Adding solar to an old on grid homestead

[viking]

This is what surprised me, due to having two panels per series we often get over 80 volts and even when they are partially shaded it hasn't effected the overall output, I'm glad AM Solar told me about having panels with more output voltage than you need for charging the battery bank, MPPT solar controllers do a wonderful job of using those higher voltages to charge even when it's cloudy and rainy, I've seen our system still be charging even when the sun is about to set. If I can help it, I will never buy solar panels that put out voltages that are barely over what the batteries need for charging, years ago we bought a small panel I mounted on the motor home shed to keep the batteries topped off and it failed because the output wasn't enough and batteries died.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Last night I finished (using the parts I already had) making a small (1000 watt/200 Ah) battery/inverter box just to see how it all fits together. I was thinking of my mechanic days when I had a large roll of 00 cable for making custom battery cables with, I miss that... After I finished testing (using jumper cables), everything worked as it should including the temperature controlled whole box fan that I rigged up; then the amp meter and battery monitor arrived who delivers at 10PM? Anyway I opened the package and found that the small wires to power the meter are 6" long, so now I need some small wire and small wire connectors..... But I am close to being able to set it out by my solar charge controller and then it can power the lights at my growing station. The tub that I used is clear so I can see the temperature and other readings without opening the box, but it is also very light and I don't think it would stay together if you tried to lift it with the batteries in there. FYI my old deep charge batteries are holding a 12.5 V charge (each) so they will be okay for initial use.... I'm glad I don't have to spend that money right now....

 

[Biggkidd]

Last night I finished (using the parts I already had) making a small (1000 watt/200 Ah) battery/inverter box just to see how it all fits together. I was thinking of my mechanic days when I had a large roll of 00 cable for making custom battery cables with, I miss that... After I finished testing (using jumper cables), everything worked as it should including the temperature controlled whole box fan that I rigged up; then the amp meter and battery monitor arrived who delivers at 10PM? Anyway I opened the package and found that the small wires to power the meter are 6" long, so now I need some small wire and small wire connectors..... But I am close to being able to set it out by my solar charge controller and then it can power the lights at my growing station. The tub that I used is clear so I can see the temperature and other readings without opening the box, but it is also very light and I don't think it would stay together if you tried to lift it with the batteries in there. FYI my old deep charge batteries are holding a 12.5 V charge (each) so they will be okay for initial use.... I'm glad I don't have to spend that money right now....

Might want to go ahead and spend the money NOW as prices only have one direction these days!

 

[UrbanHunter]

Might want to go ahead and spend the money NOW as prices only have one direction these days!

Yep, if money were available I would go for it.... But I have to pick and choose, I can buy a couple of solar panels, a good charge controller, or some good batteries.... The key work is OR, I find trying to figure out what the priorities should be can be one of the biggest problems to face someone who want's to be prepared.... I find that this is often the problem that results in that Deer in the Headlights inaction.....

 

[UrbanHunter]

Okay, I finally put the box together and turned it on... I even took a quick picture to share, on the left is the 12V panel with USB chargers, in the middle top/left is the load meter (they say it will learn the battery bank and be able to tell you the state of charge), in the middle right is temperature sensor and fan control (the temp is 73.9F and the set point for the fan is 90F), the little inverter is on the far right (the temp sensor is taped to it), in this picture it is powering the room lights.
There are 3 fuses 1 for the whole box (100A), a 5A one for the instruments, and a 30A for the 12V plug... The battery pack is just an old pair of 12V-29DCs

 

[Biggkidd]

One thing I try and keep in mind is solar panels a charge controller and an inverter with one working battery can power one heck of a lot during the day and MAY even be able to work without a battery.

Our house is currently powered with just 2400 watts worth of panels even though I have another 3600 that aren't yet hooked up. My point being you CAN do a lot with a little if you apply a little common sense!

I spent several hours today looking at batteries and battery specs. Mostly what I learned is the way I treat my batteries is why they last so long. I seldom let them get over 15% discharged which really increases the lifespan!

 

[Hardcalibres]

Might want to go ahead and spend the money NOW as prices only have one direction these days!

Since virtually all the parts people use in solar power systems are made in China, it is also worth considering the possibility that it may be unavailable at any price.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/eco...a/news-story/1bb382dfe071b4170fcc04ccc10f74ea

And China’s thermal coal inventory – which is used to generate electricity – is at a record low.

China’s total coal inventory is at 11.31 million tonnes, according to South China Morning Post. That’s only enough to meet demand for only about two weeks.

The power outages are threatening to further disrupt strained global supply chains for semiconductors and other vital goods, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Goldman Sachs estimated that as much as 44 per cent of China’s industrial activity had been impacted. It lowered its annual economic growth forecast for China

 

[Biggkidd]

We need to face facts. We are about to see a near perfect storm with everything going on in the world.

 

[Biggkidd]

Another thing I just thought about UrbanHunter is the use of a battery desulfator. I have one I bought some years ago I need to repair a solder point on. It did seem to work and help bring several (16) IIRC batteries back to use before the wire's solder melted out... It was / is a whizbang brand from at least a decade ago.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Another thing I just thought about UrbanHunter is the use of a battery desulfator. I have one I bought some years ago I need to repair a solder point on. It did seem to work and help bring several (16) IIRC batteries back to use before the wire's solder melted out... It was / is a whizbang brand from at least a decade ago.

Some of the NOCO brand battery chargers have desulfation mode:

https://www.batterymart.com/p-gen1-noco-genius-battery-charger.html
I have had NOCO mains powered chargers for about ten years now, and I wouldn't buy any other brand now.

 

[Alaskajohn]

Since virtually all the parts people use in solar power systems are made in China, it is also worth considering the possibility that it may be unavailable at any price.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/eco...a/news-story/1bb382dfe071b4170fcc04ccc10f74ea

And Alaska has abundant and easily accessible clean coal. But the American Marxist and progressives put road blocks at every step making it hard to sell to them or to anyone else. So, are we going to sell it to them, or will they need to take steps to take it from us or someone else who has it? I almost feel like we have a target on our backs.

 

[Hardcalibres]

And Alaska has abundant and easily accessible clean coal. But the American Marxist and progressives put road blocks at every step making it hard to sell to them or to anyone else. So, are we going to sell it to them, or will they need to take steps to take it from us or someone else who has it? I almost feel like we have a target on our backs.

Yep - India, Indonesia and Australia all have the resources that China needs too.

People forget that Japan attacked the US just because they saw no alternative to invading SE Asia to take the resources they needed (back then it was oil from Borneo and rubber from the Malay peninsula). They attacked Pearl Harbor because they knew the US would not standby while the Philippines was over-run and in the hope that destruction of the Pacific fleet would discourage the US from coming to the rescue.

That series of historic events all sounds concerningly familiar and seems parallel to what we see today.

The more desperate that China's situation becomes and the weaker the US seems, the more dangerous things get.

 

[Neb]

And Alaska has abundant and easily accessible clean coal. But the American Marxist and progressives put road blocks at every step making it hard to sell to them or to anyone else. So, are we going to sell it to them, or will they need to take steps to take it from us or someone else who has it? I almost feel like we have a target on our backs.

Coal

Now you are talking my language.

Stand back! I have a coal seam and I am not afraid to use it.



Ben

 

[Aerindel]

All my systems are designed to be fully portable

So what is the 'foundation' of these systems, are we talking a cart type thing? Pelican case? How are they put together as a 'system' rather than just a collection of parts that can be moved and assembled.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Another thing I just thought about UrbanHunter is the use of a battery desulfator. I have one I bought some years ago I need to repair a solder point on. It did seem to work and help bring several (16) IIRC batteries back to use before the wire's solder melted out... It was / is a whizbang brand from at least a decade ago.

I had one on order but it got "lost" on the way here... It almost got here and then something must have ate it... Got a refund but it didn't help me much...

 

[Hardcalibres]

So what is the 'foundation' of these systems, are we talking a cart type thing? Pelican case? How are they put together as a 'system' rather than just a collection of parts that can be moved and assembled.

To me, it makes sense to put the batteries in boxes that:

• Protect the battery while in use and during transport
• Have a master switch that can turn the whole thing off and not allow any current leakage/parasitic load over time. Note that if you plug a battery permanently to a controller, it will always be sucking some load out of the battery
• Have multiple plug inlets/outlets that include USB (5V), Cigarette lighter, 50A Anderson and 175A Anderson - to allow them to run the widest range of loads and also accept power inputs from the controller via 50A Anderson
• Have overload/fuse/breaker protection in case something goes wrong with anything plugged into the box - mine have manually reset-able breakers rather than sacrificial fuses
• Have some sort of battery level meter to show state of charge/discharge

Each of my battery boxes have a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery with two USB, two Cigarette lighter, four 50A Anderson and one 175A Anderson inlet/outlets.

The next part of the system is inline power meters - which should have 50A Anderson plugs so they can measure power/current into and out of the battery - and indicate the voltage of the feed. I also have MT50 remote meters that can both monitor the performance of the controller and also act as an interface through which to set the controller parameters.

The inverter should be separate to the battery box so the factory cooling for that unit can get free access to air - the inverter should be run off the 175A Anderson part of the box. The inverter in the images below is rated at 1500W continuous and 3000W spike.

The solar controller should be an MPPT, that is weather proofed (so IP67), and fitted with 50A Anderson plugs to connect to the solar and the battery box.

The solar panels should be solar blankets or lightweight foldable panels and feed a cable with Anderson 50A plugs.

Here are a couple of images of such a system:

Each one of those will run a domestic fridge/freezer and I have five such systems.

I have a lot of heavy cables of various lengths and 50A Anderson plugs so that I can remote the panels or the loads. I also fit 50A Anderson plugs to almost everything that I have that runs off 12V DC.

My 12V fridge/freezers are also setup with 50A Anderson plugs for their power - they are the key loads for these systems.

I don't really like to fit batteries and inverters together because:

1. most of my loads are actually 12V - it is only when I am backing up the grid during an outage that I need to produce mains voltage.
2. as mentioned above, I don't want the inverter heat being transferred to the battery or any parasitic loads sucking power from the batteries.
3. portability is enhanced if the individual weights of the components are not aggregated
4. when you keep the individual parts of the system physically modular/separate, then you can put each component where it should most efficiently be located
5. I am not going to use these components while in transit - so the need to "plug and play" is not a problem for me - it actually maximizes the flexibility of the systems

For transit, I pack the systems into rotomolded plastic, ex-military heavy duty trunks.

I do have a couple of static power stations (that I bought several years ago) that have a 280Ah SLA AGM battery, 1500W Inverter, MPPT controller and MT50 all fitted into a steel, vented box. However I don't consider these portable as they are a difficult lift even for two people. I use them both in parts of the farm that don't have mains power and I charge them with 200-400W of rigid, ground mounted panels. They can run a fair sized air compressor.......

I have a solar system in my camper trailer that is more hard wired and permanently running/charging (with fixed solar on the roof). I can post about that in a few days time, if people want to know how that works.......

 

[Alaskajohn]

To me, it makes sense to put the batteries in boxes that:

• Protect the battery while in use and during transport
• Have a master switch that can turn the whole thing off and not allow any current leakage/parasitic load over time. Note that if you plug a battery permanently to a controller, it will always be sucking some load out of the battery
• Have multiple plug inlets/outlets that include USB (5V), Cigarette lighter, 50A Anderson and 175A Anderson - to allow them to run the widest range of loads and also accept power inputs from the controller via 50A Anderson
• Have overload/fuse/breaker protection in case something goes wrong with anything plugged into the box - mine have manually reset-able breakers rather than sacrificial fuses
• Have some sort of battery level meter to show state of charge/discharge

Each of my battery boxes have a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery with two USB, two Cigarette lighter, four 50A Anderson and one 175A Anderson inlet/outlets.

The next part of the system is inline power meters - which should have 50A Anderson plugs so they can measure power/current into and out of the battery - and indicate the voltage of the feed. I also have MT50 remote meters that can both monitor the performance of the controller and also act as an interface through which to set the controller parameters.

The inverter should be separate to the battery box so the factory cooling for that unit can get free access to air - the inverter should be run off the 175A Anderson part of the box. The inverter in the images below is rated at 1500W continuous and 3000W spike.

The solar controller should be an MPPT, that is weather proofed (so IP67), and fitted with 50A Anderson plugs to connect to the solar and the battery box.

The solar panels should be solar blankets or lightweight foldable panels and feed a cable with Anderson 50A plugs.

Here are a couple of images of such a system:
View attachment 72996

View attachment 72997

Each one of those will run a domestic fridge/freezer and I have five such systems.

I have a lot of heavy cables of various lengths and 50A Anderson plugs so that I can remote the panels or the loads. I also fit 50A Anderson plugs to almost everything that I have that runs off 12V DC.

My 12V fridge/freezers are also setup with 50A Anderson plugs for their power - they are the key loads for these systems.

I don't really like to fit batteries and inverters together because:

1. most of my loads are actually 12V - it is only when I am backing up the grid during an outage that I need to produce mains voltage.
2. as mentioned above, I don't want the inverter heat being transferred to the battery or any parasitic loads sucking power from the batteries.
3. portability is enhanced if the individual weights of the components are not aggregated
4. when you keep the individual parts of the system physically modular/separate, then you can put each component where it should most efficiently be located
5. I am not going to use these components while in transit - so the need to "plug and play" is not a problem for me - it actually maximizes the flexibility of the systems

For transit, I pack the systems into rotomolded plastic, ex-military heavy duty trunks.

I do have a couple of static power stations (that I bought several years ago) that have a 280Ah SLA AGM battery, 1500W Inverter, MPPT controller and MT50 all fitted into a steel, vented box. However I don't consider these portable as they are a difficult lift even for two people. I use them both in parts of the farm that don't have mains power and I charge them with 200-400W of rigid, ground mounted panels. They can run a fair sized air compressor.......

I have a solar system in my camper trailer that is more hard wired and permanently running/charging (with fixed solar on the roof). I can post about that in a few days time, if people want to know how that works.......

This is all very interesting. You should write a book or a “how to” manual!

Are those rotomolded ex military trunks those “air droppable“ green cases that we use to put our 80’s and early 90s era computers and satellite communication systems and jump into the jungle with? I don’t recall that sensitive equipment every being damaged during a jump. I always wanted those…

 

[Hardcalibres]

This is all very interesting. You should write a book or a “how to” manual!

Are those rotomolded ex military trunks those “air droppable“ green cases that we use to put our 80’s and early 90s era computers and satellite communication systems and jump into the jungle with? I don’t recall that sensitive equipment every being damaged during a jump. I always wanted those…

Some of the trunks were fitted with closed cell foam lining for shock proofing (but the foam did reduce volumetric capacity).

I have seen them palletized and air dropped (on big cargo shutes) before.......

They are O ring sealed, have pressure relief valves (to handle fast pressure changes without being crushed or exploding), have really good lift/anchor points on the outside, and stack together really well (sort of like Lego) making them easy to lock down with ratchet tie-downs.

 

[Aerindel]

Some of the trunks were fitted with closed cell foam lining for shock proofing (but the foam did reduce volumetric capacity).

I have seen them palletized and air dropped (on big cargo shutes) before.......

They are O ring sealed, have pressure relief valves (to handle fast pressure changes without being crushed or exploding), have really good lift/anchor points on the outside, and stack together really well (sort of like Lego) making them easy to lock down with racket tie-downs.

I have a couple 2'x4' myself but mine where never as waterproof as I wanted them to be. If left outside they would always get water in them, that didn't drain out. Right now I just use the tall halves as covers for pumps and generators.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I have a couple 2'x4' myself but mine where never as waterproof as I wanted them to be. If left outside they would always get water in them, that didn't drain out. Right now I just use the tall halves as covers for pumps and generators.

I have never had water get into mine - but the handles are made from steel (which is either Cadmium plated on the older ones or powder coated black on the newer ones). If they are left out in the weather for weeks, the handles start to corrode.

 

[Neb]

Some of the trunks were fitted with closed cell foam lining for shock proofing (but the foam did reduce volumetric capacity).

I have seen them palletized and air dropped (on big cargo shutes) before.......

They are O ring sealed, have pressure relief valves (to handle fast pressure changes without being crushed or exploding), have really good lift/anchor points on the outside, and stack together really well (sort of like Lego) making them easy to lock down with racket tie-downs.

Re: Tie down points.

I wrote an application many years ago that automated the minutia of certifying military equipment for air transport to ensure the tie down fixtures did there job and stuff didn't go flying out through the side of the plane (see attached pdf).

It amounted to tying down the widget and then pull on it with a crane to see if if broke or failed. When they tested the dune buggies used by special forces during Desert Storm they folded up in half. Good clean fun.

Military tie down need to handle 3 Gs.

Ben

 

[viking]

Some of the NOCO brand battery chargers have desulfation mode:

https://www.batterymart.com/p-gen1-noco-genius-battery-charger.html
I have had NOCO mains powered chargers for about ten years now, and I wouldn't buy any other brand now.

Both my inverter/charger and MPPT solar controller have a desulfation mode, they call it equalization mode, it runs the charge voltage much higher than bulk charge and can only be used on LA batteries that have regular vent caps as AGM batteries use a sealed system which could be blown out by heavy gassing when in the equalize mode.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I have spent a lot of time watching videos on batteries, battery packs, and battery restoration, learned a lot and it helps me understand what I am seeing on my little system. I have come to the conclusion that several mid sized systems working together could be an effective solution. I have been reading a lot about peak solar hours and learning what to expect from the solar panels that I have.

I built the frame for my larger solar array, I have an old raised bed that I now use to store supplies for the garden and I am going to mount my array frame using that as a base (I will still be able to use the base as storage).

My time spent with the Kill-a-watt meters has been productive and I have learned that none of my loads produces much more than a short 1800 watt draw, so a 2000 watt inverter (4000 watt surge) could cover the basics, the medical equipment will demand a pure sine inverter (I have 2, but neither is larger than 1500 watts), so the last piece of my puzzle is adding a 2000 watt pure sine inverter.

As I have been gathering my solar panels I have tried to stay with the same units, for each unit I am deploying I am putting 1 into reserve (So if SHTF comes I can rapidly double my capacity). The charge controllers are a different story, I have been getting them in 1 offs and currently have 2 Renogy and 2 EPEver controllers, 3 of them are MPPT with ratings between 30 and 40 AMPs. I have also been collecting an assortment of wire (00 to 4 gauge), crimp/solder connectors and quick connectors (175 AMP and 50 AMP)

I had a dream last night about my next battery box, I saw a large bank (up to 12 batteries) using Bus Bars with pairs of batteries hooked to them making II equal length cable runs, each pair would have it's own circuit breaker and monitoring panel (like the one I am currently using) so you could easily see any differences. This would also allow using a quick connect for the inverter connection (allowing me to swap out components) and for charge controller connections.

Anyway I am still moving forward slowly.

The little power box is working well and is powering one of my growing stations, but I have come to the conclusion that I will need to time the load that I am applying so I discharge the batteries some in the early morning and then allow them to fully recover before the end of the solar day.... The battery monitor is learning the batteries and is showing the current voltage, amp/wattage draw, and the battery state of charge in Amp Hours... I am pleased with that $20 investment....

 

[Biggkidd]

I have spent a lot of time watching videos on batteries, battery packs, and battery restoration, learned a lot and it helps me understand what I am seeing on my little system. I have come to the conclusion that several mid sized systems working together could be an effective solution. I have been reading a lot about peak solar hours and learning what to expect from the solar panels that I have.

I built the frame for my larger solar array, I have an old raised bed that I now use to store supplies for the garden and I am going to mount my array frame using that as a base (I will still be able to use the base as storage).

My time spent with the Kill-a-watt meters has been productive and I have learned that none of my loads produces much more than a short 1800 watt draw, so a 2000 watt inverter (4000 watt surge) could cover the basics, the medical equipment will demand a pure sine inverter (I have 2, but neither is larger than 1500 watts), so the last piece of my puzzle is adding a 2000 watt pure sine inverter.

As I have been gathering my solar panels I have tried to stay with the same units, for each unit I am deploying I am putting 1 into reserve (So if SHTF comes I can rapidly double my capacity). The charge controllers are a different story, I have been getting them in 1 offs and currently have 2 Renogy and 2 EPEver controllers, 3 of them are MPPT with ratings between 30 and 40 AMPs. I have also been collecting an assortment of wire (00 to 4 gauge), crimp/solder connectors and quick connectors (175 AMP and 50 AMP)

I had a dream last night about my next battery box, I saw a large bank (up to 12 batteries) using Bus Bars with pairs of batteries hooked to them making II equal length cable runs, each pair would have it's own circuit breaker and monitoring panel (like the one I am currently using) so you could easily see any differences. This would also allow using a quick connect for the inverter connection (allowing me to swap out components) and for charge controller connections.

Anyway I am still moving forward slowly.

The little power box is working well and is powering one of my growing stations, but I have come to the conclusion that I will need to time the load that I am applying so I discharge the batteries some in the early morning and then allow them to fully recover before the end of the solar day.... The battery monitor is learning the batteries and is showing the current voltage, amp/wattage draw, and the battery state of charge in Amp Hours... I am pleased with that $20 investment....

Can you provide a link to that battery monitor?

 

[UrbanHunter]

Https://www.amazon.com/stores/DROK/Page/AEB10E82-8554-4FC1-BBD0-354046DAE77C?ref_=ast_bin
The one I got was the "Voltage Amp Meter DC, DROK Battery Monitor DC 0-300V 200A, Ammeter Voltmeter for Solar System Setup Power Energy Capacity Volt Current Detector Panel with Hall Sensor"

To be honest it is a bit of a PIA to program (have to set the voltage alarms, the size of the battery bank...) but once set up it seems to do a fair job of monitoring current, amps(up to 200), voltage(up to 300 volts), and battery state of charge (AH). With the induction coil it seemed a little easier to set up than a shunt meter.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today after work I gathered the stuff to make the legs for the new solar panel frame. It will be a very simple design with 2 uprights bolted to the raised bed ends and a cap-beam across between them the top of the cap beam will be 66" high, the solar Panel frame will be attached to the cap-beam with 4 strap hinges allowing motion from pure vertical to fully horizontal, there will be 2 legs that will be made of perforated steel angle attaching by carriage bolts to mounting fixtures attached to the sides of the raised bed frame, the maximum extension will be just short of horizontal and the minimum should be at about 20 degrees. Unfortunately, after I cut most of the parts I had to stop and pick tomatoes, then it was just too dark. Friday will be the next time I can actually work on it again, but the additional panels and wires for installation are scheduled for delivery on Thursday so it's all good.

FYI: Today was mostly drizzly and overcast; I'll bet that the little 200 watt unit wasn't putting out much over 50% at best...

 

[Bacpacker]

Today after work I gathered the stuff to make the legs for the new solar panel frame. It will be a very simple design with 2 uprights bolted to the raised bed ends and a cap-beam across between them the top of the cap beam will be 66" high, the solar Panel frame will be attached to the cap-beam with 4 strap hinges allowing motion from pure vertical to fully horizontal, there will be 2 legs that will be made of perforated steel angle attaching by carriage bolts to mounting fixtures attached to the sides of the raised bed frame, the maximum extension will be just short of horizontal and the minimum should be at about 20 degrees. Unfortunately, after I cut most of the parts I had to stop and pick tomatoes, then it was just too dark. Friday will be the next time I can actually work on it again, but the additional panels and wires for installation are scheduled for delivery on Thursday so it's all good.

FYI: Today was mostly drizzly and overcast; I'll bet that the little 200 watt unit wasn't putting out much over 50% at best...

You might be surprised what it put out today. The systems we've put up at work sure have surprised us out of a 280 watt panel. I think they are Renogy's

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today I had my lunch sitting out looking at the solar stuff and I was thinking back to things that @Biggkidd and @Neb said about being able to align the panels, specifically biggkids tube and Neb talking about using a carpenters square... Then it hit me, use the square to make a line on the side of your frame down from the face of your panels, then put a finishing nail into the top of the line, leave that head sticking up just a bit and POOF!

 

[Neb]

Today I had my lunch sitting out looking at the solar stuff and I was thinking back to things that @Biggkidd and @Neb said about being able to align the panels, specifically biggkids tube and Neb talking about using a carpenters square... Then it hit me, use the square to make a line on the side of your frame down from the face of your panels, then put a finishing nail into the top of the line, leave that head sticking up just a bit and POOF!View attachment 73421

Nice.

Do the alignment in the middle of the sun window.

Ben

 

[Hardcalibres]

Have you considered setting up some or all your panels to track the sun (ie on some sort of rotating base)?

The power harvesting gain is typically about 40%.

Because my panels are used for camping or emergency backup, my tracking is the manual type (ie I move the panels every hour or two).

For temporary ground mounted or relocatable panels, tracking is a good option to have especially if you get a run of those less productive days.......