Air conditioning in remote areas can be especially challenging.  The main reason is typical window air conditioners use a tremendous amount of power.  Fortunately, there are very efficient evaporative and ice cooled air conditioning products that use much less power for the amount of cooling effect they produce.

During August in hot areas the heat index is regularly over 110°F. This means that air conditioning is not just a comfort issue. It is a health issue. A realistic goal for remote air conditioning is to get the heat index down to 80°F in daytime. Not super comfortable but you probably won't die.

Remote power systems are power storage/generation solutions that will work in places where access to the power grid is expensive or unavailable.

Remote power applications include:

• Camping power
• SUV power
• RV Power
• Job Site Power
• Industrial Power
  
• Emergency Power
  

Requirements for remote power systems for  backpack camping, SUV's, RV's,  job sites remote industrial power and emergency power are very similar.  The main difference is in the scale and type of components:

• Sufficient - A good way to design a remote power system is to decide on your maximum power requirement and work backwards to choose components. 
• Efficient - You can only take so much fuel with you and transporting it is a big logistics problem.  Devices that use less power or generate power more efficiently save fuel.
  
• Lightweight - The less components weigh the more power it is practical  to transport.
• Small - The smaller components are the more practical they are to store and move.
• Durable - Components and fuel storage must be shock resistant and resistant to the elements
• Reliable - The fact that you are remote means you can't run out for a replacement.
• Cost effective - The overall system must be cost effective for the desired job.

 Short term remote power only needs a good storage component.  Longer term solutions need both power storeage and power generation.  The greatest callenge of remote power generation is a fuel source. 

This is why solar, wind and hydro powered systems are so popular for remote applications.

Camping Power, Remote Jobsite Power and Emergency Power

The goal of this project is to set up a system for camping and remote jobsite use in a Honda Element (or any SUV) that will double as an emergency power system.

I chose a Honda Element because it has a lot of cargo space for the overall size and weight of the vehicle. It also has the advantage of having lots of little extras for remote use such as an option for a tent structure that attaches to the back of the vehicle and seats that fold back to make two pretty decent beds.

The system is based on a portable solar power system with a small gasoline generator and special battery to store power from either. This type of system is charged by your vehicle's electrical system while you are running and a photovoltaic solar panel or gasoline generator when you are stopped.

solar panels

This system has deep cycle high capacity batteries that are designed to be deeply discharged. If you use a regular car battery it will wear out very quickly, so; only use the deep cycle batteries when your engine is off. It is fine to run the system with your vehicle's electrical system when your engine is running so long as you don't pull more than the rated wattage from the "cigarette lighter" power outlets..

Auxiliary Batteries for Remote Power Systems

Batteries for remote storage can range from tiny AAA electronics batteries weighing less than an ounce to large glass matrix battery banks weighing hundreds of pounds.

A common size of battery used to compare remote power systems is a 125 amp-hour, 12 volt, deep cycle glass matrix battery. Amp-hour is short for ampere-hour and is abbreviated in a variety of ways including, Ah, ahr, Ahr.

150 ahr capacity recommended battery
 

It is similar to a normal SUV battery and can function as the battery for a car, truck or SUV. The important difference is that it is designed to be deeply discharged many times without damage. A normal vehicle battery will be damaged if it is deeply discharged only a few times.

Here are the reasons this is a good battery to use for comparing various systems:

• This size battery is about the maximum that one person can move around. It weighs about 60 pounds.
• A good 40 watt solar panel will charge this battery to full capacity in a couple of sunny days and maintain a charge on it indefinetely.
• A vehicle power system or small generator will charge it in a few hours if it is hooked up correctly.
• A bank of these can be used to completely power a small cabin or RV. (For larger systems usually lower voltage batteries are used in series.)
• This is a battery and will last for years, even if being deeply disharged often.
• This size battery is very flexible and can be set in parallel to add capacity to a system.