Solar panel battery charging.

[Mike D.]

Anybody do this? Is it technically feasable?

 

[Mcharza]

You can read this first

Solar Generators?

I'm planning my next long van trip, and this time I have an e-bike. I am considering getting one of those "Solar generators" (basically just a big battery with an inverter) to charge the bike battery, and charge/operate a few other devices. Of course the "generators" need to be charged, which...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[jerry]

No, but I've read you can attach a dynamo to an analog bike and use the 100% green power generated to charge your ebike

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Yes, i do it. It isn't all that cheap to set up but i use my bike for touring and sometimes wild camp.

 

[IndigoUnicorn]

Yes, i do it. It isn't all that cheap to set up but i use my bike for touring and sometimes wild camp.

What set up are you using?

 

[Barbara_Reed]

I have a 50watt flexible solar panel on top of my trailer. In a box in the bottom I have an mppt controller and two 12volt lithium batteries for a total of 42 amp hours. I also have in the box a Bosch travel charger running off 12 volts, and a three way mains extension. If you can't get the Bosch charger or it won't work for your bike you could use a power butler or an invertor. Shimano batteries won't work with the power butler.
I take the mains fast charger for the bike and the 2 amp charger for the two batteries as well. While I am riding the solar panel charges the batteries in the box and on arrival I park the trailer in the sun and plug the bike in via the 12volt charger. If there isn't enough sun to charge then I have to find mains for a couple of hours. I charge my phone and the bike lights on USB from the mppt controller as well.

When I'm touring with the camper I have a larger folding panel which also charges the camper battery, and enables me to run an invertor. I use pure sine wave as some chargers are fussy about their wobbly volts.

 

[IndigoUnicorn]

I have a 50watt flexible solar panel on top of my trailer. In a box in the bottom I have an mppt controller and two 12volt lithium batteries for a total of 42 amp hours. I also have in the box a Bosch travel charger running off 12 volts, and a three way mains extension. If you can't get the Bosch charger or it won't work for your bike you could use a power butler or an invertor. Shimano batteries won't work with the power butler.
I take the mains fast charger for the bike and the 2 amp charger for the two batteries as well. While I am riding the solar panel charges the batteries in the box and on arrival I park the trailer in the sun and plug the bike in via the 12volt charger. If there isn't enough sun to charge then I have to find mains for a couple of hours. I charge my phone and the bike lights on USB from the mppt controller as well.

When I'm touring with the camper I have a larger folding panel which also charges the camper battery, and enables me to run an invertor. I use pure sine wave as some chargers are fussy about their wobbly volts.

That’s BADASS! Pictures, by any chance?

I’m in New Mexico in the American Southwest and, when bike touring, it’s a LONG way to anywhere and have been contemplating a charging solution for when I’m 100 miles from an outlet.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Here you are. The box that holds the batteries etc is just a plastic storage box with a cigarette lighter socket in the side for use on arrival.

And here is the trailer on the bike. Minus the panel in this picture, but you get the idea.

 

[IndigoUnicorn]

Here you are.

BRILLIANT. I’m duly impressed. I have a Burley Nomad trailer and I now know what to do with it!

You’re using a flexible solar panel, I take it?

Is there any way I could ask you to draw out a diagram of your system? I REALLY need a setup like this.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Sure, no problem. It's pretty straightforward. You can use one or two or as many 12 volt batteries as you like which you need to wire in parallel. They do need to be identical though.
Then you connect battery to controller first before plugging in the panel. That's it, really. I used a flex panel which nearly covers the trailer, from Ali Express, the batteries and controller are from there as well. A 10 amp controller is plenty. If you charge on mains the chargers come with the battery but they are only 2 amp so take a while. I used sae plugs and sockets which are cheap and come with the wire, so you don't have much soldering to do. They are damp proof only but they are in a sealed box apart from the last connection to the panel. 14AWG wire is thick enough.
I will draw it out for you as my setup allows for a second panel which complicates it a bit.
I took a bit of care with the plugs so I couldn't get it wrong when tired and /or too much after ride beer. That's why some of my connections use DIN plugs and sockets. You could make permanent connections in some places where I have made it separable as i have a slightly different setup for when I also have the van available. I will do a diagram when i have a bit of time to spare.
Cheers
Barbara

 

[IndigoUnicorn]

Sure, no problem. It's pretty straightforward.

Wonderful. THANK YOU!

 

[Barbara_Reed]

I hope that's clear. If you have a12 volt charger you don't need the invertor, but in either case go direct from the battery terminals and not from the controller output labelled load. Keep the wires between battery and invertor as short as possible and use 10AWG just for this part of the system.
Be careful not to bypass the battery management system. You need to plug the controller battery terminals to the same socket that the mains charger uses. And take the output for your inverter from the other terminals, which might just be two bits of wire.

You need to be able to separate the panel and the battery from the controller without having to poke wires into the controller terminals so you will need some connectors. I use SAE as they are small and fairly cheap. Check all your polarities before connecting it up. Cheap multimeter is handy here. Glue the battery and controller into the box. If you find a 12 volt charger then you can fit a socket (car lighter socket is fine for a 2 amp charger) into the side of the box

 

[GMLS]

These are very popular in the leisure sector but you are paying a lot for the convenience. Basically a posh version of the above with a bit more functionality granted. Loads of reviews on Youtube and similar alternatives are available.

Amazon.co.uk : jackery uk

 

[Barbara_Reed]

These are very popular in the leisure sector but you are paying a lot for the convenience. Basically a posh version of the above with a bit more functionality granted. Loads of reviews on Youtube and similar alternatives are available.

Amazon.co.uk : jackery uk

Ouch. Doesn't include the solar panel, either.

 

[Agu]

I do most of the e-bike batteries charging using solar. Feels green and it's a kind of argument to justify solar panel system investment for my caravan. There are fixed 2x120 W solar panels, a controller, a 140 Ah deep cycle battery, and a 600W inverter in the system. That's enough to charge 1 or 2 bike batteries a day, depending on the sunlight intensity.

 

[IndigoUnicorn]

View attachment 60785
I hope that's clear. If you have a12 volt charger you don't need the invertor, but in either case go direct from the battery terminals and not from the controller output labelled load. Keep the wires between battery and invertor as short as possible and use 10AWG just for this part of the system.
Be careful not to bypass the battery management system. You need to plug the controller battery terminals to the same socket that the mains charger uses. And take the output for your inverter from the other terminals, which might just be two bits of wire.
View attachment 60809
You need to be able to separate the panel and the battery from the controller without having to poke wires into the controller terminals so you will need some connectors. I use SAE as they are small and fairly cheap. Check all your polarities before connecting it up. Cheap multimeter is handy here. Glue the battery and controller into the box. If you find a 12 volt charger then you can fit a socket (car lighter socket is fine for a 2 amp charger) into the side of the box View attachment 60810

Fantastic. Thank you!!!!

 

[Nvigr8]

If you're going to set up camp at any point you can also use a portable wind turbine.

 

[Calsun]

In my days of travel with laptops that had batteries that would go for 2 hours on a charge I started carrying a long 18 gauge extension cord and would plug into any airport power outlet I could find.

With my 1000 mile plus trips I only stopped on occasion to dry my sleeping bag at a laundromat as it was much faster than doing it out in the sun where it would take several hours. Maybe there is need for a power outlet location application for long distance e-bike riders.

 

[GMLS]

I've seen a lot of people using Ecoflow, Ankers and Jackerys if your wallet stretches.Or buy your own lipo4 battery, charger and inverter to save a few quid

 

[Hardtail]

I have a Cigs 315w Flexible panel stuck to the roof of the van and a Bluetti AC200MAX Power station onboard. The Cigs panel is fantastic in overcast or shaded situations, like the UK! We recently did 2 weeks camping in the Scottish Highlands, including Orkneys and inner Hebrides with 2 Full Fat e-bikes and 2 kids e-bikes, we rode most days and never needed mains power.
The heat from the Bluetti, including the portable fridge, also helps heat the van.
Now we are home I charge the batteries in the Van instead of taking them inside.
It ain't cheap but it feels good.
BLUETTI AC200MAX Expandable Power Station | 2,200W 2,048Wh
315W Flexi Stick Down CIGS low light film - Ideal for Campers, Vans, Boats - Peel N Stick - UK Made

 

[hogicid]

I have a 50watt flexible solar panel on top of my trailer. In a box in the bottom I have an mppt controller and two 12volt lithium batteries for a total of 42 amp hours. I also have in the box a Bosch travel charger running off 12 volts, and a three way mains extension. If you can't get the Bosch charger or it won't work for your bike you could use a power butler or an invertor. Shimano batteries won't work with the power butler.
I take the mains fast charger for the bike and the 2 amp charger for the two batteries as well. While I am riding the solar panel charges the batteries in the box and on arrival I park the trailer in the sun and plug the bike in via the 12volt charger. If there isn't enough sun to charge then I have to find mains for a couple of hours. I charge my phone and the bike lights on USB from the mppt controller as well.

When I'm touring with the camper I have a larger folding panel which also charges the camper battery, and enables me to run an invertor. I use pure sine wave as some 12v solar panel chargers are fussy about their wobbly volts.

Hello; Anybody have a solar battery charger they would recommend? Looking to charge when off the grid camping. Thanks

 

[sstenzz]

Goalzero makes some nice equipment, I used a 200W panel to charge a 3 kilowatt battery during the day that would later charge my bike; never ran out of juice.

 

[Litehiker]

SPENDY BUT INSTANT SUCCESS:
1.) BATTERY-> BLUETTI AC200 MAX Li Fe Po battery
2.)SOLAR -> Off Grid TREK 220 watt folding blanket with premium SunPower flexible solar panels.

Worked great on a recent antelope hunt in remote north central Nevada. Kept my AWD E-MTB bike's dual batteries easily charged from 70% to 100% in 90 minutes and ran a small cooler all day with no Li Fe Po battery drain. The OGT blanket always kept the BLUETTI charged, even on overcast days.

 

[hogicid]

SPENDY BUT INSTANT SUCCESS:
1.) BATTERY-> BLUETTI AC200 MAX Li Fe Po battery
2.)SOLAR -> Off Grid TREK 220 watt folding blanket with premium SunPower flexible solar panels.

Worked great on a recent antelope hunt in remote north central Nevada. Kept my AWD E-MTB bike's dual batteries easily charged from 70% to 100% in 90 minutes and ran a small cooler all day with no Li Fe Po battery drain. The OGT blanket always kept the BLUETTI charged, even on overcast days.
Worked great on a recent antelope hunt in remote north central Nevada. Kept my AWD E-MTB bike's dual batteries easily charged from 70% to 100% in 90 minutes and ran a small cooler all day with no Li Fe Po battery drain. The OGT blanket always kept the BLUETTI charged, even on overcast days to solar energy residential.

thank you so much for your suggestion

 

[stepHuntMario]

I've been checking out solar panels lately, especially since I'm in Dublin where the weather isn't always sunny, but we make do! It's cool to see how folks are using them to charge batteries - super handy for outdoor adventures or just cutting down on electric bills.

I think it's smart to harness the sun's power, even in places like Dublin where the clouds like to hang out. Plus, with all the gadgets we use these days, having a backup power source that's eco-friendly is a win-win. Anyone else here rocking solar panels dublin-style? What's been your experience with them?

 

[mike_kelly]

I've been checking out solar panels lately, especially since I'm in Dublin where the weather isn't always sunny, but we make do! It's cool to see how folks are using them to charge batteries - super handy for outdoor adventures or just cutting down on electric bills.

Be aware that there is a big difference in panels. The older monocrystaline is very subject to shadows which, depending on the design, can block all the output of the panel. The newer CIGS panel is much less subject to shading and produces more in poor light conditions. They are also backed by a stainless steel sheet so are more durable.