Just curious if any one has a solar powered grow, not that I am nervous about power consumption, its just that, well my bill will go up, and since I am unemployed I would rather the payer(a family member) not bare my burden, and plus it will help with stealth a bit, and since I want to use a system that will produce MORE power than I will need, it will still cut my bill down at the same time. My question is, if I were to piece together a solar kit, what are the components needed, and does any one know how to wire one together, I know there is a charger of some sort, and a power inverter/converter? not sure which one, and also some deep cycle batteries. Of all the geniuses on this forum, I am sure someone has some info to help me out, this would also mean, I could really UPGRADE my grow as I get better at it, and even get into a whole room sized setup instead of a small tent. Plus, it never hurts to go green. Also, how big of a system would you think I need, I was aiming for about 2000 watts plus, preferably 4k to 5k watts, as I have a 1000 watt light, and of course the other various gadgets that a grow will need. I know it can be pricey but I checked and I can get 1kw's worth of panels on ebay for about 400 shipped, and it comes with what I need to wire them in series, I just need the rest of the kit, which I gather consist of the panels, charge controller, batteries, and sine wave inverter. The prices on these by them selves aren't that bad, combine that with a friend that is a certified electrician, I think I can pull this off for less, but still by no means cheap, even If I only ultimately just have my tent ran on a stand alone system, I will be happy, because then I can definitely upgrade to a larger tent by swapping only a few things as most of these components can be wired in series.
solar is garbage..... 1000W = 10,000dollars.... i don't know about you... but ill just pay my power bill
Yes, if you buy commercial setups for home, I have looked at the prices to have systems installed, but I have also checked on prices alone, I can get approximately 5000 watts for around, or under 5000 dollars, if doing so my self. I just figured of all people, the growers here would understand high initial investment, and besides, its our duty to not plague this earth as we have been, I am wanting solar for more reasons than just growing, in fact my fantasy house, that i will build if I ever get that far in life, will be completely self sustained, not utilities and completely off the grid, with some know how, it doesn't have to be that expensive. also, think about this, if you do get a large enough system, wouldn't it be nice for the power company to have to pay you. If the power goes out, and my solar bleeds into the grid and powers the houses around me, I would get paid for that too, its no different than buying a stainless roof, or any other item that makes your home efficient, it cost at first, then the money you save will be astronomical compared to what you had to spend, which would still be a lot of money.
There are countless threads with this exact same topic. The general theme is it just not really an awesome idea yet. The solar part works but the energy storage is the weak link in the system. Batteries are expensive to setup and there is a giant turn around on them. You will find lots of supporters. But you will not find much in the way of others actually atempting a build. Risky gamble. Please keep us updated with purchase and build photos. Others will follow your design. Gl
What do you mean by "there is a giant turn around on them". I am curious, and honestly don't know what you mean. As for setting a solar system to ONLY power a grow, that could be done easily, and WAY cheaper than supporting your whole house, or even the off the grid system that I hope to have one day, but I would also have wind, and other types of "free" non utility type of systems, free refers to the power I can harvest, not initial, or upkeep investments. The batteries are expensive because you can only use deep cycle type batteries, and they prefer the ones you have to keep an eye on to monitor water levels as those do not damage as easily.
I mean what I said. The batteries just are not good enough yet. I'm not interested in shooting your idea down. Build it. I'll copy your design. I would love nothing more than this. But not at the expense of managing not only my grows but a solar or wind energy project as well. Batteries, no mater which kind, have a shelf life of four years. At 125 -250 a piece. No thanks. I've seen energy storage banks. Shelfs and shelfs of batteries. I've searched forums trying to find out how to make it happen. It looks like a bumpy road. Gl
No, not to all mindsets, but just remember, the only true way to grow for free, is outdoors, and not to be the tree hugger but we are tearing this planet up, and if growing indoors the only way to do it "green" would be organic for one, or at least organic nutes so they don't poison with run off or waste water, is to make your own power, and short of using a man powered generator this is what I like, no its not for everyone. Indoor grows as they are, are far from being Eco friendly. For the most part, I try to practice green living, but in this day and age, it is not possible to live completely Eco friendly and still carry on a live that most people are accustomed too. Just trying to do my part, I know I won't be around when all this does completely affect the human race, But i would like to think my family tree will be, and want to do what I can to help them, just check out my 2nd sig at the bottom, and tell me it isn't true. I just realize that any one who gets the chance to walk this earth, is truly blessed, I think its a shame that most will not even think about it though. To be honest I sometimes long for a world where we could live like the old days, or at least find better ways to make today's living more Eco friendly in ALL aspects, in some areas this won't work, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't or can't try.
You know this reminds me of something I seen on TV not to long ago, its pricey as is most new technology, but its some kind of battery bank, or power generating system that somehow last, if not forever, way longer than even a couple generations will last, I wish I could remember more, or even figure out how to make solar cells more efficient. and all untraveled roads are bumpy, at first, and then someone has a break through, that paves the way I think I might have just found my calling. And I know your not trying to shoot it down, in fact I am sure this has already been done, just not on a scale that has ease, and affordability together. Even if its not me that does it, someday it will be the way to go, with every thing we are finding out every new day that comes our way, I have faith in science, we just need time, and people who care.
Solar isn't feasible today. It's super-expensive and battery technology just isn't there yet so no matter what the cost you still couldn't really run lights and fans willy-nilly after the sun goes down. Look at the big automakers -- after a decade of working on it and all of their resources, the best they have come up with is a car that can't really go fast, can't drive all day on a charge, takes forever to re-charge, and at least half of the vehicle's weight is batteries. Personal MJ growers aren't going to get it any better than that, and that's not good enough.
Maybe apple will figure it out. Or bill gates will figure out how to steal it. Or the goverment will figure out how to take out another trillion dollar loan that our kids will never pay off. Life sucks bro. Sorry.
Take it from someone in the industry, unless you have the land for a wind farm, this is the best "green" power source you can get. solar hydrogen splitter You need the splitter, a large storage tank for the hydrogen, a recirculation system for the H20, and a hydrogen turbine to create power. Initial investment for a 2500SqFt home is ~$90,000. But the system has a life expectancy of 30 years before major maintenance, and will produce ~30% more power than the average home uses. I have designed two of these systems for clients over the last five years, and neither has any complaints. The major hurdle to this tech (besides initial cost), many zoning boards have regulations which prevent you from having a large gas storage tank on your lot unless you have more than X acres. It's current feasibility for return on investment depends largely on what you currently pay for power. For example my power company charges $0.136/kwh and my annual usage come out to roughly $9,000 for the house and grow rooms. In ten years I could pay back the full system cost even if I didn't get a rebate from the power company for the extra wattage. Unfortunately, I live in a city with crap zoning laws that say I would need to buy out ten of my neighbors (at roughly $300k each) in order to have enough land to install my own pressurized gas storage tank. Fuckers
You need a grid tie system no battery. When the sun go down the grid takes over. You have to pay for your power anyway so you pay for a solar system and when the power doubles yours will not go up. If the system is big enough you could spin your miter backwards.