How to solar power a fire truck or ambulance

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by Robert Avsec

How to solar power a fire truck or

 ambulance

Solar-capturing technology has made it easier to keep

 fire truck and ambulances fully charged without leaving

 them running, and saves money

Jun 26, 2014

By Robert Avsec

Do you know the KOPL for your fire apparatus or ambulances? KOPL stands for key-off parasitic

 load, which sounds sort of scary but really isn't — unless of course you're an apparatus battery.

KOPL is the electrical load created by radios, computers, climate-controlled drug-storage cabinets

 and other portable electrical devices found on today's fire apparatus and ambulances when the

 ignition is turned off.

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How to solar power a fire truck or ambulance

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That electrical load has increased substantially over the years as departments have increased their

 scope of services. The increased amount of time that apparatus spend out of quarters — and away

 from plug-in power to address KOPL — requires continually running the apparatus motor to ensure

 that the apparatus batteries don't run down to a level where the apparatus cannot be started.

Enter apparatus-mounted solar panels that capture

 solar energy to keep those apparatus batteries at full

 charge — along with all those parasitic devices —

 with the apparatus motor turned off. And the benefits

 of using solar panels to help maintain the battery

 charge go beyond improved battery performance.

 Here are five of those benefits.

Reduced operating hours on the vehicle motor.

Reduced maintenance costs (less frequent

 replacement of filters and lubricants).

Reduced fuel consumption.

Reduced diesel engine emissions.

Reduced energy use at the station as the apparatus can be outside during the daylight hours in

 lieu being plugged into a shoreline.

Tale of two cities

The technology necessary to harness electricity from sunlight continues to become more effective

 and efficient — and smaller. As always, the more direct the sun, the better, and today's solar panels

 produce electricity even on a cloudy day, as well as in urban areas with tall buildings that can

 obscure the sun. Only the rate of charge is affected.

The San Rafael (Calif.) Fire Department and South Metro (Colo.) Fire Rescue Authority have each

 rolled out programs to outfit their fire apparatus and ambulances with solar panels. The purpose is to

 keep their 12-volt systems charged so they don't need to remain at idle at an incident.

San Rafael began its commitment to solar energy five years ago with the installation of solar

 equipment on one engine in their fleet. Since then, the success from that initial installation has led to

 the department to outfit all 22 vehicles in their fleet with solar panels.

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How to solar power a fire truck or ambulance

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The use of solar panels to address KOPL addresses two big concerns regarding ambulances:

 electrical load and carbon footprint. Using solar panels can extend the vehicle's service life in terms

 of the batteries because the electric load is not killing the system.

Ambulance application

Ambulances present a special challenge to fleet managers. A vehicle sits in the station until a call

 comes in. The crew starts the engine, responds to the scene and then the engine idles. Then the

 patient is ready for transport and brought to the hospital, where the truck idles again.

Finally it goes back to the station. All of that driving and idling time quickly racks up the vehicle's

 operating hours and has a major influence on the longevity of the ambulance chassis.

PL Custom offers its Solar Power System, panels mounted atop an ambulance to provide energy

 from the sun. The system is designed to power a 10-amp DC electrical load for eight hours without

 starting the vehicle, or connecting to a shoreline.

The system is made up of two 110-watt solar panels, measuring 2 feet by 5 feet, a solar regulator for

 system voltage and a deep cycle battery. The panels are placed on top of the ambulance without

 interfering with radio antennas or rooftop lettering.

Using solar panels to reduce the amount of idling time reduces a vehicle's carbon footprint by

 reducing the amount of engine emissions, engine lubricants used for maintenance (fewer changes

 needed) and spent lubricants that require proper disposal.

Making a commitment to the use of solar energy can have another financial benefit beyond savings

 on maintenance and fuel costs. Several departments have found success in obtaining grant funding

 for new vehicles by applying to their respective states citing the green initiative aspect of solar

 charging.

What's on the market

Pulsetech's 2-watt solar pulse battery charger and conditioner/maintainer charges and maintains 12-

volt batteries using solar power energy. The system cleans battery plates of large, damaging leadsulfates so batteries can accept, store and release maximum power when you need it. Military grade

 construction makes it ideal for fire apparatus and ambulances.

Kussmaul Electronics' solar power charging system comes with instructions and parts to ensure
How to solar power a fire truck or ambulance

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 proper installation and eliminates installer guess work. The system includes: an industrial-grade solar

 panel with 10-year warranty; charge controller with temperature-compensated, three-step output and

 battery type selection; heavy-duty vibration-dampened mounting system; 20 feet of duplex wire,

 terminals and cable ties; and waterproof wire feed-through fitting and all mounting hardware for

 various truck installations.

The Pure Sine line of solar power charging systems, available from The Inverter Store, provide solar

 charging capabilities ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 watts of power. The kit comes with all the

 necessary components and mounting hardware and is constructed to military-grade specifications

 making it an ideal application for emergency response vehicles.

So take a look at what solar charging systems can do to improve your department's bottom line and

 reduce the carbon footprint for your apparatus fleet.

About the author

Battalion Chief Robert Avsec (Ret.) served with the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire & EMS Department for 26 years. He was an active instructor

 for fire, EMS, and hazardous materials courses at the local, state, and federal levels, which included more than 10 years with the

 National Fire Academy. Chief Avsec earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of Cincinnati and his master of science

 degree in executive fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University. He is a 2001 graduate of the National Fire Academy's

 Executive Fire Officer Program. Since his retirement in 2007, he has continued to be a life-long learner working in both the private and

 public sectors to further develop his "management sciences mechanic" credentials. He makes his home near Charleston, W.Va.

 Contact Robert at Robert.Avsec@FireRescue1.com

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