sushidog wrote:
I want to build a rather heavy solar system for full-timing in a travel trailer (actually 2 separate systems, a 12v and a 48v one). However finding TTs that will carry this much weight are hard to find and limit my choices considerably.
I was just toying with the idea of mounting some high voltage solar panels and 48v battery bank on a pick-up truck rack over my bed topper. As a side benefit, the panels would act as a giant wind deflector, increasing fuel mileage when towing....
....Thanks for your help and advise,
Chip
I think that is an especially brilliant idea to mount the panels on the truck for ideal positioning purposes.
But I wouldn't spend too much time engineering them to also act as part-time wind deflectors... if the utilization in any way compromised solar collection dedication or their sturdiness.
My reasoning is that I don't think these type deflectors help fuel economy much, if at all. Surely some folks, and manufacturers have posted that they did it, or tested it, and it really, really helped. But I think they are fooling themselves (and customers) since frontal area remains the same and nobody ever posts honest real time data on improvement and real projected investment recovery.
One way to look at it from a rational point of view is that we might attempt to re-direct wind over the top of a trailer, or build a blunt "nosecone" dome on the upper portion of the front RV wall, or even seal all the vortex gaps between the tow vehicle (cab) and trailer, but the stubborn fuel economy still stays largely the same. To vividly conclude the possible of advantage of all these "patches" would require one to ultimately tightly attach the tow vehicle to the trailer with no gaps at all. But then the real insight comes when we realise that situation is exactly the situation of a motorhome... where the "tow vehicle" and "trailer" are already one and the same. Unfortunately the motorhome fuel economy is about the same as a stock, unmodified two-piece rig. Little or nothing in economy is gained with a sleek one-piece motorhome.
As in commercial trucks, the best bang-for-the-buck fuel economy is derived from a tapered trailer tail to reduce rear vacuum and installing air-dams and ground effect type dropsides that re-direct the turbulent slipstream away from the un-aerodynamic undercarriage/rearaxle. High fuel economy automobiles have used this tapered
Kammback trick for quite a while now. Essentially nosecones can be be pretty blunt-nosed, yet be effective, but the tail must be tapered. And note even newer 4x4 trucks usually have some sort of front airdam under the bumper.
Otherwise great idea, seems very practical and scientific. Thanks for sharing this.
Wes
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