Solar Update:
April 11, 2002
Well, panel 3 is in, and the tractor is charging without a hitch. Mowed the lawn today; now we can finally see how long it takes to recharge the tractor.
I can't help myself; I have placed an order for a fourth MSX-120 panel. Not sure why I really need it; more to even out the panels on the roof :-) Seriously, with four panels on the roof I can bring the system to 560 watts of power total, which is enough to start thinking about the next set of projects.
One thought is to give a grid-tie system a shot. I could sell the extra power coming off the roof to the local utility; it would be a neat thing to do.
Another thought though is to get an electric car and run it on solar....
This could be complex. Since an electric car needs about 250 watts of power to go a mile, I could theoretically get 2 miles of charge per hour on the panels. At four hours a day of sun that's 8 miles. Which is more than my commute, and might come close to my weekly driving needs.
An interesting thought. However the first thing I would need to do is build a dump charging system so the power from the panels can be used to store energy for the car at night. Thus I could drive the car in the daytime, and then charge it up at night off the stored energy.
Big idea, big dreams. However after watching the events in the Middle East unfold, I am beginning to feel a certain revulsion every time I fill the gas tank of my car. Yes, the cost of these solar things may be high, but I am beginning to realize that the cost of gasoline is far more in terms of the spirit.....