
Ground would be much simpler, but there are RVs alongside, a bank to the rear and some vehicles passing in frons; also easier to free from snow if on the roof as there's somewhere for the snow to go. Too big to go inside.
The Sun's at quite a low angle, so tilting is essential.
PeterC gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Either you're going to be getting out of the spot at some stage in those six months - so can fill either the motorhome's tanks or at the very least a jerrycan - or you're going to have plenty of other issues to consider, such as stocks of food and emptying the chemikhazi.
If you're really going to be snowed in for a significant percentage of six months, then you're going to have to get up on the roof of the wagon to clear the snow regularly, so might as well just manually align them.
10 minutes a day, charging a battery at, say, 20 Amps gives you 3 Amphours per day. On my boat I got about 8 amphour per day from the PV panels in the winter, much more in the summer. but I did have several of them.
Robert
That's a fairly poor charge rate.
gives you 3
Ah well..
Wind generator?
I've never seen any design other than a straightforward bolt them to the roof parallel to the ground mounting. Anything else seems to be piddling about, and the cost of the mounts can exceed the price of the panels.
My experience with snow in the Alps is that it tends to stick even to vertical surfaces. YMMV.
I'd be tempted to put panels on the roof and also to each side of the motorhome, paying attention to the orientation when parked. You'll also need Schottky blocking diodes to prevent discharge via the panels receiving lower light levels and at night.
If you insist on tile mountings then there's this:
Pack sled dogs. Make sleds out of the solar panels and escape.
Feed the dogs on wind turbine salesmen, who will doubtless see the solar panels and come a-knockin'.
Why not use aluminium scaffolding cleverly attached to the panels and to the truck and scaffolding clips for adjustments
[g]
Got that as well, but high pressure over the Alps doesn't give much wind - but the sun is out under those conditions.
The tanks can be emptied/filled in situ. Moving a 34', 14 ton van down and up hills in Winter...!
The alignment is done once the van is parked up; there is usually no choice of orientation of the van, so the panels have to be swivelled to suit. Tilting racks are dead common, but useful only if they are facing S(erley).
Agreed, but thanks for the link.
His old van had the desired structure on the roof, but that's in Germany and he has no clear recollection of the construction.
Ah, dual fuel: for him and the dogs - like it!
Well...
I've driven one of these:
So I'd reckon it was possible if you know what you're doing and have experience of driving in poor weather.
PeterC gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
If it's that organised a site, surely there's a hookup?
This is a Concorde Dynasty of twice that weight. It's also set up for 6 months' stay.
Unfortunately not, but it is cheap!
For a 'proper' site the extra charges would pay 10x over for the equipment for the van to be self-sufficient.
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