Power Your Car from the Sun

Discussion in 'Environment & Conservation' started by Media_Truth, Nov 2, 2024.

  1. Media_Truth

    Media_Truth Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Many Americans are enjoying powering their home and their car from the sun. My solar panels are 23 years old, and the other day the inverter showed they were generating 10% over the rated capacity. Solar is the gift that just keeps giving. Mine have paid for themselves twice over, and the home electricity and car power are FREE!

    Many Utilities are charging more for power during peak loads. An EV can be programmed to charge in the early afternoon or late night, when rates are low. Meanwhile your solar can help to prevent the need to pay for high-cost electricity.

    https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/benefits-powering-your-ev-solar-energy

    The current, wide-ranging benefits to using solar energy increase significantly when paired with an electric vehicle (EV). Harnessing the sun to power your vehicle saves you money, benefits the electric grid, and provides backup power to your home in the future.

    • Rooftop Solar: Rooftop solar systems provide power to your home or building, which can be used to power your EV. Rooftop solar systems whether or not they are paired with battery storage systems can be optimized to power your car when you’re generating more electricity than you’re using—maximizing your solar savings,
     
  2. Jack Hays

    Jack Hays Well-Known Member Donor

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    So you say.
     
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  3. conservaliberal

    conservaliberal Well-Known Member

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    I raised the question of whether or not electric cars could be equipped with solar panels on their exteriors (almost like paint) and was told by fairly well-informed posters here that such technology is many years away, along with the necessary battery technology needed to store this energy if it were efficiently generated in the first place.

    Short term (next 20 years or so), I think we should pursue hydrogen-cell power for vehicles. I am influenced in this opinion by the fact that, in theory, everywhere there is a drop of water, there is hydrogen!
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2024
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  4. Media_Truth

    Media_Truth Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That technology is available. I posted a link recently. But because of the minimal surface area, you’ll only get a few miles per charge. Why buy hydrogen? Incredibly expensive, and the entire energy conversion process is extremely inefficient. Home solar panels are best.
     
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  5. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    I keep posting this because I think it is a hoot! a hoot with a very real and serious purpose. To innovate around solar powered cars
    https://worldsolarchallenge.org/

    I am going to try and get to Alice Springs to catch up half way through next year
    upload_2024-11-3_0-4-38.jpeg
    Darwin to Adelaide over 3,000 kilometres the cars to be powered only by solar (no recharge overnight)
    upload_2024-11-3_0-5-45.jpeg
    The route is along the Stuart Highway, which I have travelled. It LOOKS like there are a lot of stops and towns on the route but take it from me an awful lot of those “towns” are less than 100 people (some considerably less than 20)

    Driving a conventional car takes you 31 hours +/- dodging ‘Roos, Roo shooters, Road trains and the occasional “Bush mechanic and crew (see pic)
    upload_2024-11-3_0-16-51.jpeg

    Road train
    upload_2024-11-3_0-17-50.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2024
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  6. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    Not really that far away hence my previous post
     
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  7. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    A couple of the trucking companies here re looking at a specialised hydrogen fleet esp for the longer routes. As it is we use “Road trains” basically “west of the Great divide” which is the (don’t laugh) “mountain range” that runs along the east coast of Australia. Because routes like the Stuart Highway are long stretches of, well, bugger all, it is feasible.
    upload_2024-11-3_0-26-31.jpeg
     
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  8. Media_Truth

    Media_Truth Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That is really cool! I’ve heard a lot about this over the years. That event has been happening for quite a while, hasn’t it? If I ever get back to Australia (I was there in the 90s), I’d love to see that.
     
  9. Professor Snape

    Professor Snape Banned

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    A few miles per charge? A full charge is a full charge. If the batteries are full you go just as far. Those cars may charge slower if charged with only their fixed and equipped panels, but they will get a full charge or nearly so over time.

    Also, there is no reason they could not have a driving and charging mode, where the charging mode entails folding out hidden solar panels for increased charge rates.
     
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  10. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    I think hydrogen serves us best when attached to a carbon atom. It is much easier to store and transport and has the added advantage of more energy per unit over hydrogen alone. It can be produced....or harvested... in carbon neutral ways. (With fossil fuel backup.) Just change tanks to refuel.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2024
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  11. Hotdogr

    Hotdogr Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    By the time EVs are ready for mainstream, we will all be powering our cars with "Mr. Fusion".
    DeLorean_DMC-12_Time_Machine_-_Mr._Fusion-3367635719.jpg
     
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  12. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Before you start getting too enthusiastic, you need to do some basic math estimation and crunch the numbers.

    Solar panels generate less electric power than probably the majority of the population would assume, and full weight normal electric cars require more electric power than most people would assume.

    A full setup of home solar panels will generate about 2 kilowatts when the sun is up in the sky on a clear day.
    An electric car might take around 70 kilowatt hours to fully charge.
    Basic math will tell you that means it will take 35 hours of intense sun exposure to charge that car.
     
  13. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    At this point I really do think hybrid is the way to go.
     
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  14. Jack Hays

    Jack Hays Well-Known Member Donor

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    Certainly a better choice than an EV.
     
  15. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Probably your average mechanics nightmare though
     
  16. Professor Snape

    Professor Snape Banned

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    Scotty Kilmer agrees. He pretty much covers the whole topic in this video, but he has others.

    Scotty will not fall for hype. Most people do though, but go on to hype themselves into believing they didn't. (See Iraq War)



    Personally, I think hybrids are the answer, but bugs must be worked out. But we get more hype than bug fixing.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2024
  17. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    I still think gas is King but I would take a hybrid any day over a full electric.

    There's not a battery yet that can touch gasoline as an energy source

    I bought a new motorcycle a couple years ago and it's a fuel injected KLX 230. Wish I would have went with the old standby Suzuki DRZ that still carbureted.

    Kawasaki engineer said how can we take a proven motorcycle and make it more complicated? Let's add fuel injection and all the damn computerized garbage that has to go with that.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2024
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  18. Professor Snape

    Professor Snape Banned

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    Gas is definitely king since without it, solar panels could not even be made in the first place....think mining...esp. environmentally damaging strip mining.

    Nuclear is way better, but humans are guaranteed to keep screwing that up and keep creating the 10,000 year problems as they do it.

    If we can get rotary vane engines to last and run right at high speed, we would be even better off than current gas engines with their heavy crankcases.

    But I still say the actual answer is to go back to horses. I have no faith in humans to do anything but just keep creating more problems it never actually solves.
     
  19. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Having grown up as the child of a farrier, I hate horses. Lol big dumb animals.

    I think far more people should ride small bore motorcycles like they do in Asia.
     
  20. Professor Snape

    Professor Snape Banned

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    Humans are not much smarter. They enslave and imprison animals in small spaces, including other humans, and wonder why there is resistance.

    Yep. That is also a better plan than the luxurious ones being hyped up.
     
  21. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    You are talking of ‘green’ ammonia - yes that is on the table too.
    https://energy.fortescue.com/en/green-energy-tech/green-ammonia

    Let me say Australia is trying to innovate the **** out of this and given our track record of coming up with new ways of doing things I have faith in us
     
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  22. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    Asia is going electric at a massive rate.
    upload_2024-11-3_13-58-56.png
    Thailand is one of the leaders at the moment but you are looking at a lot of high density countries where a small range EV meets most needs
     
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  23. Professor Snape

    Professor Snape Banned

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    The attachment is too small to read. Could you post its source?
     
  24. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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  25. Bowerbird

    Bowerbird Well-Known Member

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    Nuclear is expensive and the newer Thorium reactors are still in development
     
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