What is the amount of solar energy required to drive a 250 pound cart with a 250 pound person 10 miles? How many square feet of recharged paneling would be required?
If you are willing to go slowly enough, all you need from the solar panel is enough to overcome static friction to get the cart started.
I do know that a cyclist cruising along at a moderate speed (say, 10 miles an hour) is expending about 1/10 horsepower. That’s 80 watts. So on flat ground, a 100-watt panel push them over the 10 miles in an hour. Such a panel, if square, would be 2 to 2.5 feet on a side, if made with typical contemporary materials. If the terrain is more than gently rolling hills, more power would be needed.
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If you are willing to go slowly enough, all you need from the solar panel is enough to overcome static friction to get the cart started.
I do know that a cyclist cruising along at a moderate speed (say, 10 miles an hour) is expending about 1/10 horsepower. That’s 80 watts. So on flat ground, a 100-watt panel push them over the 10 miles in an hour. Such a panel, if square, would be 2 to 2.5 feet on a side, if made with typical contemporary materials. If the terrain is more than gently rolling hills, more power would be needed.
I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:
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References :
Here is an antique table with guidelines as to how much a man or a horse can draw in a cart at various speeds: http://books.google.com/books?id=rZh-AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA200&lpg=RA3-PA200&dq=handbook+animal+power+10+hours+a+day&source=bl&ots=BOU3rcG0a3&sig=ty3ilPWVesQ52VB7skx4-Jc6H8U&hl=en&ei=nxafSo3nEIKUtgfPlZQB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
On a flat road, you could get away with maybe 1/10 HP, and go 3 mph.
On rails, you could carry 10 times as much weight.
A barge on a canal, 50 times as much.
Allowing for losses, that’s about a 100-watt panel in strong sunlight.
If there is any uphill, that’s an entirely different matter.
References :