Some more info in the Wikipedia article. And yes, this is about DC Solar, which I guess many americans will know but as someone from europe this was totally new to me.
Wild just how far he got running this shit.
Some more info in the Wikipedia article. And yes, this is about DC Solar, which I guess many americans will know but as someone from europe this was totally new to me.
Wild just how far he got running this shit.
Having generators together with the solar panels is completely normal.
From what I understand the trailers were supposed to provide backup power to cell towers, sporting events, etc. Solar can provide small amounts of “free” power but you lose it when it’s cloudy or dark. It also can’t meet high power demands for when a lot of power is needed. Normally these problems can be offset by having more solar panels and large battery banks, but that’s not a good option for a trailer mounted backup system.
A diesel generator can provide a huge amount of power in a comparatively small package, making it a much more reliable power source. You can provide backup power with just a generator (no solar), but you usually can’t provide enough backup power with just solar. For example, my local emergency services has a 200kw trailer mounted generator they can use if their main generators are down. A solar system capable of generating that much power would need to be at least 115 sq ft, and would require a ridiculous lot of batteries to make the power available consistently.
Any off-grid set up will usually combine solar and generators, they both have advantages. But a trailer mounted generator can easily be 100s of KW, which isn’t a feasible amount of power to have be portable with solar.
How big is that trailer? Semi trailer big?
Semi trailer is 53’x8.5’x13.6’. Roughly 6100sqft.
Based on this site and somwhat lazy math, a standard semi truck trailer can have roughly 75kw worth of solar panels on it with 400w panels. If we can get 500w panels in the same form factor, we can get to 100kw worth of panels on a semi truck trailer.
You may even be able to get even more panels on if you build in awning system like here:
We ain’t to 200kw yet, but its getting closer.
Your math is off, it shouldn’t be 3 measurements for area, you’re using cubic feet by accident. So off by a factor of one of your measurements.
Factor of 8.5, since that’s the height of the vehicle. So 9-11kw. Enough to power a house if paired with batteries.
That’s actually not too shabby, and you could easily triple the capacity with some hydraulic foldouts. I would worry about snow load with that myself, but I’m sure it could be made to be sturdy enough.
No, it’s a lot smaller than a semi trailer. A semi trailer can hold at least a Megawatt generator if not bigger.
The 200kw generator they use is a military model, maybe 4.5’x10’ in size?
Less than 4’x8’, more like 3-1/2’ x 6’. Roughly 20 Sq ft. What kind of solar generation are you going to do in 20sq ft? Not much. That’s like 9 panels, at 100w each under ideal conditions.
Once you start doing your own math for your own camper, it suddenly becomes painfully clear how limited solar still is, even with lithium batteries that weigh half as much as a lead acid, and store twice as much energy.