Plug-In Hybrid Electrical Vehicle - PHEV

This is obviously not a Prius but check this stuff out after you read about the Prius.

Nothing has been confirmed by Toyota but news is spreading that the 2009 Toyota Prius might have a solar panel sunroof. A few sources have called this a PR stunt. I have no idea why this would be considered a PR stunt considering RVs have been using solar panels for years.

White Horse RV Center was kind enough to transfer me to their service department. Pete was kind enough to spend a few minutes on the phone with me going over the solar panels on RVs. He told me that they have been using solar panels on RVs since the early 90's. Pete said that they have were designed to keep the batteries charged while your RV or Motor Home is in storage.

Obviously the batteries that help power your Prius are a bit different than the batteries that start up your RV or Motor Home. However, anything that can help generate power without the use of fossil fuels or mineral fuels is what we need. Maybe just maybe, Toyota figured it out during a killer brainstorming session during a corporate retreat. You never know.

Before this discussion with a co-worker I had no idea RVs had solar panels and after a little browsing I found some impressive solar panels you can buy for your RV. Now we just need to figure out how to get two 50 ft panels mounted on a PRIUS.

Check out these solar panels and what they provide for green RV owners. If you or anyone you know have anything like this installed on their RV we would love to hear how well they actually work.

THE SUNRISE

The Sunrise mobile solar kit is compact and simple to install. Provide basic DC power for lighting, laptop computer and water pumping. It can provide up to 325 watts in 5 hours of sunshine.

1 Kyocera KC85 watt solar panel
1 Set of flush mount panel mounts for roof
1 Sunsaver SS-6-L-12
50' 10/2 flat wire 50' roll

All for just $575, plus shipping!

THE SUNDANCER

The Sundancer is a powerful solar kit that can provide over 600 watts DC per day* from a powerful mitsubishi 120 watt panel and is expandable to double the amount of power.

1 Mitsubishi 120 solar panel
1 Set of flush mount panel mounts for roof
1 Morningstar PS15M charge controller
50' 10/2 flat wire 50' roll

Pay only $860, plus shipping. Add a second 120 watt panel and mounting for $600

THE TWO SUNS

The two suns solar kit can provide over 650 watts per day* from powerful Kyocera Solar panels and run up to 1,500 watts of AC equipment on-board for all the comforts of home on the road.

2 Kyocera KC85 watt solar panels
2 Sets of flush mount panel mounts for roof
1 Morningstar PS15M charge controller
50' 10/2 flat wire 50' roll
1 Magnum ME-2012 & remote control
1 Set of 15' x 4/0 inverter cables
1 300 amp battery / inverter fuse block

A great sale price of $2,545, plus shipping.

You can see the panels here: http://www.wholesalesolar.com/RV.html

You must take a few minutes and check out www.wojack.net. Once you get there go to the left menu and click on Our Solar System.

It is an interesting site that talks about solar panels and RVs.

Wojack.net also talks about "Boondockers". I think this means RV travelers that travel without the need to park inside a full hook up RV park. They manage with just their solar energy systems. Take a look at this site. I think you will find it interesting considering this has been going on for years.

http://www.wojack.net/Our%20Solar%20System/OUR_SOLAR_SYSTEM.HTM

Labels: 2009 prius, boondockers, solar panel sunroof, solar panels