Mobile Barista at wits end!

[Seb217]

All I want to do is sell coffee!!! ... yet I have found myself stressing about power supply!

I have a mobile coffee van. I'm done with using generators and so are many event/festival organisers who are now banning petrol/diesel from their sites. In an ideal world I would like a battery fed inverter to power all the equipment that I can't run on LPG.

I would like to achieve 1.5kW of power - I actually currently need 1.2kW of power (not all continuous) but want the extra to future proof against any further equipment that I may want to put on the van in the future.

I need to be able to have power for approx. 10hrs per day. I have sufficient space (but not endless amounts of) to house the batteries and inverter.

As all the equipment that requires power is plugged in to sockets on the walls of the van, can I plug the ‘hook up’ plug into the inverter?

I understand everything there is to know about coffee (and it's more of a science than many people may think) but I know nothing about power. Is there anyone that can please please help.

 

[Seb217]

my best guess is they would be dead in around 4 hours

The house plants or the batteries
Not what I wanted to hear but glad for the second opinion. Can you suggest any alternative power solutions/ideas?

 

[James]

offer a 30% discount to people who pedal enough charge into your eco friendly bicycle generator?
sorry to be the bearer of bad news but maths is maths and the sums add up to a lot of batteries!!

 

[Seb217]

offer a 30% discount to people who pedal enough charge into your eco friendly bicycle generator?
sorry to be the bearer of bad news but maths is maths and the sums add up to a lot of batteries!!

I just don't understand how the maths could be so wildly different. I'm not saying you are wrong (as much as I would like you to be if you get my drift) but I stressed to the friend of mine how nervous I am about having enough power - the last event that I was at, my generator broke down and I was unable to trade for 40mins until it was fixed, I told my friend this.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

I’ve had a few instances recently at events where traders who initially said they don’t need power as they have their own inverters, come asking for a feed as their batteries are drained or cut out when refrigeration compressors kick in. On the upside, this typically results in free food and beverages.

 

[Seb217]

Feeling the need to rant now .... All other caterers must be having the same problem. It's not as though I need a lot of power! I only need 1.5kW, that's less than a domestic kettle! I see other traders flouting the new rules with their petrol/diesel generators, maybe I should just follow suit .... but my downfall is my conscience. I always want to make sure that I do the right thing and the one time that I don't, it'll be me that gets caught, thrown off site and there goes my reputation, pitch fee and income for the day!

 

[Seb217]

I’ve had a few instances recently at events where traders who initially said they don’t need power as they have their own inverters, come asking for a feed as their batteries are drained or cut out when refrigeration compressors kick in. On the upside, this typically results in free food and beverages.

Are you a fellow trader or event organiser? If you are a trader, how have you got spare power to share?

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Are you a fellow trader or event organiser? If you are a trader, how have you got spare power to share?

Temporary power provider

 

[Seb217]

I'd happily pay for hook up buy very few places even offer it. FYI, I always give my event organiser free coffee for the day ;-)

 

[Seb217]

Temporary power provider

Well you're a handy person to know - can I just follow you to all the events that you are at?

 

[Seb217]

I've not had dinner yet and the mood I'm now in, I'm going to end up binge eating loads of unhealthy stuff and then I'll feel fat and then I'll be in an even worse mood. In the meantime, while I'm away, if anyone comes up with a fantastic solution to my dilemma, please just let me know.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Well you're a handy person to know - can I just follow you to all the events that you are at?

oh definitely, an unshared 16A feed is yours for the day, in return for regular black coffees

 

[James]

watts = volts x amps
therefore amps = watts / volts
1200 watts / 12 volts = 100A
1 single 100Ah 12v battery in peak performance will provide you with 1200 watts for 1 hour.
this is the calculation, it is not negotiable!
the only thing to add is that that is the pure mathematical calculation and is not including any losses that you will get in the distribution and conversion of electrical energy.
I would estimate this to be 15% to 20%

 

[StephenRowley]

Thank you. I think that my friend calculated 0.8kW and then said that I should have the 4 x 224Ah, 6V Powerline batteries. Would you advise against 6V ones?

I would run far far away from a 6v system. A 24 volt would be much better

 

[Strima]

Event organisers tend to knee jerk at the slightest thing, a bit of spilt fuel is the end of the world in their eyes and a lot of money and paperwork. All they need to do is ensure that any spills are captured before they have chance to make contact with the ground such as using drip trays and absorbent matts etc. Good housekeeping and working practices make a lot of problems disappear.

I have worked in Germany where their environmental regulations have always been much stricter and they still allow generators. Spilt fuel meant the soil being bagged up and sent for cleaning to then be returned and replaced to the same spot at the offenders cost and also a hefty fine.

Another thing that worries organisers is the risk of fire when filling up as some traders don't like to switch off when doing so.

Battery technology is moving along rapidly however at the moment it's still impractical for a lot of traders to rely solely on this technology as were not quite there yet, as pointed out the carbon footprint only shifts somewhere else as you need to move a much heavier vehicle around for a greener solution.

 

[Edtwozeronine]

I'd just take a giant bottle of gas with a camping stove...