Rooftop Solar Charging

[Adam W]

Well, dang. That's not the math I want to hear, but perhaps you're exactly right. I would love to harvest my own power, using equipment I own, but I may have to face facts that it doesn't make sense for me.

Not sure the power situation in Utah, but my local utility here in Washington has an option to get 100% of our electrical needs from a central solar farm. No need for investing in panels on your own home, and perfect for renters. Yes, its not "off your own roof" so to speak, but for an extra $5 - $10 a month, you get the peace of mind of going solar without the $20,000+ up-front capital investment.

I actually did put a rooftop solar array on my home 10 years ago, but that was back when there were many more tax, rebate, and production-credit incentives to do so. Today, the economies have shifted dramatically towards these types of green energy farms as being a better solution.

 

[thespacecowboy]

Worksport makes a solar tonneau cover intended to charge a battery bank
https://www.worksport.com/products/solis

It looks like in one of their investor packets they included a rendering of a Slate with their tonneau cover.

 

[JustChris]

If I could get a polished solution like this, I'd probably HAVE to get one. I want a hard-sided tonneau cover, anyway, so it's a big win to have that serve a dual purpose for harvesting power.

 

[thespacecowboy]

That company has actually released solar tonneau covers for the other trucks they showed, priced at ~$1700 it looks like. Not terrible for a hard tonneau cover, especially one claiming to do ~600W of solar. It's not meant to charge the truck, really, but to charge an external battery/inverter to provide A/C power for camping supplies, tools, etc. For the right person, could be fantastic.

 

[E90400K]

Not sure the power situation in Utah, but my local utility here in Washington has an option to get 100% of our electrical needs from a central solar farm. No need for investing in panels on your own home, and perfect for renters. Yes, its not "off your own roof" so to speak, but for an extra $5 - $10 a month, you get the peace of mind of going solar without the $20,000+ up-front capital investment.

I actually did put a rooftop solar array on my home 10 years ago, but that was back when there were many more tax, rebate, and production-credit incentives to do so. Today, the economies have shifted dramatically towards these types of green energy farms as being a better solution.

You are kidding, right?

 

[fbthpg]

I haven't seen this specific setup covered in this forum. Apologies if I've missed it.

I'm very seriously considering installing a collapsible solar panel array (500-600 watts) on the roof of the Slate, and collecting the power in a stand-alone battery generator, with the intent of dumping the stored charge into my Slate via Level 2 charging every day or two.

I'm not an engineer, but I am a technician, and pretty good at electro-mechanical DIY. I also acknowledge that there's a wealth of smart people in this forum, and I would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions about this idea.

Use-Case: My daily commute is about 16 to 20 miles, mostly freeway. I'm thinking about attaching the solar panels in a collapsible or folding configuration, using Slate's roof rack, either with or without SUV kit. I haven't decided what standalone generator to use, and I'm open to a piecemeal approach if that's more economical or efficient. I'm thinking of putting the equipment in the frunk.

Tell me your thoughts! Any and all comments are welcome and appreciated.

I was thinking of something similar, and I have a very similar commute. That said, for weight reduction, less drag, and higher solar efficiency, I am building a portable system with in my backyard that charges a battery bank in my garage.
You likely don’t need permits if it’s not tied to you home/grid electrical and the solar isn’t mounted to your roof.

 

[sodamo]

Have to admit, some entertainment value here.

 

[sodamo]

Would highly recommend if you don’t already have solar and thinking this is cost effective, please do a cost benefit analysis. For some yes, for others No.

 

[Adam W]

You are kidding, right?

You'll have to be more specific about what you're objecting to.