Fifth Wheelin'
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Sunday, December 10, 2006

Sun tracking

I'm a big fan of solar energy. With my solar panels I've dry camped for weeks without needing to hook up to electric power. This photo shows my roof panels tilted, essential for winter use, as well as my "remote" panel that I can move around to squeeze out a few more watts early and late. This setup worked well, but with short winter days, I had to ration my power consumption. Then I put together swivel mounts for the roof panels so I could track the sun. It's still manual, but with pull cords I'm able to move them without climbing up on top. The swivels have made a huge difference, maybe as much as doubling my solar energy supply. Now the only limitation is weather.

The ultimate solar setup would be panels that track automatically. It might be possible to set up my home-built swivels with a motor drive, sensor and servo mechanism, but that seems like a big deal. Then I saw in a reply to recent post on the RVTravel FifthWheel Forum that a gentleman had an auto sun tracking frame for his panels. Cool! I've checked it out and the only problem is the cost: $2500. Wow! I guess I'll be pulling on my cords for a while.

posted by jerryriverguy at 9:17 AM

11 Comments:

  • Tilting is definitely worthwhile.

    Tracking is most beneficial in Summer, when there is a lot of sun, anyway. In the winter, when there is less sun, tracking is much less effective.

    Backwoods Solar says: "A tracker that follows the sun will increase efficiency by 35 to 50% in summer, but only 0 to 5% in winter, as the sun does not go as far across the sky in winter.”

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:58 PM  

  • Well, I never read Backwoods Solar, but in the summer I don't even tilt, much less track. Plenty of sun from May thru August. But I find tracking makes all the difference in the winter. There are only a few hours to begin with. You need to get all the watts you can. Maybe I should write my own book, Back Roads Solar. ;-)

    By Blogger jerryriverguy, at 4:58 PM  

  • As panels become more efficient there is less need for tilting, the panels I have are higher voltage & more efficient than my older ones.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:57 AM  

  • re: following the sun with a solar panel. I now have a portable satelite dish so I don't use my tilt up TV ant. Why not mount a panel on the ant. base which is rotated from the inside? Rajaniemi

    By Anonymous Rajaniemi, at 9:42 AM  

  • That may be so. For me it might mean that if I had newer panels I would wait until October to start tilting instead of starting in September. But with the sun so low in the sky in winter, I think you will always get more watts by tilting. If you don't need the watts, that's another matter.

    By Blogger jerryriverguy, at 10:16 AM  

  • Mounting a solar panel on TV antenna base... Interesting, but I doubt that would work. Antenna is very lightweight. Panels weigh maybe 20 lbs each. I'd be concerned that antenna mount could pull out of the roof leaving an expensive mess. If someone has done it, I'd like to hear about it though.

    By Blogger jerryriverguy, at 12:42 PM  

  • We have 350 watts of solar power on fixed, flat panels. I'd love to have a tilting system but have been unable to find a store that sells and installs one. (I have no mechanical ability myself). Even Camping World doesn't offer tilters. I'm hoping to find a vender at Quartzsite this January.

    By Blogger Gerry Bruder, at 9:44 PM  

  • Not that I want anybody to spend money - I am also tracking my sun manually for my solar panels (mine are so tiny anyway.....) I have heard of something called Zomeworks or Zomewerks which is an automated tracker using some type of antifreeze like fluid to move with the sun. It could be the $2500 one you mentioned. I too think they could be pretty expensive so I will also track my sun manually, but maybe there is a way to get them cheaper or maybe invent a similar item from home improvement/walmart type stuff. That is, if anybody carries crafting tools.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:50 AM  

  • I recently installed a 123 watt solar panel along with the best charger that CW sells. I have 4 six volt deep cycle Trojan batteries wired in a series. The Amps run around 12.9-13.7 during the day while I am plugged in as well (we are in Yuma area). What is the normal range for the digital readout?
    Thanx
    tednmimi@yahoo.com

    By Anonymous tednmimi, at 9:17 AM  

  • I put two 125W Kyoceras together in a tilting aluminum frame. Mounted that frame on a 1000 lb kitchen carosel kit from Home Depot between two plywood wire spool ends. Screwed and sealed one spool end to the trailer top. So I have a tilting frame up to 60 degrees and it spins 360 degrees.

    Not including the panels, the common hardware and metal parts were under $300 at Home Depot.

    I found out this past summer my wattage was not enough to charge my 4 Optima D31A batteries.

    So I WILL add a third and fourth panel near where the antenna goes through the roof. I'll just remove the antenna and seal the hole to get it out of the way.

    I do climb the ladder which is a pain, and the consideration of operating tilting, swiveling panels from inside the trailer is a really facinating idea. I may just make some modifications! My wife is gonna kill me even if I just mention this to her.

    Travelin' A's

    By Anonymous Travelin' A's, at 9:40 PM  

  • Hi all, sun tracking really increase efficiency by about 30%-35%. I'm browsing the web for a lot of time searching a simple and affordable soution. I've found this site with an interesting solution. It seems to be a digital unit with a lot of other function..

    http://www.solartrack.it

    Is not so bad ...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:24 PM  

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