solar powered lights?

Interesting idea. I am not sure, but I would be interested to know myself.

 

sorry dude but unless you got 2,000 to 10,000 bucks burning a hole in your pocket i suggest you stick with paying ur bills...$4 per watt is the basic price and that's before the (middleman) after that the price could jump double in price...not only that solar panels aren't as (green) as we thought

http://www.treehugger.com/files/200...ar-panels.php?daylife=1&dcitc=daylife-article

 

I'm afraid Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, and the whole field of physics have shown this is impossible. You can't consume 400w of electricity to generate light, generate heat, and generate another 400w of electricity. Plus, storing energy and then tapping into it again always loses some in the process.

 

Do I read that right? You want to use a HPS or MH bulb to power a solar panel? Why on Earth....?

 

You can power anything you want with solar panels as long as you have enough panels and enough Sun.

EDIT: It is a HUGE investment up front though.

 

The problem with solar power is when you need it most there isn´t any.

 

I agree, but it is a good supplement if one is in the position to use it. You can sell power back to the grid here in the US if you collect more than you use during the day.

 

Some dude in Thailand who lives in the mountain uses solar powered water heater... never heard of this one~
It's just that if it could save you up to 400 watt of electricity , the price of the solar power set-up is gonna be sky high

 

Who is blowing what out of proportion? People are answering your question, which I presume you asked so that you could get answers, whether you planned to actually do it or not. I don't think you would have been satisfied with an answer of "who the hell cares, it's just a hypothetical question."

You could use solar panels to collect energy from HID lights, true. But not 400w from 400w.

 

Have you any idea what it would cost in photovoltaic solar cells to make $1 worth???

 

A lot. I know two people doing it. The first is generating around 1000 watts for supplemental use, the other 4k watts. Where did I say it was a good idea? I just pointed out that people are doing it.

 

things are getting better, wait for prices to come down

but in some states a 10 grand setup only cost 5-7 grand after rebates. ppl that are against it never bring that up.

 

Yeah I never really could figure out why people are against the idea. The initial investment is a bit steep but between tax credits and the 'free' electricity after it's setup it's not a bad way to go for those who can afford it.

We're moving soon and the new house will have panels on the roof. It won't power all of our needs but it'll drastically reduce our usage.

 

As it happens, I never claim to have said you did. Bit prickly, aren´t you??

 

It is not a reliable source of electricity, certainly in Northern Europe. In the 90s I did a job for the UK government, I had to live in a caravan in a remote location. Bottled gas provided heating and lighting and even refrigeration, but my one luxury was a small B&W TV. It ran off a 12 V battery, and I acquired 2 photovoltaic solar panels to keep the battery cherged (at huge cost). In the summer, fine, on a good day they produced 500mA, kept my battery charged. In the winter, FORGET IT, almost zilch, couldn´t begin to do the job. When you need it the most, there isn´t any, IMHO. I took my battery to a pub several miles down the road with my mains battery charger.
So with the experience of having to rely on it, which probably noone else here has had to do, I am definitely not a fan of solar power. (Nor those ugly wind farms desecrating the countryside.)