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Old 12-03-2011, 11:46 AM   #3 (permalink)
Ryland
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
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honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

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If you figure out how many watt hours you need to do your daily driving then you can figure out your total PV size that you need to keep your battery charged up, remember of course that panels that are flat are not going to have the same output as ones that are at the correct angle and pointing at the sun so you will need to figure that in at well.
Personally I would get a DC to DC converter that takes a higher voltage from a deep cycle pack and drops it down to the 13.4 or 13.7v that the alternator tends to put out, otherwise your headlights will slowly dim and the rest of your electrical system will see more amps due to a lower voltage, over time that lower voltage will burn out electronics.
On my electric car I'm using a DC to DC converter from a golf cart lighting kit and I'm going to use a very small lead acid gel cell battery as a buffer for large loads when I have everything turned on.

If nothing else, having a small solar panel will keep your battery topped off and happy making it last a few extra years saving you $10 to $20 per year just in replacement battery costs.
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