gas/solar/hho hybrid

[dswareagle]

so i was thinking about having my van or any car being covered with solar panels maybe even the rollable kind that are flexible and damage resistant and using that to power your hho system reducing the strain on the alternator and therefore the motor making everything it more efficient has anyone ever done this? besides the rv guy? or maybe just using the panels to help take the load off the alternator? could u even intergrate solar panels into a cars electrical system?

[BioFarmer93]

so i was thinking about having my van or any car being covered with solar panels maybe even the rollable kind that are flexible and damage resistant and using that to power your hho system reducing the strain on the alternator and therefore the motor making everything it more efficient has anyone ever done this? besides the rv guy? or maybe just using the panels to help take the load off the alternator? could u even intergrate solar panels into a cars electrical system?

STOP STOP!! You're giving me goosebumps!:eek::D

[dswareagle]

STOP STOP!! You're giving me goosebumps!:eek::D

im not sure if this is a good or bad comments also gus i am totally at a loss when it comes to your unipolar theory... could you perhaps school me? also this punch 5.0 that is damn near zero current leakage how the hell are the collecting gas from edge of the plates instead of sides like everyone else does?

[BioFarmer93]

That was definitely a good comment! I think about doing that a lot and take it a little farther as well.. Unipolar is just another (old tech) way to electrically arrange your cells. Instead of a +nnnnnn-nnnnnn+ arrangement, you arrange them like this (not visually accurate, but functionally accurate)
+[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]- You can have any number of plates (has to be more than one ;) even or odd) in a group (within reason) to target a specific amperage range, but the number has to be the same for each group. For instance, I used 7 groups of 5 plates each, +[+-+-+]_[+-+-+]_[+-+-+]... and so on. Seven groups divide's 13.8V to just under 2V per group just like a 7 cell bipolar reactor divides 13.8V to just under 2V per cell. Here is a better visual if it helps.. http://www.hhoforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1533&d=1270397754

As for the Punch.... Beseball been bery bery good to me... Punch? I don no...:D

[dswareagle]

That was definitely a good comment! I think about doing that a lot and take it a little farther as well.. Unipolar is just another (old tech) way to electrically arrange your cells. Instead of a +nnnnnn-nnnnnn+ arrangement, you arrange them like this (not visually accurate, but functionally accurate)
+[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]_[- +]_[+ -]- You can have any number of plates (has to be more than one ;) even or odd) in a group (within reason) to target a specific amperage range, but the number has to be the same for each group. For instance, I used 7 groups of 5 plates each, +[+-+-+]_[+-+-+]_[+-+-+]... and so on. Seven groups divide's 13.8V to just under 2V per group just like a 7 cell bipolar reactor divides 13.8V to just under 2V per cell. Here is a better visual if it helps.. http://www.hhoforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1533&d=1270397754

As for the Punch.... Beseball been bery bery good to me... Punch? I don no...:D


ok so color me retarded... where the electrolyzers are in series how can it reverse polarity while still in the same line............

in regards to punch... his slim cell seems to be sealed all the way around with only a small break on the sides for water in and gas out how is he doing this does it even make that big a difference?

so gas being 4 bucks a gallon and 92 dollars to fill my van has renewed my desire to rig my car a 1999 chevy astro 6cyl i was thinking just a 8x8 21 plate 3 stack pulling about 20 amps or so would be ok for that what do you think?

[BioFarmer93]

ok so color me retarded... where the electrolyzers are in series how can it reverse polarity while still in the same line............

in regards to punch... his slim cell seems to be sealed all the way around with only a small break on the sides for water in and gas out how is he doing this does it even make that big a difference?

so gas being 4 bucks a gallon and 92 dollars to fill my van has renewed my desire to rig my car a 1999 chevy astro 6cyl i was thinking just a 8x8 21 plate 3 stack pulling about 20 amps or so would be ok for that what do you think?

So color me retarded also- I don't know, it just does - because that is how my first system was built and it worked well.. BUT it also works just as well if you add one more group to it to make it "right".

Punch? Can't comment, never took one apart.. Sorry.

4.3L 6 cylinder, so about 2lpm.. Better figure closer to 30A. Don't forget to budget in the electronics.

[dswareagle]

hey gus check out this link you can get solar panels for 83 cents per watt cheapest i can find would only cost about 240 to power a cell if im thinking that 290 watts http://www.dmsolar.com/solar-module-1141.html

[Shane Jackson]

If you are wanting to do this your best bet would be to skip the solar and just install LiFePO4's big enough to give you your current for 2x your normal commute. Then charge via grid at home.

There are several issues with trying to use solar panels as you are thinking. The ones you pointed out are rigid and weigh in at 26lbs each. By the time you mount 2 of them you are going to be pushing 70lbs with associated hardware. Then you have wind resistance.... not to mention the added risk of damage..... a rock anyone. Then figure in your conversion losses... what if your driving at night or a cloudy day.....

I'm not against solar, in fact I am in the middle of installing a large array at my house.

[BioFarmer93]

hey gus check out this link you can get solar panels for 83 cents per watt cheapest i can find would only cost about 240 to power a cell if im thinking that 290 watts http://www.dmsolar.com/solar-module-1141.html

Very sweet,
That's .06 cents a watt less than the best price I've seen from Sun Electronics on those style panels. Shane makes a good point about the drag and weight. It only really works out if you have a high drag heavy (old) vehicle to start with and are willing to fair the panels into the roof with foam and fiberglass. You would also need a semi-custom little piece of electronics to manage the over voltage of the panels and convert it to amps, or a separate dedicated battery to "clamp" the panel voltage- with the added weight penalty.

[dswareagle]

well as you know i drive and astro van so i have plenty of room on the roof :) but i was just suggesting as a possibility i would love to have one on my room and use excess to make hydrogen fuel for a car that would be the bomb

[aceras624]

wind resistance isnt that big of a deal. not like theyre gonna be standing up :) I love the idea of using solar panels on a car! voltage regulators and ampmeter and switches are KEY. cutting out part of the roof and replacing it with solar panels would resolve, weight/wind resistance issues :) ive always wanted to do this but my Escape is too pretty :)

[BioFarmer93]

well as you know i drive and astro van so i have plenty of room on the roof :) but i was just suggesting as a possibility i would love to have one on my room and use excess to make hydrogen fuel for a car that would be the bomb

HEEHEEheehee...:D;) If you did it wrong it WOULD be the "bomb!":eek:

[dswareagle]

wind resistance isnt that big of a deal. not like theyre gonna be standing up :) I love the idea of using solar panels on a car! voltage regulators and ampmeter and switches are KEY. cutting out part of the roof and replacing it with solar panels would resolve, weight/wind resistance issues :) ive always wanted to do this but my Escape is too pretty :)

shoot man polycrystaline is the new carbon fiber it would look sexy

[hhoconnection]

One of the things on my eventual to-do list would be to incorporate my peel and stick solar panel to an HHO system. I was thinking that it could be inside my car like in my windshield when it is parked, blocking the sun and charging a battery in the trunk. Check out the video made on using it for charging camera batteries in the field:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MSAcwElDV_s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[aceras624]

careful dude, if you just let it charge and charge, the battery will get HOT and go BOOM!!!!

I think youd be better off using the solar cells when youre driving(not in the front window of course). that would take some stress off your altenator and give you a few more MPG beacause the alternator would kick on less frequently and not rob the engine of up to 17 Hp

[aceras624]

ya know what else would be great, if you park in a driveway at home, plugging the solar panels into the house and an inverter to generate electricity to be fed back into your home/grid.


Just dont pull away while its plugged in :)

[aceras624]

holy crap dude! just loked up those stick it panels. theyre like 1200 bucks?!?!? it priceyto be flexible ;)

[BioFarmer93]

careful dude, if you just let it charge and charge, the battery will get HOT and go BOOM!!!!

I think youd be better off using the solar cells when youre driving(not in the front window of course). that would take some stress off your altenator and give you a few more MPG beacause the alternator would kick on less frequently and not rob the engine of up to 17 Hp

Ace,
When Mike is describing the set up he just "threw together" in the box, he says one of the items in there is a MorningStar "battery controller".. I'm pretty sure he meant to say "charge controller" since MorningStar is well know in the industry for their affordable lower amperage solar charge controllers. It is an essentially mandatory little piece of hardware that keeps batt's from going "BOOM!" :eek: