Solar panels
Margaret Carew
margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au
Wed Feb 9 01:39:40 UTC 2011
Hi
I'm currently preparing for a trip where I plan to be self-sufficient with power, running a WAECO fridge, macbook pro (or perhaps an alternative, depending on power usage) and lights. The one thing I'll have that isn't in the previous lists of requirements is a diesel engine (in my Toyota). I plan to have two batteries, one set up to trickle charge from a solar panel. I'll be driving pretty often, which will charge the batteries also. Will run the appliances from the back up battery and keep the other battery to start the car with.
WOuld be interested in hearing from anyone who's successfully run a set up like this (solar boosted Toyota Hilux) - any traps or pitfalls?
Cheers, Marg Carew
-----Original Message-----
From: r-n-l-d at unimelb.edu.au on behalf of Frances Kofod
Sent: Fri 28/01/2011 09:26
To: Post, Mark
Cc: Xavier Barker; Aidan Wilson; r-n-l-d
Subject: Re: Solar panels
Hi All,
I investigated what I would need to use my MacBook Pro if I went
camping in the bush. Someone directed me to www.multipoweredproducts.com.au
They have lots of good things on the site including the Solar Gorilla
and were very helpful when I spoke with them Unfortunately I cannot
afford the recommended setup at present. I would still like to do it
some time.
I have pasted below the recommendations for the MacBook Pro.
Good luck all
Frances
> From: "Multi-Powered Products" <sharon at multipoweredproducts.com.au>
> Date: 12 July 2010 10:39:19 AM
> To: <fkofod at bigpond.net.au>, "'John Devitt'" <info at multipoweredproducts.com.au
> >
> Subject: RE: Someone submitted the form from your 'Contact us' page
>
> Hi Frances
>
> Further to our conversation this morning, just trying to sum up.....
>
> Regarding the Gorilla Combo, the Power Gorilla would be great
> however if you are relying on solar, it should be noted that the
> Solar Gorilla only draws about 10w of power, so it would take quite
> a long time to charge the Power Gorilla up. We would be happy to
> provide a Magsafe connector for your Mac Book Pro free of charge
> should you choose this option.
>
> The other option we spoke about was a combination of the Tekkeon
> Battery and one of the large Global Solar panels. Typically laptops
> use around 50 - 60w of power so it makes sense to use a more
> powerful panel, we recommend a minimum of 30w.
>
> You would need the following:
>
> Tekkeon Battery $265
> Global Solar P3 30w Panel $799 OR a Global Solar P3 62W Panel $1450.00
> Charge Controller $99
> Mac Book adapter $14.95
>
> Please let us know if you still have questions after reading the
> information above.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Sharon
>
>
> Multi-Powered Products
> (A Division of John Devitt & Associates Pty Ltd)
> P.O. Box 550
> Balgowlah
> Sydney, NSW 2093
> Australia.
> Tel: 1300 883335 (within Australia)
> Tel: 61 (0)2 6495 9927
> Fax: 61 (0)2 6495 9922
> email: info at multipoweredproducts.com.au
> website: www.multipoweredproducts.com.au
On 28/01/2011, at 12:01 AM, Post, Mark wrote:
> Hi All -
>
> I'll add two cents from the mountains, where I'm trying hard to be
> minimalist: Solar Traveller (UK) has come out with some reasonably
> good Li-ion batteries called "Power Gorillas" with lots of included
> adaptors (but make sure you get the right one for your laptop) and
> variable output 8v/9v/12v/19v/24v (would be nice to have a 5v, but
> oh well). I power a Lenovo x61 8cell to about 80% with one full
> charge, which gives me 5-8 hrs using Toolbox and MSWord on low-power
> mode (about 4-5 if transcribing), and if I had the money to buy one
> of the new solid-state Lenovos, I'd presumably have more. With two
> Power Gorillas, I have enough additional power for 12v AA/AAA and
> camcorder battery chargers via car lighter adaptors (included with
> the Gorillas), and don't need AC at all (so no inverter). And the
> Power Gorillas can take a 20v input, so I don't need a charge
> regulator (unlike with a lead acid battery). Power Gorillas are
> designed to work with 20w "Solar Gorilla" solar panels, which,
> however, in the mountains (no more than 5 hrs peak sun) don't give
> me enough charge even when daisy-chained. Also, I've found that they
> don't work well by directly-inputting into some laptops, despite
> that this is what they're designed for, especially when 19v laptops
> are powered-on. However, I've found that a 60w flexible panel well-
> placed charges one Solar Gorilla in about 3 hrs of peak sun, and
> another 1-2 hrs gives the other a good run. So far, I haven't run
> out of power yet, and I'm using everything pretty heavily.
>
> So the setup I'd recommend for people interested in avoiding lead
> acid batteries and firm solar panels is:
>
> 1) 60w flexible panel
> 2) 1 or 2 Power Gorillas, depending on peak sun hours at field site,
> plus any add'l adaptors needed
> 3) 12v chargers with car lighter adaptor cables for AA/AAA and
> camcorder batteries, of which cheap copies (buy some backups!) are
> available on Ebay etc.
>
> The whole setup weighs about 2-3kg not including whatever laptop you
> have, but is a bit pricey at about AUD $1000-1400 depending on where
> you buy everything. So it is really a reasonably well-funded
> fieldworker's set up rather than a practical community-oriented
> solution.
>
> One additional point is that this setup doesn't work very well for
> Mac users, as Macs can only run off the Power Gorillas (via a car
> lighter adaptor), and can't charge the internal battery. This seems
> to be an Apple design quirk which probably won't go away.
>
> Cheers from Arunachal,
>
> Mark
>
>
> Mark W. Post, PhD
> Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Anthropological Linguistics
> James Cook University
> Cairns QLD 4878 Australia
>
> TEL (AU): +61-7-4042-1881
> TEL (IN): +91-89746-64180
>
> http://jamescook.academia.edu/markwpost
>
> ***I am on fieldwork in Arunachal Pradesh until late April 2011 and
> can (hopefully) be reached on +91-897664180. Keep trying.***
> ________________________________________
> From: r-n-l-d at unimelb.edu.au [r-n-l-d at unimelb.edu.au] On Behalf Of
> Xavier Barker [meibitobure.gaunibwe at gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 5:44 AM
> To: Aidan Wilson
> Cc: r-n-l-d
> Subject: Re: Solar panels
>
> Spot on! Check him out on http://www.servalproject.org/
> <http://www.servalproject.org/>
>
> On 27/01/2011, at 10:56 AM, Aidan Wilson wrote:
>
> This (the stuff on the finemespot.com<http://finemespot.com>
> website, not the lab-in-the-case stuff) seems reminiscent of an
> invention I saw on the New Inventors (ABC Australia) about this
> system, in which a portable mobile coverage tower is rolled out to
> areas after disasters (Haiti was the most recent disaster at the
> time and was the cited example) which would allow people to connect
> to one another and call emergency numbers while the normal towers
> are non-functional. The benefit of the system was that users
> retained their regular numbers and could therefore call one another
> in the effectively closed system. And calls inside the cell network
> are free since it never goes to a telco.
>
> I'm going entirely off memory here, so I might be getting a couple
> of details wrong, and can't remember what it's called. And I'm also
> getting significantly off-topic...
>
> --
> Aidan Wilson
>
> PhD Candidate
> Dept of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
> The University of Melbourne
>
> +61428 458 969
> aidan.wilson at unimelb.edu.au<mailto:aidan.wilson at unimelb.edu.au>
>
> On Thu, 27 Jan 2011, Xavier Barker wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> As always, i can offer no practical fieldwork advice, but...
> Our company provides small mobile internet connected computer labs
> in a suitcase (or, rather, pelican case) to a number of schools
> in off-grid parts of Uganda. We fit 11 netbooks with 9 cell
> batteries and a single loom charger. Most netbooks are designed to
> draw 19V, but we have no problem at all fitting the loom directly to
> a 12V battery and providing DC power. With this
> lab-in-a-case, we are able to provide fully internet-connected(3G/
> gprs/edge/sat (with a SPOT
> (http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=116)) to places that
> have no power. The system is able to be used for about 5 hours
> without a charge, but a whole day oif trickle charging from solar.
> Whilst this solution works for getting everything charged at a
> base station where solar panels can be permanently fixed, there are
> also a number of really good portable options. Keeping in mind that
> the netbooks will run fine on 12V DC (as will small desktop PCs like
> the Eee Box which can be fitted with a DC
> LCD monitor), it is possible to rig a 12V folding solar panel
> directly to the charger of the netbook. Suntech make small folding
> 60W 12V panels but they still weigh about 15kg - not great for
> lugging around. ALternatively, and much better if weight is a
> concern, is the 20W solar-charging laptop bag
> (http://www.multipoweredproducts.com.au/products/Voltaic-Generator-%252d-Solar-Laptop-Charger-Bag.html
> ). This bag has batteries
> which will bring your netbook up to a full charge in a day, provided
> you get about 5 hours of sunlight. It's probably not going to
> be enough to charge a full-sized laptop though. It also has outputs
> for you to connect 5V USB devices and car-plug options. This
> means you can plug in a caravan/car/camping style lamp into the case
> at night and give yourself plenty of power. Cheers,
> Xavier
> On 27/01/2011, at 4:06 AM, Jeremy Hammond wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I am pretty much in agreement with Tom and have being
> successfully doing a
> similar setup for the past 3 years in Vanuatu. I also buy lead
> acid
> battery in-situ but am considering getting a solar-specific one
> this year
> if I can find it in Port Vila. I'll just add 3 points.
>
> 1. Buy a universal battery charger. They are great and means you
> can
> really cut down on the amount of chargers you have to take (I.e.
> phone/Camera/AA/video/AAA/USB are all doable with mine). Here is
> one
> http://www.solartechnology.co.uk/shop/camcaddy-cc1005.htm but
> there are
> different brands/models. You can buy them at most camera stores.
> I just
> have two of these for all my charging needs (plus my laptop
> charger of
> course).
>
> 2. Consider getting solid panels. If you have easy enough access
> to your
> fieldsite and have a long term relationship with them then it is
> an easy
> process to take it there and set it up on a roof etc. I usually
> take a
> solid 50W panel with me each time I go so that now I have around
> 150W
> which should be above 200W this coming year. They are super
> strong, and
> great long term value. Plus now I leave them there setup with
> LEDs on the
> battery so that people there can use the light at night, even
> when I'm not
> there.
>
> 3. While tom suggested the "workman's" light and they are good,
> if you are
> electrically handy then making your own LED setup is really
> inexpensive
> and easy. There are some great yellow ones that are good for
> reading/working by as well. On that note as Tom said, test your
> setup but
> also understand how it works. Get a friend who knows something
> about
> electronics to explain it to you and when things go wrong, you
> will be in
> a much better position to fix it.
>
> Jeremy
>
> -------------------------------
> Jeremy Hammond
> Syntax, Typology and Information Structure Group
> Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
> P: +31-24-3521171
> E: Jeremy.Hammond at mpi.nl
> W: http://www.mpi.nl/people/hammond-jeremy
>
> On 26/01/11 7:27 AM, "Tom Honeyman" <t.honeyman at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Jeff,
>
> Despite the negative "reality check" at the end of the
> paper Pat
>
> mentions (thanks Pat!, also the paper supersedes the blog
> posts, but
>
> thanks Peter!), I am now quite happily using solar power
> for fieldwork
>
> in Papua New Guinea.
>
> My current setup (well actually I've dropped/genericised/
> forgotten a
>
> few items to simplify!):
>
> 1 low power netbook (they're all almost exactly the same)
>
> 2x DC adapter for netbook, but also adapters to charge USB
> devices,
>
> mobile phones etc also very good
>
> 2x Li-Ion battery pack chargers (for camera, video camera
> etc... can
>
> be very handy)
>
> 1x DC-DC adapter with multiple plugs (very handy for
> powering all
>
> sorts of things if you know what you're doing)
>
> DC plug adaptors (so I can plug in many things at once)
>
> 50W foldable solar panel
>
> charge regulator with load cut-off
>
> 10x AA NiMH AA batteries
>
> 8x AA NiMH AAA batteries
>
> 1x AA/AAA battery charger (charges 10 batteries at once,
> each
>
> individually)
>
> 1x AA/AAA battery charger (charges 4 batteries in pairs -
> this can be
>
> a pain if you have a device that uses 3 batteries!)
>
> Head torch and mag-lite - make sure they work with
> rechargeables!
>
> Often they don't work well with them.
>
> 12v/DC workman's light, fluro or LED based, low power
> consumption
>
> (these are really good for a lot of light!)
>
> All the regular equipment otherwise (recorders, speakers,
> mike,
>
> cameras, etc), but make sure they work well with
> rechargeables).
>
> And then I also pack the following for fixing stuff (but
> only if you
>
> know what you're doing):
>
> fuses, glass and blade with several spares for each device
> that has one
>
> pack of alligator clip wires
>
> Gaffer tape (often available in country)
>
> digital multi-meter
>
> pocket knife
>
> jeweller's screw driver set
>
> super glue (often available in country)
>
> I tend to buy a (preferably deep cycle) lead acid battery
> in country.
>
> This let me work for a few hours a day on the laptop, use
> torches/
>
> flashlights at night, and put on a "movie night" once a
> week. Every
>
> now and then an activity might come along (like a big
> recording
>
> session, or very rainy weather, or on one occasion my roof
> blowing
>
> off!), which would drain the battery too much. Then I'd
> have a day or
>
> two not using the laptop (far and away the most power
> hungry).
>
> 4 things I'd recommend:
>
> (a) check _everything_ beforehand. There are many "single
> points of
>
> failure" in a solar setup. That's why its good to have
> backups, or
>
> multiple ways of achieving the same thing.
>
> (b) get a charge regulator with a load cut off. This
> magical box will:
>
> - ensure that the battery is charged properly, dropping
> the power as
>
> it approaches a full charge and cutting the power entirely
> when the
>
> battery is full
>
> - stop power flowing back into the panel at night (this is
> often
>
> redundant depending on the panel)
>
> - cut the power to your devices when the battery is too low
>
> Basically this will let you safely run your equipment, but
> it'll
>
> ensure that the battery doesn't fail because you've
> drained it too
>
> much... this is something that is _very_ easy to do. If
> you know what
>
> you're doing then you can drop this, but you'll spend more
> time
>
> managing your power setup and less doing work.
>
> (c) try to eliminate using AC power. This is costly. I
> guarantee that
>
> you will not have enough power to do all the things that
> you'd like to
>
> do. So this means do not use "wall adapter" plug
> equipment, use "car
>
> adapters" for all of your equipment. The DC adapters for
> charging a
>
> laptop can often power other equipment. The DC-DC adapter
> is extremely
>
> useful for powering low power equipment. Having these
> flexible, multi-
>
> plug adaptors can be very useful for unexpected scenarios
> like
>
> powering a cassette recorder you've borrowed because your
> audio
>
> equipment fell in the river. Or powering your recorder
> directly
>
> because your batteries or battery chargers have failed for
> some reason.
>
> (d) check that the AA/AAA powered equipment works, and
> works well with
>
> rechargeable batteries. Rechargeables operate at a lower
> voltage than
>
> Alkaline batteries. A lot of equipment is designed for use
> with
>
> Alkaline batteries, and even though initially they may
> work fine,
>
> later in the field you may discover that they have a
> (seemingly) short
>
> life. Digital cameras often are designed to work with
> rechargeables
>
> these days (sometimes they last longer with
> rechargeables), but
>
> torches/flashlights for instance are often not.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Tom
>
> On 26/01/2011, at 3:48 PM, Patrick Hall wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Honeyman also coauthored a paper with Laura Robinson
> on this topic in
>
> LD&C which might be of use:
>
> Honeyman, Tom & Laura C. Robinson. 2007. Solar power
> for the digital
>
> fieldworker. Language Documentation & Conservation
> 1(1): 17-27.
>
> It's available online:
>
> http://hdl.handle.net/10125/1722
>
> cheers,
>
> Pat
>
>
Frances Kofod
PO Box 1918
Kununurra
WA 6743
08 91692 852 ~ 0438 894957
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