Forum Discussion
westend
Apr 28, 2016Explorer
Cons: need to keep panels clean, need to tilt or loose 30-45% output, needs full sun, doesn't work at all nights, raining, snowing, etc.I don't believe that full-time tilting is going to net a 30-45 percent increase in harvest, especially in the Summer. I tilt my panel in the Winter, when in storage. And you've just reminded me that it may need a cleaning after 3 years. Also, I am harvesting a very small bit of power even after sunset when the sky is still light.
The biggest trick with solar is to size battery capacity and amount of module wattage to one's needs. After that, solar does a better job of charging my batteries than I can with all manner of 120V chargers.
I also have a small wind generator. What is typical with small wind is that power doesn't reach meaningful amounts until prop size diameter reaches 10'. That is fairly hard to transport in an RV. Also, wind speeds increase dramatically with height. 30' of height is typical installation dimension. I am still experimenting with the windmill, trying to find the best DC permanent magnet motor since I want a simple DC-DC path. My current setup is a 15' mast with a three blade aluminum airfoil propset. The shaft is carried by two pillow block bearings so noise isn't an issue. You can't hear it turn when standing next to the mast.
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