Solar Sensation

Well, I have finally been able to get my solar panels installed this past week. It was not for lack of trying, however with the help of a friend, we got 'er done. We had delay after delay for one reason or another, and at one point he had a bum shoulder so couldn't lift his arm to do anything. So I borrowed his tools and drilled all of the interior holes myself and ran the wiring. Holes were a cinch - drill down and hope you don't hit anything inbetween. Then I had to cut a hole to flush mount the controller, and my friend could not seem to locate his jigsaw, or other small saws other than a hacksaw blade...so off I went with the drill and drilled several holes around the outline of the cutout, and then sawed my way between the holes. A job that would have taken 5 minutes with a jigsaw took 3 hours. Yes, hours. That is simply because while my mind was full steam ahead to get this shit done, my hands were protesting loudly, so I had to put the tools down every couple of minutes to shake the feeling back into them. I was super glad when my friend could once again use the tools and I could just hand them all to him. It isn't that I am not capable as I have used power tools for years and built a great many things, however the carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands is really being quite an asshole and I drop stuff all the time. It is definitely weird to scratch or touch your own body and not feel it in your fingers. Creepy even. Anyhow, the solar is complete. Now all I need is a really sunny day to test out their speed. It has been mostly cloudy since we installed them. The photos are of our installation and the chaos that reigned while it was happening, complicated each time we had to delay and I had to put it all back into place yet again. The thing about tiny homes is you really know how small it is when things are messy like this. 

I have been using the solar charged batteries since the install quite a bit and have now run them low, so am giving them a break to charge up again. I wanted to try out everything to see what kind of load it can take. I had my laptop going, phone or ipad being charged, and tv on all at the same time and it kept up without issue for hours and hours, despite the grey days. The panels do charge on grey days, but not as fast by any stretch. I reckon on a clear sunny day they could charge up in an hour or so, so we shall see once the sun comes back to us. We are heading into the rainy season here in Victoria. I'm hoping to hold out until after Christmas and then perhaps I might head south for a couple of months in the desert somewhere to escape the rain. That will depend on whether I'm working in Victoria or not. 

So with solar charged batteries and the house battery I should have enough power to run all of my tools to get down to business, literally. I have a printer/scanner, laminator, sewing machine, iron, and my television, which is not really for business although I will probably use it as my computer screen. It's a 24 inch LED tv, so low draw and looks great. 

The last important bit to be completed is a bike rack for the back so I can lock up and carry my bike on the RV. Right now it's locked by my friend's house. I did have it locked to the RV once but then drove off with it stil attached so we don't do that anymore...thankfully I noticed right away and did not wreck my bike. I have some shelves I'd like to install too in the closets, and above the inverter for putting things being charged and my laptop, where I play my shows and movies that output to the tv. 

It's all coming together, and it has been a lot of work, but I am slowly getting there. Stay tuned...