umj goes green

Well, not really. I can't convert UMJ to biodeisel, much as I would like to, because it has a gas engine. Our (UMJ's and mine) dependency on the oil industry won't be ending anytime soon. But we took a step today towards green power: I bought solar panels to run the event-related accessories!

During events I run a bubble machine, lights and a computer. I've been running them off the cigarette lighter when the car is running, and off a battery charger (the kind the AAA guy uses to jump start your car) when it isn't. This has more or less worked up until now. But even with two inverters I'm pushing the limits of available power -- I've blown a fuse in UMJ more than once -- and I've been wanting to add more accessories that draw electricity. Clearly I need another power source.

Well today I met Nod, an art car guy of whom I've been aware for several years, but have never had the chance to really talk with him before. He's a really interesting guy, and by the end of our great conversation I had bought two solar panels and a controller from him. He has the exact same setup in his van, and had bought the additional panels so he could double his power, but eventually decided he didn't need it. He showed me how he built a frame to house the solar panels on the roof of his car and connected them to two deep cycle batteries. He sends the electricity through a big inverter (bigger than I'd ever seen before) and with those two panels he can power his computer, lights, a cooling system for the van to keep his cat cool (yes, his cat travels with him to art car events. That's how cool this guy is) and even a fridge!

The thought of unlimited power for all my accessories was more than I could pass up. No more lugging that charger up to hotel rooms to recharge it overnight; no more worrying about overloading the charger blowing a fuse; no more running out of power in the middle of an event. Just thinking about it has me all excited. With solar power I could run accessories all the time, not just at events. I want to make a housing for them out of fiberglass, that looks like waves so it fits in with the car, and has a space below the panels for the bubble machine. That description probably makes no sense but I can see it in my head. I've been thinking for a long time about getting into fiberglass, to make a better mount for the bubble machine and add some height to the roof at the same time.

Anyway, this is all a bit (or rather, a lot) over my current skill level. I hope I can make it work and I'm really looking forward to learning how. Nod said he would mail me instructions & also the solar panel manufacturer has a website with a lot of help.