With the world’s focus on sustainable energy, many in the food service industry have also started to invest in the use of solar panels. Nowadays, it is not surprising that we see solar panels being used on food trucks again. Below we will introduce you to the questions related to the use of solar panels on food trucks.
Can solar panels power a food truck?
Yes, but in addition to the solar panels, it is necessary to install an inverter and a battery charge controller because the electricity generated by the solar panels is direct current. Most of the electrical appliances can’t be used, but with the inverter and battery charge controller installed, no matter you want to charge the food truck battery or power the oven or coffee maker, you can do it.
Types of food truck solar panels
Fixed solar panel; Fixed solar panel is just like its name, it is the solar panel fixed on the food truck to use, it can choose rigid solar panel or flexible solar panel. It is more stable while working and since there is no other movable device, fixed solar panels are more wind resistant. However, because the solar panels are fixed, the angle of sunlight is different at different times, the solar panels may not be able to get the maximum amount of sunlight and the power generation efficiency will be reduced. It is suitable for large food trucks which have places to fix the solar panels, like the roof or the side of the truck can be fixed solar panels.
Portable Solar Panels: Can’t small food trucks use solar panels if they don’t have a place to attach them? No. Portable solar panels can solve this problem for small food trucks. Portable solar panels reduce the installation cost, can be placed directly on the sunny places will be food truck power supply, generally rigid solar panels, the use of the process should be careful not to let the solar panels appear bump phenomenon.
How many solar panels do I need for my food truck?
1. Calculate the energy consumption of the food truck: the basic equipment of your food truck to estimate the energy consumption, you can check the rated power of each device. For example: lighting at 50 watts to 100 watts, microwave ovens at about 1000 watts, ovens and fryers need more than 2000 watts of support. The specific top power rating of the equipment also needs to be related to the number of equipment and the brand. You can calculate according to the following formula.
Theoretical Daily Energy Consumption = Total Wattage of Equipment * Hours of Operation
2. Check your average peak sunlight hours: The amount of electricity that solar panels can produce is highly related to the amount of sunlight. Peak sunlight hours vary from region to region and from season to season. However, it is unlikely that you can change the number of solar panels by knowing the peak sunlight hours every day. You can use the average peak sunshine hours to roughly estimate the number of solar panels.
3. Estimating solar losses: Even if you already know the energy consumption of your food truck in relation to the average peak sunshine hours. But don’t forget to consider solar losses as well. In the solar panels to convert solar energy into electricity will have photovoltaic conversion rate, usually in 15% to 25%. Inverters converting DC to AC also do not have a 100% conversion rate. In addition to this, there is the shaded area, orientation of the solar panels, ambient temperature, and humidity to consider. Considering these factors it is more reliable to add a buffer of about 15% to your solar panels. Calculation formula: approximate actual daily energy consumption = theoretical daily energy consumption * (100% + 15%)
The range of energy required for your food truck is between the theoretical daily energy consumption and the approximate actual daily energy consumption.
4. Calculate the number of solar panels: Solar panels are more commonly used with a power of 300 to 500 watts. To calculate the number of solar panels you need to calculate the maximum and minimum values for the number of solar panels. Choose between the two. You can refer to the formula below.
Maximum number of solar panels = approximate actual daily energy consumption / solar panel power
Minimum number of solar panels = theoretical daily energy consumption / solar panel power
Choosing the number of solar panels within this range will minimize the need to increase or decrease the number of solar panels for your later use.
Benefits of using solar panels in food trucks
Convenient power consumption: solar panels can generate power as long as there is sunlight, realizing power independence. No need to worry about the power supply problem.
Saving operating costs: Compared with the use of grid power, solar power as long as there is an initial investment cost, no cost for later operation. Only sunlight can be used. And general cleaning of solar panels can be done by yourself.
Reduced Carbon Footprint: Solar energy is a renewable energy source, and the use of solar power to power food trucks reduces the use of fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases.
Precautions for using solar panels on food trucks
Placement of the food truck: The placement of the food truck will not only affect the flow of customers, but also affect the power generation efficiency of the solar panels. But in the summer time will be more trouble, in the more sunny place is hotter, affecting the guests’ appetite, but you can use solar panels to charge the food truck during the day, and then place the food truck to the place with more traffic in the evening, so as to effectively avoid the high temperature can be charged to the solar panels, but the problem of less traffic. Or you can choose to install solar panels in places where the amount of sunlight is low, and the solar panels can generate electricity for the basic use of the food truck.
Budget Cost: Cost is the biggest issue when choosing to install solar panels to power your food truck. If your budget cost is low, you can reduce your budget by choosing a secondary brand or used solar panels. If your budget cost is enough to bear the expenses, you can choose the first-class brand solar panels, such as Jinko, JAsolar, LONGi,Trina and so on.
Summarize
Although the initial cost of solar power for food trucks is high, in the process of long-term use, solar power obviously reduces the investment in electricity, and brings greater economic benefits for the owner of the food truck.
