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PiTRiFF
08-24-2009, 11:55 AM
Has anyone tried to power thier system with a Solar Panel. Im thinking that with a small panel it would be possible.

biggy boy
08-24-2009, 01:45 PM
Are you suggesting a small solar panel will run the generator by it's self?
Or are you talking about use the panel to recharge a battery and the battery runs the generator.

I'm thinking that for example a generator that consumes 10- 20 amps
would need one huge panel the size of the vehicle almost to supply enough amps to run the generator.

I could see maybe running the generator off of a separate batter you carry on-board. And then recharge the battery with the panel when the vehicle is not being used. However a small panel would take about two days to charge the battery back up.

So I'm thinking you would have to drive for no more then an hour and then not use the vehicle for several days.

I would instead use a wall battery charger. Plug it in at home drive to work,
plug it in for the day, drive home repeat..........

hhonewbie
08-24-2009, 05:08 PM
You could always use the panel to keep your batteries fully charged while your stationary but not for the hho gens

Alex Tyrrell
08-26-2009, 01:41 PM
Has any one tried running large hho generators off pre charged batteries? Success?

As for the solar power, it may work if you were to replace body parts such as the hood out of solar panels specially molded for the application. Otherwise the weight of the panels would effect the milage.

biggy boy
08-26-2009, 10:16 PM
That is actually one of my plans is to try running the HHO generator
Off of a big battery located in the bed of my truck.
It's a 25 minute drive to and from work. I can charge all day at work and then at night at home. Not sure how long the battery will last until I test it.

And if you tell me "Any gains will be lost by the weight of the extra battery"
I'll roll my eyes at you !! :D
Relative to the weight of my full size truck the extra battery is nothing.
Hey I'm not saying it's going to work, but it's worth a try.

Actually I've been carrying the extra battery around in the truck bed for two weeks,
to see how it effects my mileage. I see no notable effect! I haven't hooked up the HHO to the truck yet. still doing base line mileage studies.

Glen

spiritualzombie
09-18-2009, 02:53 PM
Could you use something like the "GOPOWER GPDL-20 SOLAR BATTERY CHARGER (20-WATT)" to charge a second battery installed in the trunk just for the HHO Generator?

biggy boy
09-18-2009, 03:45 PM
Could you use something like the "GOPOWER GPDL-20 SOLAR BATTERY CHARGER (20-WATT)" to charge a second battery installed in the trunk just for the HHO Generator?

I think it would work as a trickle charger only, less then 2 amps.
My 22 watt solar panel puts out 1.4 amps max. This would only maintain a battery not charge it up much.

I did a test using a 120 volt wall charger to see what the cost would be to charge a flat battery.
Heres the post:
http://www.hhoforums.com/showpost.php?p=32757&postcount=46

The whole thread:
http://www.hhoforums.com/showthread.php?t=5423

jerrygoldsmith
09-21-2009, 11:48 AM
I was thinking something similar, but using solar 'chips' on ebay and rebuilding them, and just building a panel myself to save a few hundred dollars. Problem is, they don't put out as much as the high-capacity ones you can purchase. Plus, my car doesn't really have the surface area for it and the panels would get ripped off most likely.

I was thinking of putting the panels on my carport, and running a plug down to my car that I can just plug in a supplemental battery in my trunk. But if I'm away from home, and that battery goes out, I'd have no way to charge it back up.

If you had a truck you'd have a much better opportunity to play around with the solar idea.

biggy boy
09-21-2009, 12:17 PM
The car port idea sounds good.
Maybe for short commutes to work and home it might get you there and back.
If not then just shut the HHO gen down. Or maybe have a selector switch to put the HHO gen on the car battery circuit, to get you home.