Chasing the sun for solar panels

Chasing the sun for solar panels

The low tech version

Consider this version of maximizing the energy you can get from the sun via solar panels.

Basically, just mount them on some kind of "utility" cart, and move them around the yard to maximize the collected solar energy, and as the sun moves during the day.  Moving them may vary during the seasons, and weathers, too. Of course there are other problems that this causes, like how to keep the batteries nearby, as well as the eventual use of the energy somewhere. But that is what human ingenuity is all about.

There are a zillion links about the high tech versions, but this is not the intent of this post about a low tech version, if times get hard, of course.

Last, best case one does a one-time and permanent solar panel mount that works well throughout the daylight hours. But many of us don't have that advantage...hence a low tech solution that does depend on manual  labor to move the panels periodically during the day, like 3 or 4 times perhaps. It just depends on where you live and your own situation.

My bottom line where I live is this. I have a solar backup to my water powered backup to my main source of public electricity, TVA. So I do like some electricity to provide me some power. And frozen and refrigerated foods do have longer shelf life. And I do like some artificial light after the sun goes down, if only for security reasons. And I have learned that solar panels like direct sunshine much more than indirect sunshine, like being in the shade but still charging some. Hence a low tech solution for where I live that will provide me more energy. And as to "utility" carts, how about using a kid's wagon, or wheel barrow, for example.