Catchin’ rays in an RV Park in Scott, Louisiana
Last week at our stop at Art Center in Pasadena, we met a great guy named Matt Schneider who works for RayTracker, a company that installs large scale commercial solar module systems. RayTracker’s set-up is a single-axis tracking system that adjusts its angle to capture the most rays throughout the day. While the company’s installations are intended for large commercial arrays (one of their projects an installation at The North Face’s California distribution center), Matt did mention that he had several smaller modules leftover from related projects.
At the time, we had been using the Weza foot-treadle pump to power a battery (we asked exhibition visitors to help us power our lights for the night by giving the Weza a few pumps- see video here), but really wanted to go solar. The next day during our stop at the Design High School in downtown LA, Matt dropped by with a used 90-watt photovoltaic module for us to rig up.
For now, we have the module hooked up to a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery, which charges during the day, then powers our lights at night. When we get to Bertie County in North Carolina, where we have some space and shop access, we will build out a frame to hold the panel in the back of the truck, so that we can charge the battery as we drive.
For electrical geeks, here’s how it works- the 90-watt solar module harvests energy through a solar controller that charges the 12-volt deep cycle battery. The battery is then connected to an 800-watt inverter that turns the power into a 110-volt AC charge, which plugs into the Airstream to power our lights.
Once we have a full setup in the back of the truck, we’ll post some updates. In the meantime, thanks to RayTracker for making our trek more efficient and green!
Powering our lights at night!