Solar Power

Two solar panels take us "off the electric grid." They can keep us going with lights, TV and computers indefinitely, if there is bright sun every day. The furnace, water heater, refrigerator and cook stove are on LP gas. The air conditioning and microwave are reserved for shore power.

The panels are the most conspicuous part of the system and lay flat for transportation. The short legs that came with the setup will not bring the panels up to the ideal 45º for 45º north of the equator. Every square inch that collects light contributes significantly to the power generated. On sunny days, the charge can get a little ahead of our conservative demand.

The hub of the system is the "controller." It is rated for the maximum current (amps) it can handle from the panels, and is responsible for regulating the charge going to the battery. Our
AM Solar/Heliotrope controller utilizes Maximum Power Point Tracking. This means that it can convert the high-voltage x low-current power to lower-voltage x high-current power. The power (Watts) is constant. In very bright sunlight, this can increase the useable battery charging power by 150% -- 8 amps becomes 12 amps to the batteries, and 22 volts become 14 volts, the maximum needed to charge the batteries.

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