Voltar Ð King of the Solar Gypsies Richard Perez This solar power station travels in the back of a pickup truck. Voltar is completely self-contained with a kiloWatt tracked PV array, batteries, and inverter on board. I saw it unloaded, setup and operating in 42 minutes. This solar power station can be hauled anywhere a pickup will go and provide silent reliable solar power within minutes of arrival. Meet Voltar Gary Lucas, Voltar's inventor, has created complete PV power system that collapses and fits into a pickup truck. This is not a low powered system. I was surprised to watch the 21 Hoxan PV modules positioned by the electric linear activators (similar to those on satellite TV dishes and the Wattsun trackers). Voltar packs enough solar energy to run an entire household. All the wiring is already accomplished within Voltar, and the user need only plug into the 125 foot long, 120 vac power output cord. Voltar's Specs Voltar is capable of supplying 6 to 9 kilowatt-hours of 60 Hz., 120 vac electric power daily. This particular Voltar uses 21 Hoxan photovoltaic modules. Gary can also outfit Voltar with Siemens or Solarex modules. This Voltar was equipped with Johnson Control (6SC200), sealed lead-acid batteries (1,300 Ampere-hours at 12 VDC), a Trace 2012 inverter, three Trace C/30A PV controllers, and an SPM 2000 system monitor. Voltar is available with vented lead-acid cells and fiber plate nicads as battery options. Voltar also can be outfitted to the user's specified inverter(s), instruments, and controls. Voltar uses Thomson Saginaw 36 Volt linear activators operated at 14 VDC for reliability and smoothness. These activators track the array in two axes with the aid of a Wattsun control head. Square steel tubing (3.5 inch) is used for the framework. The footprint of the framework is four feet by eight feet on the floor of the pickup. This particular Voltar weighed in at 3,000 pounds completely ready to run, with its batteries aboard. The welded steel framework itself weighs in at 1,300 pounds, including the battery boxes which are superinsulated with closed- cell aircraft insulation. Gary hauled Voltar in a Ford F250 crewcab pickup. Voltar can be hauled in a standard half-ton pickup if the batteries are transported separately. Setting Up Voltar A single person can setup Voltar in less than an hour. Two people can do it in less than half that time. Setup is simple. Drive the pickup to a good solar site. Three handyman-type jacks are used to raise Voltar a few inches off the floor of the pickup's bed. Drive the pickup out from underneath Voltar and install its steel legs. Lower the three handyman jacks until Voltar sits on the ground. Gary provides a built-in bubble level to aid in leveling Voltar on the ground. Voltar's legs are adjustable enough to accommodate very steep and/or even terrain. Voltar's footprint on the ground is eight feet by ten feet. The entire jacking down and leveling procedure is very secure with safety locking pins and super secure jack supports. After Voltar is on the ground, the mast for the tracker is jacked up and the array unfolded. The electric activators aid greatly in array positioning; most of the work is of the push-button variety. Reloading Voltar is the reverse of setting it up. Reloading time is about 30 minutes. With Voltar secured in the pickup's bed, the entire power station is ready to hit the road. Voltar's Mission Voltar looks like a PV-powered moonwalker, and works like a powerhouse. Voltar is specifically designed for mobility and quick setup/takedown. It is the most portable large PV system I have ever seen. It should interested anyone who requires between six and nine kilowatt-hours of power daily, and needs this power system to be portable. The cost of a Voltar unit varies from $16,000 for a batteryless, PV array direct water pumping model, to $26,825 for the model pictured in this article. Access Author: Richard Perez, c/o Home Power, POB 130, Hornbrook, CA 96044 ¥ 916-475-3179 Maker: Gary Lucas, Lucas Industrial Control, POB 169, Buckley, WA 98321 ¥ 206-829-2732 ¥ FAX 206-829-2420