Portable Solar Panels

[kingb]

Kingb, the data sheet for that Unisolar panel is at http://www.nooutage.com/pdf/UniSolar-PVL136.pdf. I looked it up because I was curious about the weight. It is only 17 pounds and should be easy enough to pack on your bike. What do you intend to do about the adhesive on it? You could stick it to a piece of canvas, but that would add unnecessary weight. If the backing seems to be rugged enough you might want to try removing the adhesive. My fear is that if it is rolled up tight and the sun heats it up, it might stick to it's self and be a real mess.
Please come back to this thread and let us know how it works out.

Hmmm interesting. I was under the impression that it had some material you could peel back to expose the adhesive. I was thinking I would just find a way to keep that from peeling off, but I haven't seen the panel yet... I'm sure I will figure something out.
And yes, I will plan on making a new thread when I finish the build.

 

[xenodius]

The adaptto controller can step up the voltage from your panels to match your pack and balance charge each cell. It's like a DC-DC power supply that can be set to peak charge voltage and a BMS.

 

[mvly]

There is a way you can charge your cell at the same time use the out put for riding. The catch? It is only good up to 48V (16s lifepo4) battery. And you would need to use panels which is in the range of 100-300W and ideally output > 24V under load or 36V open circuit.

Here is the link:
http://genasun.com/all-products/solar-charge-controllers/for-lithium/gvb-8a-li-lithium-solar-boost-controller/

I am thinking of getting one of these and one of the 300W panels to cover the canopy of my future recumbent tadpole etrike. But 48V seems a bit weak to me. Moreover the 300W panels are like 20 lbs which I doubt the canopy can support it.