Great Divide solar touring setup

bluedog225

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Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
43
It's been a while since I posted. I hope you can help me with a project.

I am going to attempt the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route next summer. I will be riding an Azub recumbent trike with Sturmey Archer front drum brakes. The manufacturer has had enough bad experiences with the Sturmey dynamo hub that they will not install.

I am looking at for a lightweight solar setupto use while riding and while camped.

I think most equipment will use USB connectors (18650 flashlight/front headlight; SteriPen, smartphone). I may need to charge AA/AAA for the taillightbut the charger will likely be USB connected.

I suspect I will run the headlight often and the taillight full time.The GPS will be intermittent and phone calls in the evening to touch base with family when I have service.

I was looking foradvice regarding the lightest setup that will meet these needs. The goal zero stuff looks ok but heavy.

I am guessing thatI need about 14w out of the panel but open to suggestions. And the panel is the heaviest part of this.

Do you know of ultralight (very reliable) panels or a hobbyist setup I should be looking at?

Many thanks,

Tom
 

Keitho

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Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Messages
781
Location
CO, USA
I've been looking for a reason to get some nice solar panels for the backcountry and bike-packing, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. From what I can tell in my research, you'll see monocrystalline often cited as the "most efficient," often with the unwritten caveat "per area." The most weight efficient panels that I can find are actually amorphous deposition or "thin film" products like Powerfilm brand. I certainly could be corrected on this point, and I hope that someone with direct experience with longevity experience with different brands can jump in.

A little off-topic--the most weight efficient 18650 lights I've seen, and I use every day, are ZL (63w on the helmet, 600Fd III+ on the bar). I use a AA H502r (red) as one of my taillights; but, your total system weight (cells, charger, etc.) might be more weight efficient if you stuck with an 18650 rear light (heavier light, but less total system weight--maybe).

A little more off topic--for sterilization of water, maybe consider a sawyer filter--might be lighter than the steri pen, especially when you consider charger/cell weight and reliability. I use them when being weight conscious of my gear, and they work well.

I'm jealous of your upcoming ride, and hope to have the time to do it all in one shot someday. Post some pics of your setup as you put it together, and best of luck!
 

frenzy_usa

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Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1
The method I used on my month long tour during the summer of 2016 will add weight but will also make it easier to keep your USB gear charged.

I built two 15v 500mA solar panels and connected them to a 10amp solar charge controller to keep two 12v 7aH batteries charged. With a cigarette lighter (a.k.a 12v power port) connected to the load terminals on the solar charge controller and a USB car charger, I was able to keep every thing but my netbook (mini laptop) fully charged and running.

The solar system was mounted on a trailer with the solar panels on top of everything so they could spend all day recharging the 12v batteries. At night, I'd plug in the USB car charger and recharge my USB gear as needed, including two batteries for my GoPro Hero 4.

As a backup, I had a hub dynamo installed into one of the trailer wheels and packed a GoalZero Nomad 7. I would at least be able to recharge my cell phone if the solar system failed or ran out of power.

I built my own solar panels because commercial 12v panels where too big, didn't generate enough electricity, and/or where heavier than I liked.

Note: I probably didn't need the second battery but I never tested the system without it.
 

angerdan

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Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
290
Location
Europe
18650 flashlight/front headlight
SteriPen
smartphone
charge AA/AAA for the taillight

GPS

I was looking foradvice regarding the lightest setup that will meet these needs. The goal zero stuff looks ok but heavy.
I am guessing thatI need about 14w out of the panel but open to suggestions. And the panel is the heaviest part of this.
Do you know of ultralight (very reliable) panels or a hobbyist setup I should be looking at?
Why don't use a dynamo hub?
https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/index_en.html#dynamo's
https://www.nabendynamo.de/produkte/dynamos_en.html
https://www.bumm.de/en/products/stromversorgung.html
http://www.en.cinq5.de/stromversorgung/plug-iii/

Maybe BLF and other sites can offer additional ideas for solar panels:
http://budgetlightforum.com/comment/1188994#comment-1188994
https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/index_en.html#usb
http://www.cyclingabout.com/awesome...r-supplies-and-batteries-for-bicycle-touring/

Did you start making a list of weight, size/area and power of solar panels?
That's the easiest way, collecting data for comparision.
https://www.ipoweradd.com/collections/solar-panel-usb-charger
http://www.goalzero.com/solar-kits

Also i'd start checking your power consumption. And look for a powerbank to store the energy from the solar panel and distribute it to your devices.

For example:
3W, 3h, 3x week - flashlight
4W, 5h, 7x week - front
headlight
4W, 3h, 5x week - 18650 battery charger
3W, 5h, 7x week - Smartphone
4W, 5h, 5x week - AA/AAA battery charger

1W, 5h, 3x week - GPS
 
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