Solar Golf carts?

[Lihu]

Solar assisted charging anyway. . .

http://www.saferwholesale.com/200-Watt-Powerful-Solar-Golf-Cart-Charger-p/gsi-200wsolarcharger.htm?vfsku=GSI.200wSolarCharger&Click=35179&vfsku=GSI.200wSolarCharger&gpla=pla&gclid=CNm9tpOmz9ECFc-Eswodm1QGiw

 

Not sure how practical this is in many parts of the country, but it might have a chance in the Southwest.

 

 

[Papa Steve 55]

Not throwing any money at that stock just yet....

[dennyjones]

Wouldn't work in Michigan.   Gotta have sun!

We had 66 sunny days last year.

Edited January 19, 2017 by dennyjones

[Lihu]

7 minutes ago, Papa Steve 55 said:

Not throwing any money at that stock just yet....

Yeah, slightly lower volumes than Tesla.

 

4 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Wouldn't work in Michigan.   Gotta have sun!

True, I would think it would be more for the Southwestern users.

 

Solar is not all that high yield at this point in time. The rule of thumb yield is about 1kW per m^2. Getting below $0.50 per m^2 is also a desirable goal. When that happens it will make more sense to do solar for stuff like this.

 

[jamo]

32 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Wouldn't work in Michigan.   Gotta have sun!

We had 66 sunny days last year.

I'd imagine that matters a little less than you'd expect. People are much more likely to play golf when it's sunny. No one's playing at night, or in the winter.

I imagine it would still have to have a typical golf cart battery, for the cloudy days, but on sunny days you just wouldn't have to charge it. Sounds like it could work to me in principle. 

[SavvySwede]

Pretty pointless if you ask me. Put the solar panels on top of the cart storage barn and hook them up to a proper charging plug. Charging a battery while it is in use is not as good for the life of the battery compared to a proper recharging.

[Denny Bang Bang]

When I ride, I definitely prefer the electric carts.  I hate inhaling the exhaust from gas carts.  With solar & battery technology continuing to improve, it only makes to start considering solar powered carts where it makes sense (whether the cart itself, or the charging stations utilize solar panels).

I'm all for it

[Patch]

If it's viable, definately a southwestern deal in the states. We get 300 plus days of sun out here. Not sure I would use solar panels on a golf cart though. Not enough ROI. 

Most likely it  would be better to mount a bunch on the roof of the barn, and the club house to charge a bank of batteries. Install enough batteries to power an inverter to run the whole complex. No power bill to speak of. 

We sometimes go boondocking and run everything off solar paneis and a wind generator. 

[WUTiger]

Where would these work best? Look for cities in the US which have a high number of what the aviation industry class "clear flying days." For example, areas of Southwest Oklahoma have about 330 clear flying days a year.

[Patch]

If it's viable, definately a southwestern deal in the states. We get 300 plus days of sun out here. Not sure I would use solar panels on a golf cart though. Not enough ROI. 

Most likely it  would be better to mount a bunch on the roof of the barn, and the club house to charge a bank of batteries. Install enough batteries to power an inverter to run the whole complex. No power bill to speak of. 

On another note. Most golf courses have a lot of shade trees. I usually don't park in the sun on hotter days. The shaded areas won't stop the panels from working, but they also won't be working at 100% either. 

We sometimes go boondocking and run everything off solar paneis and a wind generator. 

[boogielicious]

11 hours ago, jamo said:

I'd imagine that matters a little less than you'd expect. People are much more likely to play golf when it's sunny. No one's playing at night, or in the winter.

I imagine it would still have to have a typical golf cart battery, for the cloudy days, but on sunny days you just wouldn't have to charge it. Sounds like it could work to me in principle. 

My Mom installed solar and it generates even on cloudy days and some even when it rains. So the cart would still be charging. If they improve the efficiency of the panels, it could work well. 

[Zeph]

11 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Pretty pointless if you ask me. Put the solar panels on top of the cart storage barn and hook them up to a proper charging plug. Charging a battery while it is in use is not as good for the life of the battery compared to a proper recharging.

It could be charging while the cart is not moving, which is quite a few minutes every round.

[Lihu]

6 hours ago, boogielicious said:

My Mom installed solar and it generates even on cloudy days and some even when it rains. So the cart would still be charging. If they improve the efficiency of the panels, it could work well. 

Efficiency has been going up a lot, but will likely max out at somewhere less than 330W/m^2. Which would be pretty good, actually.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell_efficiency

[SavvySwede]

6 hours ago, Zeph said:

It could be charging while the cart is not moving, which is quite a few minutes every round.

If they put put the panels on the cart barn they could provide power all day. Dividing that up onto the roof of each carts means more weight and more maintenance for each individual unit.

[MRR]

I question the need for panels on the carts anywhere.  As SavvySwede pointed out, that's not really the best way to charge.

This isn't a think relegated to the southwest, though.  There's a new course in the snow-belt of western New York that is, AFAIK, 100% solar.

http://www.parkviewgc.com/

[Lihu]

3 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

If they put put the panels on the cart barn they could provide power all day. Dividing that up onto the roof of each carts means more weight and more maintenance for each individual unit.

The one drawback of the roof on the barn method is that requires that the carts are charging while it's sunny outside.

 

[SavvySwede]

1 minute ago, Lihu said:

The one drawback of the roof on the barn method is that requires that the carts are charging while it's sunny outside.

 

Most courses have plenty of carts in the barn during operating hours. Some rotate in as others go out. The course can also use the power for something else. Doesn't really matter where the power goes so long as it is used. Batteries are also an becoming a viable option thanks to Tesla.

[Patch]

11 minutes ago, Lihu said:

The one drawback of the roof on the barn method is that requires that the carts are charging while it's sunny outside.

With solar panels on the barn, the carts are still being charged with solar panels while in the barn. I don't use a cart that often, but I have never had one die on me due to dead batteries.