For a hot week in August folks gathered in DeRidder, LA to learn and build portable solar units to be used both in blue skies and in disaster situations. Rev. Jerry Egbert and Boksoon Egbert hosted a crew of eager learners from across the coast. At the end of the week, one complete unit was taken away on the back of a pickup truck and delivered to Grand Bayou. Other units are in the making and will be delivered to Sulphur, DeQuincy, and the SE Bayou area.
An answer to the need for user-friendly mobile solar energy generation and power storage relies on readily available and storable off-the-shelf equipment, designed by Dr. Jack Martin. He has been an active researcher and lecturer leading national electric vehicle initiatives and advancing environmentally sustainable design at several universities and associations over a number of decades. Through the Lowlander Center, a workshop was recently held to assemble prototypes to be used in the coastal region of Louisiana. With years of experience designing solar power systems, and finding today’s market able to supply panels and batteries at a more competitive price, “Sustainable Jack” is training and assisting communities to acquire, assemble, transport and operate ten-panel rack-mounted systems, that can be partially disassembled, transported on a standard pickup truck and reassembled to operating condition the same day.
This set of components consist of a 3 kW off-grid inverter that provides 3000W output with 5000 W PV input from ten (10) 530W monocrystalline bi-facial panels having a maximum of 645W with bifacial gain. Two 48V lithium server rack batteries to back up the solar energy produced. (143 Hours of life for 100w use per hour). The total cost for inverter, two batteries and ten solar panels is approximately $4,700. The custom- designed rack costs about $1,500, in part due to the ease of build/rebuild; this cost will lower as the design is refined. With one trained person guiding the work, about four more individuals are needed to complete assembly.
The solar team!