Solar Trailer for Remote Seasonal Properties

Pritch · November 16, 2009, 03:15:38 PM

From time to time I've thought about the idea of mounting an off-grid solar array, battery bank and related electronics mounted on a trailer. It could be towed in to a remote cabin or construction site at the beginning of the season and then towed out at the end. Here are a couple that others have built.

http://www.solartrailer.com/

http://www.solarpowerbeginner.com/solar-trailer.html

Jeff Yago over at Backwoods Home wrote a two-part article on building a solar trailer.

Solar Power Trailer - Part 1 http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago108.html
Solar Power Trailer - Part 2 http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago109.html

Frank may need to build one on a high-travel "off-road" trailer in order to get it in and out of the BLOK ranch. . .

So, have any of you considered a solar trailer for your cabin's power needs?

-- Pritch

MountainDon · November 16, 2009, 04:39:35 PM

Quote from: Pritch on November 16, 2009, 03:15:38 PM

So, have any of you considered a solar trailer for your cabin's power needs?

-- Pritch

That's intriguing. However, I want the power there waiting for me whenever I want, like when we have to snowshoe in. Hard to pull a trailer that way.

November 17, 2009, 10:08:22 AM

We found some for our combo/horse trailer RV we used up here to start but did not permanently mount it. That is what got me started on it though. There was no power here.

Dave Sparks · November 17, 2009, 11:08:01 AM

Quote from: MountainDon on November 16, 2009, 04:39:35 PM
Quote from: Pritch on November 16, 2009, 03:15:38 PM

So, have any of you considered a solar trailer for your cabin's power needs?

-- Pritch

That's intriguing. However, I want the power there waiting for me whenever I want, like when we have to snowshoe in. Hard to pull a trailer that way.

You can have both Don! As the saying goes "there are two kinds of people, those who want solar, and those who want more.....

Pritch · November 17, 2009, 12:25:46 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on November 17, 2009, 10:08:22 AM
We found some for our combo/horse trailer RV we used up here to start but did not permanently mount it. That is what got me started on it though. There was no power here.

Glenn, I figured with your welding and other skills, and experience with solar, that you could whip one of these together in no time. With the increase in watts per panel and the drop in cost per watt of the panels, a trailer's array could be much more powerful and less expensive than when the examples were made.

Don, this seems more ideal for someone who only uses their cabin seasonally. NM Shooter's situation comes to mind. Being able to haul the system out at the end of the season means it won't be subject to vandalism, and the system can be put to use at home,offsetting electrical costs and the battery bank won't be sitting idle in frigid weather.

-- Pritch

November 17, 2009, 12:30:22 PM

Quote from: Dave Sparks on November 17, 2009, 11:08:01 AM

You can have both Don! As the saying goes "there are two kinds of people, those who want solar, and those who want more.....

I love it.

MountainDon · November 17, 2009, 12:52:15 PM

Pritch.... I was being silly, funny or stupid with my reply.

Actually that would be a great thing or a couple people I know.

Also there were a couple elk hunters who rented space on my neighbors land to use as base camp. They had a satellite dish and a 30" TV they dragged in along with a generator that ran 8+ hours a day. A solar trailer would have benefited them. And us.

Pritch · November 17, 2009, 01:06:26 PM

I just figured you'd have a solar pulk or sleigh!

MountainDon · November 17, 2009, 01:50:22 PM

Solar Sled

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://zedomax.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/snow_surfing_640x480.jpg&imgrefurl=http://zedomax.com/blog/2007/04/07/snow-surfing-with-a-antartic-snowbot/&usg=__oAOJGh3ZhO8nAV7KSo_m_Sa3aWw=&h=480&w=640&sz=21&hl=en&start=11&sig2=njHOoe98GXPf70dGfXBOKg&um=1&tbnid=OYX5RnNB2f5rfM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsolar%2Bsled%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=Zu4CS561K8OIkAWHttxB

Being silly again.

November 17, 2009, 02:15:52 PM

LOL! Its amazing how you can find a photo of just about anything these days!

glenn kangiser · November 17, 2009, 04:09:16 PM

Quote from: Pritch on November 17, 2009, 12:25:46 PM
Quote from: glenn kangiser on November 17, 2009, 10:08:22 AM
We found some for our combo/horse trailer RV we used up here to start but did not permanently mount it. That is what got me started on it though. There was no power here.

Glenn, I figured with your welding and other skills, and experience with solar, that you could whip one of these together in no time. With the increase in watts per panel and the drop in cost per watt of the panels, a trailer's array could be much more powerful and less expensive than when the examples were made.

Don, this seems more ideal for someone who only uses their cabin seasonally. NM Shooter's situation comes to mind. Being able to haul the system out at the end of the season means it won't be subject to vandalism, and the system can be put to use at home,offsetting electrical costs and the battery bank won't be sitting idle in frigid weather.

-- Pritch

I was going to go bigger on the one we had but the long term jobs I was using the trailer for (as a tool room) kind of petered out with the economy, so I just went solar here instead.

suburbancowboy · November 17, 2009, 06:30:57 PM

I love this idea with one modification and that being that I also make space for the generator in it. That way as I build the big cabin next year I can cover all power needs. I hate listening to that noisy generator all day. Plus it would give me something to build this winter. I know that harbor freight is going to put its solar panel kit on sale the day after thanks giving for $159. A couple of these kit with one of their little trailers and for under $600 I have a mobile power station.

Sorry just thinking out loud.

Pritch · November 17, 2009, 06:39:48 PM

Better budget in a couple of AA batteries!

Actually, the trailer in the first picture has a generator on board. (It also has active tracking!) It'll be cool to see what you can come up with.

-- Pritch

NM_Shooter · November 18, 2009, 08:44:19 AM

Hmmmmm.. this is interesting.

I'd want to make it so that folks could not cart off with it easily during the summer either. Maybe pull the wheels and cable it to a pier. I think I'd want to use it for more than solar too. I wonder if I could get enough propane on it to last a season, and build in a small generator too.

-f-

Squirl · November 18, 2009, 02:54:49 PM

Quote from: suburbancowboy on November 17, 2009, 06:30:57 PM
I love this idea with one modification and that being that I also make space for the generator in it. That way as I build the big cabin next year I can cover all power needs. I hate listening to that noisy generator all day. Plus it would give me something to build this winter. I know that harbor freight is going to put its solar panel kit on sale the day after thanks giving for $159. A couple of these kit with one of their little trailers and for under $600 I have a mobile power station.

Sorry just thinking out loud.

Go get a copy of field and stream from any of the past three months. The kit is $149 with the coupon in it. They have a 20% off any single item too which I used to save $60 on the trailer I bought from them. Big mistake on my part. The trailer is great, but I can't seem to get it registered because it is a kit and has titling problems in PA.