Cheapest way to power a grow (off-grid)

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by Budyyy, Jan 25, 2012.

  1. #1 Budyyy, Jan 25, 2012
    What would be the cheapest way to power a small sized grow (~6 ounce yield per harvest) off grid? I'm asking for a friend who lives quite litterally in the middle of butt fuck nowhere. Would it be better go buy stronger solar panels and go hps, or to buy LED and weaker solar panels? In a propane generator cost effective?

    Growing outside would not work due to the proximity to RCMP headquarters. I'd grow for him but I'm not even in a position to grow for myself yet :p
     
  2. #2 Stichyleafer, Jan 25, 2012
    I think it may be close to even in the long run but led's are very expensive to buy initially.
     
  3. #3 s7exiled, Jan 25, 2012
    I said this before, but I think the only way to do it efficiently is probably setting up a moonshine still and using the ethanol to power a generator that powers LED panels.

    If he lives in the middle of nowhere, you should do it outdoor in a spot that is isolated and you can even plant similar foliage plants next to it. The RCMP isn't watching his yard from a satellite
     
  4. #4 Budyyy, Jan 25, 2012
    Hmmm. I wonder how much mash would be needed to power a generator? I can see him with a kiddie pool full of yeast and shit. XD

    Is distilling energy efficient though? That is to say, is the input vs output energy any good?
     
  5. #5 s7exiled, Jan 25, 2012
    It is efficient,



    I don't know how big of a gallon still you need, but you will be able to produce quite a lot of gallons every week.

    Fuel ethanol FAQ
     
  6. #6 Budyyy, Jan 25, 2012
    Thanks for the food for thought man. Probably wouldn't have come up with it myself. Now ill I've got to do is find a good ethanol generator and we're set.
     
  7. #7 s7exiled, Jan 26, 2012
    Any generator can run on ethanol, an alternative would be wood gas

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K65c92oQAA]Backyard Ethanol PT1 - Preliminary Testing - YouTube[/ame]

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYGKn12Weu4&feature=related]The wood gas generator runs the whole farm! - YouTube[/ame]
     
  8. #8 Klown82, Jan 26, 2012
    I was looking at running a few LED lights off solar power. To power just 400 watts for 18 hours you use about 7.2 kw-hr, and a 7 kw-hr solar system will run you about $20,000. I can buy electricity at $0.10 a kw-hr, powering a 400 watt setup for about $275 a year. 73 years just to break even on electricity.

    My math may be wrong, I do not know much about solar systems, either, even if you needed half of that a day it would take 36 years to break even.
     

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