Solar Vs Generator
With the advent of relatively powerful low cost solar systems should the use of generators on site be restricted more than currently so?
3 CLs I've visited this year had at least one generator buzzing away which is odd as their use IMO had been less over previous years.
I accept that there could be medical reasons to need to use a generator.
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It's up to the CL owners to decide whether to impose restrictions.
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Can’t run my air conditioning from a solar panel.
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Generator = noisy, smelly, polluting anti social!
Solar = quiet, non-polluting, efficiency!
On a rally at the moment and whilst the vast majority of the units are e very happily running on solar two just can't manage without running the noisy generators!
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120w panel will easily support a nights TV, lights and water pump.
and a 750w inverter which I use to charge our bikes. My 180APH AGM battery never even noticed the load this year. I get a charge from my 120w panel even under trees on a cloudy day. Modern SPs don't need sunlight to do the job, daylight is often sufficient. Charging bike batteries overnight is probably a different matter. However, I like to charge them in the day while the SP is putting charge into the battery. Evening time is 12v telle time and overnight I charge tablets and phones.
My 1KVA generation is languishing in the garage awaiting power failures or use with power tools.
The solar panel is a fixed installation on the roof, you have to lug heavy, often smelly generators around and they need maintaining unlike a solar panel.
peedee
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Don’t think we have ever stayed on a CL where anyone was running a generator. Not sure how quiet they are nowadays, but certainly wouldn’t want to sleep next time one. We seem to manage most of our needs away with the odd night on an EHU to top up bike batteries.
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I've got 3x100W panels in series feeding two 120AH Lithiums which, in turn, powers a 1500W inverter. I can run a travel kettle, toaster and 600W microwave with that setup. No orange umbilical required. Refillable gas cylinders with gas at between a third and a quarter of the price that Calor charge takes care of the fridge and hot water.
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That is a serious off grid set up CY, rather overkill for us. We don't genrally carry 240v powered devices the exception being a hair dryer which can be run off the 750 watt inverter at a push on the low setting. We don't have an electric toaster or micro wave, We can do toast on the gas grill and boil water on the gas hob the latter only when off grid otherwise we use an 800w travel kettle.
peedee
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Re generators
We we’re on the dock in Bilbao where you can stay overnight, ready to board the ship the following morning. In this situation you are in the designated lines and there is hardly a fag paper between you and the caravan/Motorhome next to you. On this occasion the caravan next to me started up a generator. When I questioned how long they intended to run the generator he replied as long as I need to, “I have come prepared as there is no electrical hook up” I replied that I olso had come prepared and was running on gas in the main with the addition of my leisure battery.
He was still adamant that he would run his generator, although after some further requests from the rest of caravans nearby eventually turned it off at 10.30 pm although turned it back on again at 7.15am the next morning.
Some people !!!!!!
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No I personally don't like the noise from generators or vehicle engines running to top up batteries. We were on a rally a few years ago and someone went out for the day and left their generator running, it suddenly made a terrible noise and ground to a halt. End of generator and peace restored.
We manage perfectly well off ehu with 100w solar and gas. There could be future problems with gas supplies but gas and solar are OK at present.
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+1, Lithium has way less restrictions re charge/discharge storage.
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Add to that one of the new ecoflow type solar generators inline as a failsafe futureproofer is near 100% freedom(power wise)👍🏻
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We've managed short non ehu breaks in winter with our roof top solar panel, it works quite well in various light levels.
We've recently purchased a home generator for power cut emergencies (a local bargain spotted by OH.)
Other than that we like to keep things simple as we don't want to replicate home when away. The only thing I miss is a hairdryer but that's nothing really in the scheme of things. I recently purchased a USB charged table lamp and I always take a solar/wind up radio plus a small usb Sony radio with a lithium battery. Interestingly this radio is several years old and the lithium power is waning. We don't watch much TV when away. Everyone is different but I don't like noisy generators when I've gone away for a quiet break.
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Portability is key. We have regular power outages out here(like Brue), last one was almost 12hrs, the generator can double up to run a house👍🏻. They can be charged by wind, solar or when driving. Think big is my motto(cerebrally expansive), make your money work for you it’s not just to save a few shekels by sitting in a lay-by for a few days.
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No pointed remark BB👍🏻, merely based on what I read as folk demand to ‘wild camp’ on the cheap, your name wasn’t mentioned. I’m talking about 2048Wh expandable to 8192Wh. It will run a home temporarily & that is what covers a power outage. I’m not entering a black Dog contest I’m merely proving that solar generators are both the future & can help in many situations. I don’t want 1 thing for 1 job but 1 thing for many jobs😊
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