Small ball again
Seems there's a slight snag in the big-boy plans for the solar project. So, I'm back to the bush leagues. The snag involves my being somewhat tight-fisted and risk-averse. The panels that I thought I'd be able to get for a reasonable price are not brand new, and the cost for delivery is sky high. There might be a way to get it here, but that will take some ground work. In the meantime, I ordered a couple smaller 100 watt panels to upgrade my 12 volt system already in place. It is a nice easy upgrade. The controller can take on the extra amps, and all that is necessary is to find a place for them.
While I am waiting for the panels to arrive, I've been preparing the ground ahead of the small construction project that will acommodate them. The basic idea is to shield the trailer from the sun while providing solar power to aid in climate control. A two-fer that's worth it for this lazy dude to take on. I'll get some shade and some watts, yippee!
The wiring needs to be beefed up a bit too. I've been doing a bit of that also.
There's been a lot of rearranging in here. I've got to juggle a few things, and it would sure be nice if I can get the layout the way I want it. It's going to get even more complicated if I follow through with the big-boy plan. As of now, I have a 12 volt system, an anticipated 24 volt system, and the big-boy might be all the way up to 36 volts. The 36 volt job is going to cost the big-bucks, so I think I need to stay very, very conservative for the time being. It's already more complex than it should be.
The complexity occurred because the piece-meal approach is ad-hoc. There was no grand plan. I had to learn as I went along, piecing the thing together along the way. The result won't be pretty, which is par for the course around here. But I don't care as long as it works right.
I think that brings it up to date.
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