Hey, for only $5000!! you too can have Solar

[westbranch]

A friend stumbled on this site... Tremendous price for little product! A cart, 3 panels, an outdated CC and batteries

http://www.sol-solutions.com/product...solutions.html

[waynefromnscanada]

Hahahaha Thanks for the heads-up! OOPS! it's starting to rain and the wind is coming up, gotta go get the system under cover right away. OH LOOK! There they go down the hill and into the trees! Amazing how fast those panels on wheels travel with a bit of wind behind them! lol

[SolaRevolution]

Actually, these things are pretty cool.

Too bad the price is so high. They are individually hand built here in California.
They can be trickle charged indoors all folded up and ready to be wheeled out, for use instantly. Ideal for emergency and disaster use. The open design with Magnum inverters makes it simple to replace any failed components.

They provided these things for use for several festivals. As the head electrician for SolFest, I set them up to power music stages with full amplified bands all day and, with the lithium-ion powered version (thanks to EV developer Howard Letovsky), all night. They were great for powering vendor booths and workshop tents too.

Some site managers at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA, lived in a "Tiny House" with one of these as their power source for most of a year.

But it's true. The sticker shock is tough to get past. I think the few that have been sold were for emergency preparedness.

Alex Aragon


BTW: The Solar Boost 2000E CC is ideal for this set up.

[westbranch]

from my recollection those 3 panels put it , the CC, over its 20A, not 25A, rating. They advertise it as 25, but that is NOT correct, they buried that fact deep in the manual...

" h) Do not connect to a PV array capable of producing greater than 20 amperes of short circuit current (ISC) or 24V of open circuit voltage (VOC) @ STC."

those panels are listed at 8A, each...actually 7.91AImp, 8.68AIsc

[Windsun]

The concept of the cart is not bad, we have seen a few similar things around. The implentation and price of that particular one leaves a whole lot to be desired though.

You could build a better one for a couple thousand $ less.

[SolaRevolution]

from my recollection those 3 panels put it , the CC, over its 20A, not 25A, rating. They advertise it as 25, but that is NOT correct, they buried that fact deep in the manual...

" h) Do not connect to a PV array capable of producing greater than 20 amperes of short circuit current (ISC) or 24V of open circuit voltage (VOC) @ STC."

those panels are listed at 8A, each...actually 7.91AImp, 8.68AIsc

Hmm.
I'll have to mention that to Chaz next time I see him. However, also from the Solar Boost 2000E manual:

"CURRENT LIMIT
If PV input power is high enough to produce more than 25 amps of output current, the 2000E will automatically prevent output current from exceeding
25 amps to prevent overload or nuisance fuse blow."

That is easy to misinturpret. I know that they consulted with Blue Sky about using their CC for this project. I wonder if it is an oversite. My guess would be that the array wattage was increased and the 20 amp input limit (for a 25 amp rated CC) was overlooked.


Alex

[SolaRevolution]

The concept of the cart is not bad, we have seen a few similar things around. The implentation and price of that particular one leaves a whole lot to be desired though.

You could build a better one for a couple thousand $ less.

Yea. It would be easy to build one for less for DIY. However, this is not just a bunch of cheap parts in an off-the-shelf "kit" from Malwart or Home Despot. This is a viable system which might otherwise be professionally installed in an RV or small cabin. Is there a similar quality, portable, readily available systems for less cost?

There are some serious advantages to portable. If it were for your cabin or home, much would you expect pay to hire someone who is qualified to design the system, furnish and install the components, and program and test the system? How about travel time to your site? I drove 3 1/2 hours each way for a service call today.

How much would you have to charge to cover all your costs and time to make it worth your while if you were actually producing these to make a living?
There is no doubt that the high price is the reason why there are many curious "tire kickers" but few buyers.

Alex

[Windsun]

The biggest problem is that in that price range you start getting up to the same price as the better portable generators that can put out a lot more power, which is the real competition - not other solar emergency setups.