Playa Power Systems

Since I and my friends have so many devices that require batteries, in 2007 I started constructing my own
photovoltaic systems to run my stuff and keep everyone's batteries charged. At first I ran just my trailer, then the Motorhome, and eventually to run the entire camp and our 'lounge'. I started with 3 big (old) industrial PV panels and for 2007 I mounted them on the roof of the camper shell on my truck. I then connected the system to my travel trailer:

	The first step was to install a roof rack on my new shell. Later, when I moved the panels to the RV, I used the exact same mounting system and spacing. That allows me to use the same rack on both vehicles.
	Next up was to mount the railings to the rack while on the truck to make sure the clearances were correct, then the panels were mounted on the railings. They still need to be wired to the power outlet. This is a view of the backside of the panels.
	Here's a mostly front-view of the array. 2 of the panes are in between the roof rails and the third is suspended in front, somewhat over the cab.
	You can see a side of the panels up on the truck and the power cord running into the trailer. Inside was the charge controller.
	In 2008, I purchased a motor home and moved the panels to a rack on top:
	I used a screw from the door and a bit of tape to keep things in place.
	Here I am up on the roof with the very dusty panels. I still use these just for the RV.

My ultimate goal for the RV is to install a permanent (smaller/better) solar panel and charge controller and a bridge device to keep the rig battery charged too.

Here's was my setup for 2008:

	These are the electronics and battery housed in a small cooler that I intended to use as a stand-alone system. For 2008, I used the cooler case system to run the lights we had for the stage in the bar. The battery was charged by a converter from the main bar generator, and it could be charged from a 5 watt solar panel.
	A closer look inside showing the charge controller and the power buss. This box was completed in August of 2006. I then pulled the controller for mounting on the travel trailer. I later switched the battery to a 12 volt 36 amp hour gel pack I picked up and used the cooler box for the lounge lights in our camp. It also provided a second place for people to recharge their own battery powered items.
	These are the LED lights I built for the stage in the bar. The lights are super bright 3 watt fixtures made from cans, strips of metal, and a shelf rail. The gels were held on with plastic dog food lids with the centers cut out.
	Here's the system lit up at night. With the colored gels, it looked exactly like a professional stage. The power pack ran both the stage and the lights on the outside sign of the bar.

Using Solar Power to run our Camp:

In 2009 I ran many of the lights on our lounge and chill space from 90 watts of solar power. Many lights were added throughout the lounge that ran only off of the solar panels. I re-strung LED christmas lights to run on 12 volts and used hi-output LEDs for more lighting.

There were an additional 3 panels and battery running the lights in our common space.

These images show our solar panels and charger for 2009. The first cooler contains 3 deep-cycle batteries. The second cooler had a single battery and was connected to 3 separate panels that ran the lights in our common area. These will be combined into a single system and expanded for 2010.

2010:

In 2010 I'm expanding the array to 12 panels in a 4 by 9 foot configuration. The panels will generate 180 watts of power to charge 6 deep-cycle batteries. With careful management, this should generate most of the power we will need for our bar and commons space, making us one of the greenest camps on the playa!

This year many of the light fixtures will be made from found items and re purposed materials. I am hoping to run the Lounge sound system from solar so we will not need to run a generator at all during the day. At night we still have additional 110 volt lighting that would not be able to be run from the batteries at their current planned capacities.

This is the start of the rack for holding 12 panels for a total of 180 watts of power. The small cleats hold the panels to the steel frames. It will sit on a 5 foot tall stand and tilted 35 degrees.

Below are photos taken while building the stand and combining the rack to the base. The rack sits on top of a large steel tube and outriggers extend to each corner for support. The steel tube has a thrust ring inside and sits over an aluminum pipe anchored to the ground on 6 foot legs. I love to weld stuff!