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  • Lightweight encapsulation for solar bike PV panel

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  • #2
    First, have you calculated, with the space you alloted, the amount of power the panels will contribute ? I suspect it will be enough to keep a cell phone and MP3 player charged, and not much power to the wheels.

    What so many people don't realize, is that solar is very "non dense". Lightweight, low power density, hundreds of sq feet needed to collect power.

    If you are not relying on solar for motive power, you will succeed in keeping phone and MP3 batteries charged. If you think you are getting a free ride on the bike, think again. Talk to all the folks who string a couple of 200W panels on their electric golf cart. They get another 60-80 feet of range at the end of the day.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

    Comment


    • #3
      I think you need to get a cell outdoors and connect it to your meter, and measure power production at off-angles. You may only get 80W for a short while.

      I'd never seen hub motor reports before, of how efficient they are, and so 80w = 20kph is great.


      And yet, I look at the solar race cars, with hundreds of watts of panels (some are 2Kw) and ultra efficient motors and wheels, are 40-80 kph

      So i can't really predict what will work for you, but the cars, with their higher speeds, and ultra low wind drag (lower than you on your bike) carry a lot more PV to keep them going. And I see you have a recharger for plugging in at a cafe. That will help.

      Mike
      Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
      || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
      || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

      solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
      gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

      Comment


      • #4
        avaldalen, have you considered painting on sylgard? the weight would be close to what you want if you are only applying a thin layer on each side, much better to vibration i'd reckon than than a thin layer of sprayed on hard stuff, but would like to see the results, i was impressed at how much extra strength cells had if only dipped in, and they stay together when cracked, worth a try, put extra coats on to build up strength if you need it, and since you said it'll never be in real bad times no glass would be needed. am happy with the strength when used on glass, resists tapping on the cells from the back, water and corrosion

        Comment


        • #5
          yeah was talking about the sylgard 184 but there are other products, it just seems the easiest to get here. i would not say its a gloss or matt finish, its just clear and coated things retain a wet look. if you are worried about reflections then it should be ok when used without glass. if you are coating the face of the cells and not covering with glass make sure you have a dust free place for them to cure for a week or so, because any dust will settle and embed and give you a matt finish you do not want. as i pour onto the back all the dust and tiny insects etc only get stuck to the back of panel so is not important.

          you have to do the testing though, on a bike bumps and vibration will be your worst enemy, would ensure a rigid backing for the cells and as you have no glass to support them on the front, consider increasing your encapsulant weight limit and use twice as much as usual, so the cells are in a decent layer to protect them from vibration and the elements, sylgard is not a glue but works fine for sticking cells to a solid surface, good luck

          Comment


          • #6
            looking forward to the experiments, have been thinking of ways to make something light, durable and fold able for camping and keeping phone, gps etc charged, so if you can get it to survive well on a bike will be very interested

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post
              If you are not relying on solar for motive power, you will succeed in keeping phone and MP3 batteries charged. If you think you are getting a free ride on the bike, think again. Talk to all the folks who string a couple of 200W panels on their electric golf cart. They get another 60-80 feet of range at the end of the day.


              60-80 feet extra range for 200watts? LOL Do the moderators live in a zone 7? I was getting an extra 150 miles per week on my Yamaha solar charged cart back in 2006. In 2010 when you posted this there were already fleets of golf carts that were converted to solar charging and many were in areas where the solar was all they needed to keep them fully charged. You can add 1-2KW per day to your batteries. 12-20 miles per kw on a golf cart using li-ion batteries is realistic on flats so with 400 watts of maxeons on the roof (16 pounds) could give you 24-40 extra miles per day in the summer where I live SO OC.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Technologist View Post



                60-80 feet extra range for 200watts? LOL Do the moderators live in a zone 7? I was getting an extra 150 miles per week on my Yamaha solar charged cart back in 2006. In 2010 when you posted this there were already fleets of golf carts that were converted to solar charging and many were in areas where the solar was all they needed to keep them fully charged. You can add 1-2KW per day to your batteries. 12-20 miles per kw on a golf cart using li-ion batteries is realistic on flats so with 400 watts of maxeons on the roof (16 pounds) could give you 24-40 extra miles per day in the summer where I live SO OC.
                There were a number of golf carts that were developed and sold in the US that included solar panels. Just about all of them failed to delivery anything close to what the manufacturer claimed. Maybe the ones where you live are built better or do not have the extra stuff required here in the Florida

                So maybe 60 - 80 feet is an under estimate but as far as what has been provided here, solar charging is not a useful product to extend the distance of a golf cart and does not have any payback justifications.
                Last edited by SunEagle; 05-23-2016, 09:41 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Technologist View Post
                  60-80 feet extra range for 200watts? LOL Do the moderators live in a zone 7? I was getting an extra 150 miles per week on my Yamaha solar charged cart back in 2006. In 2010 when you posted this there were already fleets of golf carts that were converted to solar charging and many were in areas where the solar was all they needed to keep them fully charged. You can add 1-2KW per day to your batteries. 12-20 miles per kw on a golf cart using li-ion batteries is realistic on flats so with 400 watts of maxeons on the roof (16 pounds) could give you 24-40 extra miles per day in the summer where I live SO OC.
                  6 years later, and Li batteries are barely manageable in cars with full-on BMS . I'm glad you were able to get some added mileage with your solar.

                  Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
                  || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
                  || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

                  solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
                  gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

                  Comment

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