Is it time to re-visit solar hybrids?

[freebeard]

I am suggesting panels, on the car, for people who are unable to can to plug the car into anything! I'm running out of ways to say that in English...

So.... what did you think of the [in Latin] Elytra?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

So.... what did you think of the [in Latin] Elytra?

Muy bueno.

As I said before, a fold out design would be great. Using just the space above an average car could produce some 2kW, or 10kWh per day in the summer. With solar tracking that scribbly tilts the whole panel you could get even more. Then make it fold out wider than the car.

No need to plug in (except on cloudy days or long trips). And for certain use case scenarios you wouldn't even need a big battery to soak all that up. Like me and my usual "doctor visits" that have me driving short distances and leaving the car parked in different spots for periods between 15 minutes to an hour with none of those being places I could plug in even if my car had a way to plug in.

[freebeard]

www.nasa.gov/jpl/news/origami-style-solar-power

vimeo.com: B-roll: Origami Solar Array Prototype

[freebeard]

I found a mention of a quote from Elon Musk

"Now a van, because you've got a big flat area, that's actually where solar could start to make a make a little more sense" --Elon Musk on Joe Rogan Podcast #1609

The constraint isn't surface area, it's battery production capacity.

[redpoint5]

The constraint is both, which is the same problem PV suffers for grid use. You need sufficient quantity of energy when it’s demanded. That means gobs of storage; an order of magnitude more than typically beaded, and an over provisioning of PV capability to get through winter and other lulls in production capacity.

PV doesn’t solve any problems because it relies on full infrastructure to back it up.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The constraint is both, which is the same problem PV suffers for grid use. You need sufficient quantity of energy when it’s demanded. That means gobs of storage; an order of magnitude more than typically [nee]ded,

Or change your routine so that the availability of energy and demand happen at the same time.

For an example, I don't have room in my little house for a full sized oven. Plus it would need to be wired or plumbed in. So I've thought about making a solar oven. Of course that would mean I could only bake on sunny days.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

and an over provisioning of PV capability to get through winter and other lulls in production capacity.

Well that's where a fall back energy source comes into play. This is why I've come to understand that plugin hybrids really make a lot of sense. A solar charged hybrid could work under the same principal.

• When you have the better energy source available, you can use it.
• When you don't you can fall back onto the alternative.
• This is better than full turkey one or the other because full ICE is taking 0 advantage of solar, plugin, etc. and full BEV isn't to the point where it's affordable and practical for most people, including myself.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

PV doesn’t solve any problems because it relies on full infrastructure to back it up.

Why can't you have both for now? What's the drawback? Sure, it would be great if we could all strap on panels on our cars and never have to plug in or fill up with gas ever again. But even though that's not possible, if PV helps you use less fuel, then it's still helping, isn't it? Or should I just go get an old Hummer at about 6mpg for my daily drive just because I have to use gasoline anyway so there's no point in using less?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

"Now a van, because you've got a big flat area, that's actually where solar could start to make a make a little more sense" --Elon Musk on Joe Rogan Podcast #1609

I usually see camper vans fitted with solar panels, meant mostly as a power supply for accessories and appliances.

[freebeard]

Ultimately, you'd have a microgrid that has a grid-facing element and one or more [mobile] battery packs. With micro-hydro gravity vortexes where appropriate.

I've been searching but I can't find a post I made on Ecomodder about an autonomous truck for disaster relief. It was modular and could be fitted with generators or battery packs and could ford streams. On Dezeen or Inhabitat.

I tried DuckDuckGo and Yahoo and Google custom site search. All in vain (like everything else).

Maybe a battery pack in the house, car and a garden tractor.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

Now imagine living where gas is $9.00 per gallon. ($9.04 is the highest i have paid) Could grid-tie still compete? Could the stock market? (And it will get cheaper when people are no longer paying early-adopter prices)

I've traveled to Europe enough that I don't have to image. The most I've paid was the equivalent of about $8 a gallon.

At $9 a gallon we are looking at about a 5 year payback. Not great / not horrible. I would rather spend my money on a solar roof that a moonroof.

Having had the pleasure to be in Jönköping, Sweden on the shortest day of the year I can't see a solar roof being a good fit for that climate even with very expensive fuel. (I've also enjoyed the longest day of the year but the problem with 18 hours of sun is that you need a big enough battery to store all that solar energy)

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

I usually see camper vans fitted with solar panels, meant mostly as a power supply for accessories and appliances.

The UPS man just dropped off another 100W panel for my campervan. That will make 300 watts of solar on top of the van. I'm upgrading the solar and battery bank with an eye to switching from propane to electricity for cooking.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

I'm upgrading the solar and battery bank with an eye to switching from propane to electricity for cooking.

That's a good option. And what about water heating?