All Things Solar...

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:54 pm

Just thought I'd start a Thread concerning Solar equipment and it's use on the Playa. Batteries, inverters and Formulas oh My!

"build somthing!"

technically,
mr smith

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 5:13 pm

Who is the best (read that as cheapest) source for those deep cell batteries? Any certain brand favored?

charging deeply,
mr smith

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:45 pm

Last Real Burner wrote:Who is the best (read that as cheapest) source for those deep cell batteries? Any certain brand favored?

charging deeply,
mr smith

/
G.I.Joe's has a large selection at verying prices. I'm goin to check them out. Then shop for a better price. This year I'm going to buy
a window fan for the van. The solor type that pumps expanded air when in the sunlight. They don't cost much and can't hurt trying. Also misplaced a catalog that has a solor 12v. charger. The thing would keep a scooter charged. Now where the hell is the damn thing?

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 11:30 pm

Well, I got 10 of the solar lanterns from Costco. Decorated them up last year with Scribbles, and now they look real cool

Took a cruise through Costco the other night and saw they have the new ones, the older models were rectangular but these ones are octagonal, which is even better (better looking, shed more light, et alia). So I'm adding them to my "buy for this year" list.

Also, I'm going to get one of those $24 solar battery rechargers from GIJ's and keep my car battery charged up. I'll be running a small inverter off it to do faerie lights around my camp. I've had the car fan for years 'n years, and that'll make a reappearance.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 6:23 am

The solar panel from GI's 24$ is 19$ at Harbor Freight or Greatland catolog.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:05 pm

Anyone ever tried using a freznel lens and a ceramic brick strategically placed in your evap-pond? Would it be possible to quickly "vaporize" grey water (maybe even solid bits)? Maybe even "distill it"? Any info appreciated! Jafe

RouseMouse · Post by **RouseMouse** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 5:44 pm

$5 per peak watt the man said,
I was hoping you all would know where to find a panel at that cost ratio or better ...
We need to figure out how to replace a generator for a freezer and one for night lights ,, ..
no more than a few mega watts worth of power

Rouse

McSeed · Post by **McSeed** » Tue May 04, 2004 8:57 pm

Rouse Mouse: If you really want all these attractions at your camp, particularly a Smoothy freezer, you might as well resign yourself to gasoline-generated 110 v DC power. In stead of reinventing the wheel, seek a way to make the dreaded genny as clean and quiet as possible? If you are going to accept one small quiet generator ANYWAY, why not just accept that and MOVE ON? -Just anther 'puppet.'

RouseMouse · Post by **RouseMouse** » Tue May 04, 2004 9:33 pm

I found a place with solar freezers ,,, as in, a super insulated box with a high efficiency compressor run off a solar panel (or 2) with battery, set up cost about $1500, which I haven't budgeted at the moment, but is it that much more than a $200 freezer, a generator and gas? .. ok maybe a little.
but if anyone's interested I'll find the link again.
Rouse

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed May 05, 2004 12:42 am

RouseMouse wrote:I found a place with solar freezers ,,, as in, a super insulated box with a high efficiency compressor run off a solar panel (or 2) with battery, set up cost about $1500, which I haven't budgeted at the moment, but is it that much more than a $200 freezer, a generator and gas? .. ok maybe a little.

Not much... the Honda EU2000 super-quiet generator (that I can't rave about enough) will cost you $1000, but at least you can run it. You won't be able to stand running one of those goddamm loud ones, so it doesn't matter if they're cheaper.
I'd still do the quiet generator/electric freezer plan, it'll work better, and then you have power for other things, and a bitchin' generator to use the rest of the year.
If you want cheap quiet cold storage, try scrounging up a propane fridge/freezer out of an old camper or motorhome; they work great and use very little propane.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:28 pm

Burners in the Eugene-Springfield-Salem-Portland area might want to take note...

Jerry's Home Improvement is having a sale on six-packs of solar lanterns for $15. That's right, $2.50 each. I picked up a box and they're a <b>decent</b> piece for the price. If you turn them on their tops, they look like a breast in a high state of excitement and stood topside-up, look like they're supported by a lotus. Very Playarific either way. Blue-white LED inside a plastic crystal column, no amber nonsense here. Each lamp is about the size of a fist, so while they're a little smaller than most, they're a decent size. They're not hangable, and stand about 12" tall.

And at that price, you can pick up a passel (read: five or six boxes = 30 lights total) and still come out ahead of buying a battery, inverter and faerie light string. I'm thinking 25-30 of these buys outlining/illuminating a tent or staked in a constellation pattern in your front yard would be a statement

I'm going to try to get a few more boxes and attack 'em with stained glass paint. Breastesses and lotuses, right on!

When I went in Saturday, they had two 4x6' palettes of 'em by the front door, stacked five feet high, and perhaps only 15% were taken.

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:55 pm

Here is a nice little how-to on rigging a solar powered battery charger:
http://www.io.com/~n5fc/solar.htm

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:00 pm

Oh and in case you just want to buy one (wow, these are CHEAP!)
http://www.steves-digicams.com/icp_solar.html

XS · Post by XS » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:52 am

Check out Solarsense.com for some great portable solar panel and inverter packages. Got one last year and it rocks.

As far as deep cell 12 volt batt's. Check out ODYSSEY dry cell deep charge batts. Ebay has tons. They've got a full range of batt's for ATV's to GOLF CARTS, AUTOS, MARINE Etc.. Use by the military... No water, no fumes, jostle tolerant. They rock. Paired with and inverter you're good to go.

XS

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:55 am

Anyone tried making a solar array by connecting a bunch of the Malibu solar light cells?

Rambler · Post by **Rambler** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 9:19 am

I'm resending this here too for better finding. I doubt these are commercial yet, but some diligent soul might be able to get the scoop. I can't make it to the playa this year.

Army Tents Become Solar Power Field Equipment -- Fabric for Army tents could become more than just protection from the sun. Iowa Thin Film Technologies has completed the development of integrated solar technology for three tent prototypes using the company's PowerFilm flexible solar panels directly with the tent fabric. http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story?storyid=6965

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 9:43 am

I watched a program on The Nerd Channel about that stuff! It's supposed to become commercially available this year! (In other words, wait until next year to buy it......)

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:28 pm

Or if you can't wait Uni-Solar has flexible panels, meant to be mountable on curved boat/RV rooftops. Often there are seconds on ebay. Plus they are durable. Hailstorms don't bother them. Their rigid panels are good too.

dman · Post by **dman** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:05 pm

A quick search of eplaya turns up little mention I can find on what seems like a fairly obvious idea, the distillation of gray water.

Anyone ever pursue this?

First thought is along the lines of a pressure cooker with the pressure cap (that little wobbly thing on the top) removed and replaced by a hose that leads to either a condenser or something as simple as a shaded collection bottle.

Take some grey water and run it through a simple filter (e.g. wash cloth) to remove the larger bits of debris and put the resulting liquid into the pressure cooker, apply heat and voila', distilled water comes out of the hose.

Heating of the pressure cooker could be done by reflective oven, freznel lens, or something more complex (an array of mirrors with a solar tracker comes to mind, but that would be overkill, methinks).

Once the pressure cooker boils/evaps off the liquid or too much residue accumulates open it up and scrape out the residue into another container for later disposal.

Take the distilled water and run it through one of those cheap water filters (e.g. Costco carries some from Pur) to remove any residual rubber hose/condenser flavor and impart some minerals, or use directly for wash water the second (and subsequent) time around.

Simple enhancements would include putting a float valve into the pressure cooker and using a gravity feed tube from a reservoir to keep the water level in the cooker at an optimal level.

No tests yet, but I am pretty sure this would work with minimal cost/development effort and be able to distill 2-5 gallons a day depending on the elegance of the implementation and amount of heat supplied to the pressure cooker.

A beat up thrift store pressure cooker should suffice, and a collapsible foil lined reflective oven made from 3/8" scrap plywood pieces shouldn't be hard to build, so the main costs would be the tubing, the float valve (e.g. from an evaporative cooler), the reservoirs and any final filter.

Thoughts?

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:18 pm

I take all the water I need for the week+. At the end here was gray water hualed it home. For just in case sake. I had a metal bucket and extra gas to boil off the water if needed. The sun don't always shine.

Ivy · Post by **Ivy** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:22 pm

There was an extensive discussion about distillation/purification/recycling of grey water in the previous incarnation of the eplaya. You can get to it in the archives section; try running a search on grey water. I just looked it up recently (in thelast month or so) so I know it's there.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:33 pm

From an engineer's point of view, I can't see how practical solar power is for a one week event. While solar power is great in the desert over a long period of time with a large storage bank, when it absolutely, positively HAS to work during one 7 day period the risk is too great. A couple of cloudy or dusty days and you are sunk. It would be something interesting to tinker with, but I would not want to rely on it for my supper or anything key to my experiance.

Get a diesel generator and run biodiesel in it. It will be more reliable.

As for grey water, solar evaporation works but with the same limitations. Get a couple of coolish, cloudy days and you are swamped. Get rain and you are fucked. Better to be prepared to haul it all out and consider any evaporation as a blessing rather than rely on it.

dman · Post by **dman** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:18 am

Thanks Ivy!

For anyone interested here is a related eplaya thread.

HEADBANDMAN · Post by **HEADBANDMAN** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:20 pm

Is take the water from the ice chest and put it in the solar shower. That is about the as close as I get to re using the gray water. Which I guess if it just melted ice is not grey. What is grey water any way?

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:52 pm

HEADBANDMAN wrote: Is take the water from the ice chest and put it in the solar shower. That is about the as close as I get to re using the gray water. Which I guess if it just melted ice is not grey. What is grey water any way?

everyting not potable and not raw sewage.

if you can't drink it and if they is no human waste included.

burningflyer · Post by **burningflyer** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:13 pm

Deep Cycle Battery FAQ

http://www.repairfaq.org/ELE/F_deep_cycle.html

Alternative Energy Zone @ Burningman

http://www.ae-zone.org/

12 Volt DC Fans

http://www.fantasticvent.com/products/e ... reeze.html

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... toreNum=12

http://www.backwoodssolar.com/Catalogpa ... ancDC2.htm

http://www.cetsolar.com/12ceilingfan.htm

12 volt DC fluorescent lighting (uses standard white or black light bulbs)

http://store.yahoo.com/wind-sun/tl-151.html

12 volt DC rope light

http://www.luckyslighting.com/

http://www.hightechlighting.com/index.php/cPath/50_60

120 volt AC LED Christmas Lights (very efficient lighting method when run of an AC to DC inverter)

http://www.brite-lite.com/Products/LEDchristmas.htm

burningflyer · Post by **burningflyer** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:44 pm

The 12 volt side of life (basics and info for small sytems)

http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm

Inverters

http://www.windsun.com/Inverters/Inverter_selection.htm

Phred's Poop Sheets

http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html

http://www.phrannie.org/solar.html

Bare Bones Basic Solar

http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html

http://www.i4at.org/surv/solargen.htm

Small Solar System (this pre-assembled system is ready to go)

http://www.siliconsolar.com/small_pv_systems.htm

burningflyer · Post by **burningflyer** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 5:20 pm

Alternative energy means harnessing the abundance of the sun and wind to power lights, play music and fuel our fantasies free of generators. Burners have the ability, the creativity and the ingenuity to meet the electrical needs of the city without compromising either our splendor or our ideals, and more burners every year are proving it is possible to power their camps on alternative energy.

Another great source of small solar sytem information

http://www.landandseasolar.com/info.html

burningflyer · Post by **burningflyer** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 5:33 pm

Calculating Battery Requirements

http://www.phrannie.org/battery

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 7:24 am

There is also the option of wind power. I saw a number of very high output wind turbine generators this year. They seemed to work best during the dust storms since the wind was moving right along. Combine this with a solar panel and you have the best of both worlds. (but this is the All Things Solar thread, so maybe this really belongs elsewhere.)

All Things Solar...

All Things Solar...

Question # 1...

Re: Question # 1...

Solar powered grey water evap pond?

was hoping

SOLAR SOLUTIONS:

solar tents

All I do is

Re: All I do is

12 volt DC

12 Volt Basics

Solar Power

Calculating Battery Requirements