What Is a Solar Powered Food Truck?

As sustainability becomes a leading trend for many industries, many food truck businesses are turning towards investing in renewable energy generators like solar panels. As such, it is not surprising, that we see more and more solar powered food trucks on the road nowadays.

To create a solar powered food truck, solar panels are installed on the truck’s roof to absorb direct sunlight. The sunlight is then converted to much-needed electricity for operating the appliances and devices in the food truck.

Are you trying to get into the food truck business and considering solar panels for your truck? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place. In today’s post, we share with you everything you need to know from the factors to consider when using solar power for food trucks to the advantages of a solar powered food truck.

Factors to Keep In Mind When Using Solar Power for Food Trucks

Using solar power for food trucks is not always easy, there are various factors that you must consider in order to have the most out of this energy source. Below we get into more detail about these factors.

How Much Electricity Does All of Your Electrical Appliance Need?

Determining how much electricity or energy your electrical appliances inside the food truck require helps you decide on the capacity and size of your solar panel system. Additionally, knowing the electricity consumption of your appliances allows you to adjust the usage of high-energy-consuming appliances during peak sunlight hours to maximize solar energy utilization.

Furthermore, understanding the energy requirements of your appliances helps you calculate potential savings on your electricity bills and evaluate the return on investment in solar energy.

Where Did You Locate Your Food Truck?

Location matters when it comes to using solar panels as an energy generator for your food truck. The effectiveness of solar panels relies on the amount of sunlight they receive. Hence, you need to make sure that the location where you park your food truck has enough sunlight throughout the day.

Do You Have Backup Power Equipment?

While solar panels are reliable generators of energy, they are dependent on sunlight availability. Therefore, it's essential to have backup power options in case of insufficient sunlight due to weather or unexpected issues that may affect the solar panel system's performance. Having backup power equipment, such as a generator or battery storage system, ensures that you have a reliable power source during such periods.

How Many Solar Panels Are Needed for Food Truck Power?

The number of solar panels needed for a food truck power system depends on the power consumption of the food truck. To calculate the number of solar panels required, you need to determine the power demand of your food truck, measured in watts, and the amount of sunlight your solar panels can collect, measured in watts per hour.

Power demand of the food truck:

The power demand of your food truck depends on the electrical appliances that you use. You will need to add up the wattage of all the appliances you use, such as refrigerators, ovens, lights, and fans. Let's say, for example, that the total wattage of all the appliances in your food truck is 1000 watts.

Sunlight hours:

The amount of sunlight that your solar panels can collect depends on the location and orientation of the panels. Let's say that your location receives six hours of sunlight per day, and your solar panels can collect 250 watts per hour.

Calculation:

To calculate the number of solar panels required, you can use the following formula:

Number of solar panels = (Power demand of the food truck) / (Sunlight hours x Watts per hour collected by each solar panel)

Using the example above, the calculation would be:

Number of solar panels = 1000 watts / (6 hours x 250 watts per hour) = 0.67

Therefore, you would need approximately one solar panel for your food truck power system. However, this is just an estimate, and you can consult with our solar expert to determine your exact power needs and the number of solar panels required to meet those needs.

If you are planning to convert your truck to a solar powered food truck, here is one of our highly rated solar generators that is worth checking out.

Anker Solar Generator 767

The Anker Solar Generator 767 with 3x200W solar panels is perfect for daily moderate use. It features our cutting-edge InfiniPower technology that optimizes the device’s lifespan to 10 years.  It also has a smart temperature control system that monitors temperature up to 100 times per second.

Furthermore, the solar panels has an impact structural design and IP67 waterproof protection making it perfect for outdoors.The 3-mode angle adjustment allows you to adjust all solar panels to 3 angles for optimal solar power charging according to the sunligh, and a 2400W capacity to charge all your essential devices.

Advantages of Food Trucks Powered by Solar Energy

There are three main advantages to using a solar powered food truck, which are a lower carbon footprint, reduced operational costs, and education and awareness building. Below we discuss these advantages one by one.

Lower Carbon Footprint

A solar powered food truck, uses solar energy which is a renewable and abundant form of energy all over the world. By using solar energy, food trucks reduce their usage of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels that produce harmful greenhouse gases.

Reduced Operational Cost

Solar energy is a free energy source, hence food truck owners don’t need to worry about rising electricity prices or fuel costs. By generating electricity during daylight hours, operators can also offset the energy drawn from the grid, effectively reducing electricity bills. Furthermore, solar panels are known for being long-lasting and durable. This means that they require minimal maintenance and replacement costs compared to conventional generators.

Education and Awareness Building

Solar powered food trucks may serve as educational tools to raise awareness about the benefits of renewable energy. Consequently, this can encourage more food truck owners to adopt solar energy as a sustainable power source for their operations.

Final Thoughts

While there are various benefits to using solar panels for food trucks, there is no denying that solar panels may not be for everyone’s consideration because of their high purchase cost.

Nevertheless, solar panels remain to be a worthy investment for many food truck owners because of their environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness in the long run. Additionally, solar powered food trucks can attract more customers with their environmentally conscious approach. With more customers, food truck owners can also enjoy higher financial gains.