Coleman Powermate Generator

[Super Dave]

Yes, Alexa they do, not saying I would want to tow this thing behind the car, there are smaller versions that will do their purpose too.

http://mobilesolarpower.net/

No, these would be minimal for what you're trying to do, charge that electric car.

[Super Dave]

Solar and wind BOTH are practical for home and small business applications, but are very unrealistic for our use in the race industry. That may change in the future, but for now, it's reality.

Where's Dawn?  She's got wind power at home.  At least you can make wind power at night.  I don't know if she's independent or still hooked to the grid.

[Suzy]

Well, I just wonder what the next generation looks forward too as far as gas, and what would you guys do if we DID NOT have any more gas for racing (it would suck but what if)??  ::) 

[Super Dave]

http://mobilesolarpower.net/flc/loadcalc.html

There's a load calulator.  According to their calculations, you'll need to budget 12,100 watts to charge the electric car.

Gas will be around for a long time.  Diesel engines will be around longer because they can run on about anything.  Vegatable oils, diesel, kerosene, used engine oil.  I recycle all my engine oils into my diesel tank. 

[bigreid]

They still are picking up energy on a cloudy day, example, I worked a corner, forgot to bring my sunscreen ON A CLOUDY DAY, and still got sunburned.  ::)

But not a full capacity, if you needed 1kw and you had a system that was rated for 1.2kw it might be only putting out 900w and you'd be out of luck. 

[Super Dave]

Just like putting in two gallons of gas when you need three.

[Suzy]

Ok,   I just say don't knock it until you've tried it, and all the mechnically inclinded people here, you can configure something just to run your camping stuff on to save some gas and noise, I think it is cool in the first place to have these options.

This whole thing just proves how dependent we are on it, and won't give any thought to alternatives. It can't be all that bad, the technology is out there and it seems to work for alot of people already.  Predictions may not go far, but the US Dept. of Energy is predicting that oil could no longer be an option by the year 2050, that's not too far off.  

[Super Dave]

Define alot?  30%?

[Suzy]

Dave, I'm not researching that, c'mon, you get the idea, there out there.  

[Super Dave]

I'm all for solar.  I've looked at it for a few years.  I've drawn up ideas for making it work in my bus, but the number of panels that would be required, alone with battery cost, space, and replacement...

I'm not sure if you've actually looked at it.  I have a pretty good working idea of what I need to implement it.  I'm looking at $20k to take my house off grid.  For good solar panel and a really good charge controler, I'm going to be around $500 to $700 for the bus.  Very little return, really.  Would do it's best in only keeping my current "house" batteries from getting killed so fast when I have to leave the bus away from shore power and leave my little cooler running.

As for a lot of people?  Who do you know that's on solar?  How about an electric car?  Diesel is very economical, and there are options.  The same US government that you quote about gasoline issues also restricted diesel engines in the US so many US name plates don't import their diesel cars to the US market. 

Solar is out there.  Yeah.  But it's still a tiny little thing.  Costs may come down slightly, but it's probably at a point where it's not going to get much lower.  The only thing that might make it more attractive, is the continued increase in costs of grid power.  As more come off grid, that will reduce the demand and load on the grid and potentially reduce it's cost. 

I am looking at implementing solar power into my patio project through a low voltage lighting system.  Again, the reality is that I'm looking at thousands of dollars.  And my kids need braces.

[Suzy]

That would be neat for your house, if I understand it correctly too about solar or wind power, doesn't the electric company pay you someway for generating it?   Here start reading, this is people and companies who are already using solar powered stuff.  8)

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/27/technology/techinvestor/lamonica/index.htm

http://www.ask.com/web?q=Entire+city+that+run+on+alternative+power&qsrc=0&o=0&l=dir

http://www.ask.com/web?q=People+using+alternative+power&qsrc=1&o=0&l=dir

[spyderchick]

Alternative sources of energy will become more abundant when they become readily available and cheaper than the systems people are using currently. If we were to scrap every single system run with fossil fuels systematically, we would need more landfills, or people would just chuck stuff inappropriately at a huge cost to clean up. As I've said before, I read a variety of publications, both scientific and eco-friendly, and they all agree it will be a process, as the demand rises, the cost will come down. We need to think this through, not just do a knee jerk reaction.

That is why the Toyota Prius and Camry hybrids are such hot cars. Problem is, I have a non-hybrid, 14 yr old, 6 cylinder that's gets 30 MPG on the highway. I'm looking for a viable replacement (must be able to tow, get good mileage, look sporty and have some trunk capacity) in a modest price range, and it's not to be had. I don't want to spend, nor can I afford a $30K car.

I'm all for protecting the environment, however, I think it's a silly argument to say racers should use solar to run a set of tire warmers. Yes, think globally, act locally, but that should be in your everyday practice. Recycle daily, buy organic when possible, (I belong to a local co-op and had farm share in the past) buy things with as little packaging as possible. Walk to work or use public transit. (I will be walking my 7 miles in the morning when the temps are decent). Reduce your footprint on this earth, period.

I've been a 'hippy' pretty much all my life, and I'm well aware of the science and economics of the issues as they've evolved. Racing has been a breeding ground for much innovation, but I don't think that solar and motorsports are the right fit at this time.


And Suzy, you can Google all you want, but the real stuff is to be found in scientific journals and publications, not on the internet.