[RE-wrenches] Solar power on Truck?

[Larry Crutcher, Starlight Solar]

Hi Ryan,

I have actually built an A/C system and power-pack for a trucker. It  
consisted of a highly efficient mini-split which draws under 400  
watts. I installed a quality (Invertek) 1500 watt sine wave inverter  
and 16 kWh AGM battery bank and made a low loss connection to the  
alternator so it will ramp up the current.

When driving, the alternator charges the battery. When stopped, he has  
up to 8 hours of very quiet cooling. Putting PV on the roof, as you  
guessed, is useless unless you want to float the batteries when not in  
use. You will never make enough power to run the AC. When you compare  
this system to APU's, you save thousands.

A few drawbacks to consider:
1.) The added weight to the cab is about 900 lbs. I mounted the  
battery bank and inverter under the bed.
2.) Loss of storage space.
3.) Main engine must run for 8 hours to fully charge the battery for  
the next use.

Add a 50 amp charger and you can plug in to run A/C and keep the  
battery topped off.

Good luck.

Kindest Regards,

Larry Crutcher
Starlight Solar
(928) 941-1660
Renewable Energy Products, Service and Installation

Mailing Address (NO SHIPPING):
11881 S Fortuna Rd.
#210
Yuma, AZ 85367

Shipping and retail store (NO MAIL):
2998 Shari Ave
Yuma, AZ 85365

On Apr 6, 2009, at 4:21 PM, <ryan at solar4maine.com>  
<ryan at solar4maine.com> wrote:

> Wrenches i had an interesting request today. I have a nieghbor who  
> is an over the road truck driver and he wants air conditioning while  
> he sleeps. The specifics i won't bore you with. but he has seen a  
> "Molded panel" that fits on the roof that takes the place of the  
> airfoil on the cab.
>
> Has any one seen anything like this? He really wants a pv panel on  
> the roof. He currently has a remote start generator onboard and we  
> will install a bank of deep cycle batteries and an inverter but i  
> question the Solar panel on the roof of the Tractor.
>
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