I buy a used camper frame, some used solar panels and build a solar trailer 1:01:32 Ryan Farish - Collide 1:08:21 Ryan Farish - All the colors 1:28:17 Ryan Farish - Days ahead
Definitely be careful about the wind blowing that thing over. I had a trailer that we used for shelter and shade for the cattle in the summer, probably a similar roof area to your panels, but a much heavier overall trailer. I went out one day after a storm and it was upside down. Wasn't a big deal for me, because I didn't have a bunch of expensive solar panels on it. Very cool setup there, Jesse.
edison the company making hybrid logging trucks builds solar trailers for their main product....they are killing it selling them and probably very very expensive
I'm 6 minutes in and I had to pause to say Thank You for doing this, Jesse. You are passing practical knowledge to people, and that makes the world a better place.
As someone who has had solar for years I would recommend locking it down both to the ground and more importantly the panels themselves on the trailer. Watching you move it there is way too much play on the pivot. The wind is stupid strong and you would be surprised at even a medium wind storm will do. Straps and ground anchors are a must. Even my inground mount gets knocked around with a severe storm. Not a criticism just don't want you to suffer for all that good work.
Jesse, I am really happy to see you getting deep into solar. Channels like this will turn heads and finally get many to think about making clean power and being their OWN BOSS!!!!! now we gotta get Camerata into it!! ;)
he is already on board with his new property. he pretty much has no choice, the nearest powerline is like miles away and he would have to run the power through neighbors property to get there. Solar just makes sense anyways with how low the prices are right now
@@how_to_hallagon1 yep. thats why everybody needs to either start fighting this or leave. if they expect you to pay then you should have the option of being off grid
@@how_to_hallagon1 Does the legislation say how MANY panels you need or if that solar has to be connected to the grid? If not, put up a single 200W panel with an enphase micro-inverter for the grid connection. Use other panels with a hybrid and batteries to power the house.
Jesse, Thought I will never use half the stuff you have or do, and I will never build things like you, I so appreicate the learning of it all, and Love Pat's "Perfect" " Good". Like i miss it when I don;t hear it on ervery video,🙂. Noticed that even your dad uses the " good" in the last two videos now as well🙂. So admire the way you can just see things and think outside the box to make things work. This one is for Pat.... " SWEET!"..
They're worth it just for the fact that if shit hits the fan you've got your own power and you're not reliant on the grid. I am a big fan of being completely self sufficient, solar is a great step in that process.
If you were to use a small gauge railroad system which curls around your circular pond and mount some train style undercarriages (bogeys) under that and maybe another trailer like it, you would end up with the coolest most tracking solar array on the planet...
Very cool setup. Anytime you want to make telescoping square tube weld the nuts (I use coupling nuts) on the corner at 45 degree angle pay attention to the weld seam. It will force the 2 right angles of the tubes together and you can skip the extra flat stock.
Here in Queensland Australia we get subsidised to have solar panels installed, then we get paid a tariff per kilowatt/h for feeding back to the grid, now battery’s with installation are subsidised as well. We have 24 panels on our five bedroom home with at least one air conditioner running 24/7, eight months a year, for our home we get paid roughly $ 1200 dollars per year. Homeowners can get this subsidy only once, we were lucky to get in at the beginning of the scheme with a fixed 44 cent per kilowatt/h rebate it’s now 13cents per kilowatt/h, Cheers.
Nice flexible solar array. These new panels generate their rated power at a much larger range of the suns direction to them. Gotta watch out for shade tho. If just one of the panels wired in series has a few cells blocked it draws the whole array down to its lower output.
You gonna make a solar trailer? This thing has performed very well. I saw 5kW the other day where it is only supposed to get 3.8. I am going to be building a solar tracker trailer next
This is perfect. Don't change a thing. Now let's talk about all the changes that need to be made. 😆 My ONLY concern would be strong wind. Maybe an outrigger or kick stand?
Happy to see you shaping your creation with solar panel, I really enjoyed your video. You are very inspirational for me, even if I am from EU, where driving a trailer like that would be illegal and governments want us to pay taxes when we use solar panels because it is considered an income. Please keep on sharing your work, your channel, Dan Wheeler and Andrew Camarata became my first option for tv entertainment! Thank you
I love it, crazy how fast this will pay for itself for you! We only get 1/3 for the excess we put into the grid so it takes a lot longer for us, but it's still worth it. We have 9.3KWp on the house. It produces 50kwh+ on a perfect summer day in total.
The challenge and opportunity will be to maximise your generation in winter. reflective panels would be a cheap way to increase the area collecting the suns rays from the existing panels, as a short-term winter measure.
Great video 👍 I would say pay back is instant because no more electric bills which that money can be used towards either business or other outward costs.
What a great project. Maybe tilt both banks all the way inward, lower the upper panels and raise the lower panels so they miss the inside frame by an inch or so. This puts the panel faces inside and makes everything vertical for transporting. For most situations I'd bet you wouldn't have to do much other than re-tilt them. Nice job.
yea I think I can get the upper array to tilt in far enough, but the lower panels need to be raised a bit to tilt all the way in. I was 100% thinking they would both tilt in easily but once I started laying things out I kinda thought it might just be too dangerous to have them attached while driving so I didnt dive into it too much.
As someone who has a solar trailer and another 10KW of roof mounted solar, I think your insolation numbers are a bit optimistic as it assumes that you have the batteries to store everything captured. Also expect the panel efficiency to drop a couple percent a year in the first few years. My solar trailer lets you fold the panels to the inside for travel. No issues towing it hundreds of miles. Fold to the inside, pin them in place and go. I’d add either outriggers or ballest for stability. My trailer has heavy lead acid batteries (to be replaced with lithium like my house uses): a generator and extended diesel tank for stability. I only fold the panels up in high wind conditions.
thats what net metering is for. but right now I can use enough during the day, along with my batteries to offset everything I produce. in the summer, I need that net metering
@@jmuller86My 20 Kw of battery is only there to run the house when the grid is off line. My total usage is about 24 Kw per day. The net metering allowed for storage last summer that carried me through the winter months. I am very anxious to get the last 2.5 Kw array up. It is still winter here in Maine, it will be a while before I can build the last frame.
You also need a car battery pack, I have a 43kw one, and while it's a bit complicated to get it going, it's safe, stable and cheap. You can use soft panels, so the shelf can be made to pull out, twice as much power.
When you start using this to travel, you could set these up in a fixed a-frame configuration like the solar light tower trailer from Edison Motors. You just park it east to west instead of north to south.
Another educational video that proves the lasting value of solar and geothermal tech. Well done again!! Amazing how much power that array puts out. Congrats to you and family :)
3/28/24..wow..Solar pannels (built on a mobil Camper trailor) & all the monitoring equip in your utility room💡. ! Oh yes, little son🧒(Noah?, 4yrs old?) self dressed but with pants & shirt on backward..ahh, now this makes your channel a Real Power video⚡️! LoL! Always love your channel, great content every time!🔧🪚💥⚙️👍🌞
If you could make the short side telescope, it would make it so you could rotate both sides vertical toward the middle for transport. It may be beneficial to tear apart the square tube mast of a telescoping light tower and model any future projects after that design.
tip for anyone else or next time: the round plates with holes in them. make one plate to have 10 holes equally spaced, and the other plate to have 9 or 11 (or any other combination where they have 1 hole more or less. that way you have a lot more available angles for the same amount of effort ;)
Jesse - Great job and power generation/usage analysis. From a trailer mobility standpoint, if you modified the lower panel supports to include short telescoping struts, you could extend those struts vertically enough to rotate the lower panels "Backward" to "face" the upper panels while transporting the trailer, then on site just lower the shorter struts to minimum position for normal operation.
might want to think about slide out outriggers on the four corners with trailer jacks on them to help stabilize in winds. Maybe even some type of earth anchor for longer installs. It would be a first rate bummer to come outside after a storm and see that trailer tumble weeded into the neighbor's yard.
Hey Jess you like try n new things to make stuff better .. what if you ceramic coated your panels real good ..that would help with keeping them clean all the time and snow may not stick at all ?!?!?!
@jmuller86 - Here some ideas. If you have questions please ask. 59:08 - You could use a servo motor like unit and control it always in 90 degrees to the sun with a bit of electronics. Sun follower is the name. Here in one axis only but gives you always 10...18% more output depending on the position of the sun. 01:09:19 - If you use an extra servo unit you could drive the most front wheel too. Then you have a two axis sun follower. But be aware you need space for it to turn it.
Solae trailer seems like a dream project to do. On mine I would keep it as a enclosed rectangle box. Solar panels on the roof. On the left side I would put solar panels vertical on a frame that swivel from top with actuator to tilt it from vertical to the desired angle ~45 degrees. Horizontal panel will likely get 20/30% less power but panels are cheap so I would not bother. If you bother you also can put them on a rack with actuators to get a tilt. But if kept horizontal, If more panels are needed, on the right side the same panels with top hinge, but with the panel going up to ~ 135 degrees to be also tilted to desired angle. This way you get a big enclosed trailer, space for the battery, inverter, even a gas/propane generator, toys hauler, camping trailer. Also the panels stored vertical and horizontal are very secure on the road.
i didnt know they made bi-facial panels, to be able to get solar from both sides is a cool idea, like your white rock on the ground reflecting the rays back up, or really go hog wild and put mirrors blasting the underside LOL.
For a mobile installation that can survive transport, I think you should use the KISS principle. What if you make the frames for the lower panel row attached to hinges on the trailer frame, and attach the upper panel row via hinge to the top of the lower panel row? Like a door hinge itself hinged on one of the edges. Fold the top row down to the lower row (panels face back to back) to stow. When you get to the job site, raise the lower row (that has the upper row folder onto it back to back), fold open (unfurl) the upper row, and deploy your supports to prop them up. Make the angle you prop them up adjustable by having the support tubes have holes along the length so you can pin them up. Who cares if you get the perfect optimal angle? With almost 4KW you could run a bunch of 120V tools simultaneously. You could periodically adjust the angle if you want to. Batteries to supplement for cloudy days. The panels will all transport flat. You need something to cushion them like rubber mats to protect them against road shocks. Maybe something like the horse stall mats they sell at Tractor Supply. You can't transport yours without a lot of setup and tear-down hassle and time not spent working. With the above kind of design, you just show up, fold out and plug in.
I always add lock washers to anything that vibrates, esp on the road. I would of put nuts on the bolts and welded the nuts to the inside of the frame then take out bolt add lock washer under the bolt head and screwed back in. Six an one half approach. Great idea btw LMAO ... I don't remember the last time i put on my pants on backwards....
Thank you for sharing, Jesse. Appreciate your videos much and I always learn something. Many comments reflect that a lot of people watch Andrew Camarata and also your mom & dad. I'm no exception. Blessings to everyone. Stay safe, strong, healthy and successful in His Holy Name. ☝ ❤💪👍👊
Jessie I do not buy into the solar panel idea. I had installed a system on my house in 2015 so I have several years experience with it. Four 260W solar panels and eight large 6 v 370 aH batteries. Installed the system so when the power goes out in the winter the batteries and solar panels would power the three hot water circulation water pumps for the heat in the house so pipes do not freeze and burst; but my experience has been - before morning the batteries are drained dead. I mean during the winter with the batteries fully charged and only powering the three pumps and oil furnace they do not last the night which defeats the whole purpose of installing the system. Solar to me is just another industry hype, I should have bought a LP Gas generator for half the cost of the solar system. This is my experience. And what power I get from it, to power computer and freezer will not pay for the system!
Your first problem is you are probably using lead acid batteries. You can only drain them to 50% before you do damage to them. So for around the same price you can get double the storage with lithium and they last 4x as long. Your second problem is you only have 1000 watts of solar. But you are saying solar is an industry hype, but really you are complaining about the batteries.
Thank you for another great and detailed video. :) I'm sure over time you will improve trailer on your own... I trust your expirence and smartness. But here is my opinions... 1. It won't be practical and safe to drive trailer with panels on, you would have deasent area of sails behind you pushing you all over road... 2. When in usage you probably will need some balast, or beter yet anchor system, to keep it from fly of in high winds... 3. I would add gasets on posts (like on truck frame) that will rest on frame (creating 90° angle, shelf resting on trailer frame), maybe even add vertical bolt on to frame true tham... 4. I really wish you builded suport wall on that part of pond bank 😊
I have always had a front trailer hitch receiver on the front of my truck. Would make positioning that solar trailer REALLY easy....and boats...and small trailers. At the lake I pushed one boat and pulled another at the same time...a little ways.
Always learning something from this channel. 7:30 Laser cutters are way cleaner than plasma cutters but ordering the finished material is so cheap might as well just order it.
The laser cutters seem to be slowly taking over. They are just so much more expensive but make up for it with speed and accuracy. torch, plasma, water jet and laser will all have their niches but it seems like laser is becoming more common.
As always, I enjoy watching your videos. As someone who knows nothing of your type of work, a thought came to mind about your mention of a method of turning the solar panels instead of your present, straight bar method. Could you use/fit, the folding type crank, that are used to lift/lower, the legs of a tractor trailers, trailer? I'm sure with you being so innovative, you could easily set up such a system. As always, great work. 😁
To add more than 25kw on a sunny day would be counter productive. Unless your panels degrade over time then add whatever it takes to hit 25kw. What ya'll need is a sun following system so when not there it is pointing perfectly. The cheaper the better sun follower the better. What ya'll want is to aim at the sun early, follow all day with no obstructions till sunset. You might even set up some trailer mount to pull it on so you know it is high enough and oriented to follow the sun well. You could even get a Cyber Truck for electrical storage. 25 kw is a lot of power.
I have had most of my system for almost a year Currently 7500 watts. I am grid tied and have been using my batteries only for power outages. I learned from Signature Solar that I need to exercise my batteries. Only 7 discharge/charge cycles since the system was installed. I am amazed how much power there is in sunlight.
@@jmuller86I, like you, am impressed with the power generated on cloudy days. It was cloudy and raining today and the panels still produced 7 Kw. To accomplish the last discharge I had to run a 2 Kw electric heater to run them out. That is against my basic beliefs.
Just an idea...have the lower array fold down for travel. Weld hinges on the backside of the uprights and pull the bolts out through the trailer frame. The array should fold and lay flat on the trailer deck.
Wish you would of found the dust ball on the lens of the camera sooner. Lol Noticed you removed one of the axles. You don't need it, and probably will save money when you license it. Great project, and good design.
Hello Jesse. Marc from Alberta Canada! Just wondering if you thought of using a trailer cranking dolly system, which has a 2 inch pipe that connects both legs by a gear shaft that operates both of the legs at the same time, and in your case would control the raising and lowering of the back panels which might need three, depending on how you build it! This should also allow the solar panel assembly the space to sit in a better up and down position for traveling from A 2 B,, and also for better adjust-ability to access the sun? Just saying! PS: Your videos are very inspiring to watch! Cheers
for Solar ..its a good investment and the trailer battery bank system.... hope to see the completed home interior some day.. if your Mrs. allows.. Question on the other property.. the drive way you did.. a while ago... hope to see something done to that place. Regards from Singapore,.. Advance Happy Easter to you, your family and friends.
Jesse, really enjoy all your videos, been watching you for a few years now. I use RU-vid without subscription, I'm a senior on fixed income, I hate to say this but the commercials are killing me, too often and too long. I know that's your income but could you do less commercials? Thanks and keep those videos coming. Jim
Sell that new beautiful house and your parents house and move to Texas, no state income taxes, no permits to install anything you want in your yard. They did require a electrician to hang my meter head and shut off 100 amp switch then when the wire went into my house I took it from there. I was raised in New York and will never go back.
Another brilliant build, Jesse. I'd be inclined to make an inter connecting pantograph link bar from the lower to upper panels to mitigate over rotation and strain on the angle end setting plate you may experience with wind. Also, incorporating a few ballast brackets for some concrete blocks or water tanks in case of wind & storms. This is so much better than those auction trailers mentioned before