Rice engineers use their carbon nanotube films to create a device to recycle waste heat. The device could enhance solar cell output and increase the efficiency of industrial waste-heat recovery.

Flexible solar panels.

Wow, $1000 to mount your panels is outrageous. It is about a 1-2 hour job and the hardware for the mount should cost no more than $20. I do have a couple of suggestions.

1. Dump the PWM controller and replace it with an MPPT controller. MPPT controllers operate quite differently than PWM controllers and will give you as much as 35% moreoutput from your panels. A 20 amp MPPT controller should be adequate for your 200 watts of solar panels, although for very little more money you can buy a 30 amp controller that wil allow you to add a third 100 watt panel in the future..

2. If you buy an MPPT controller, connect the two panels in series, not parallel. That will let your system put out usable power for more hours each day and in lower light (i.e., overcast or partial sun).

3. Permanently connect the second battery in parallel with your house battery. That way you will always charge both batteries and will have more power available at night. Also, if you use both batteries together the pair will not be drawn down as far at night and you will get better life out of the batteries.

4. Finally, get rid of the solenoid between the vehicle and house batteries and replace it with a battery combiner relay. That sort of setup will automatically connect your house battery(s) with the vehicle battery when the engine is running and then automatically separate the batteries when you turn the engine off.

Today we meet Ron who has created a very cheap Off-Grid Cabin on Wheels. He wanted a Plan B back-up to his home, just in case, and to also get out and travel...

Solar panels attached to roof rack on Bob's own rig.