i need solar power ?

Discussion in 'Do It Yourself' started by MIDLIFE, Dec 24, 2011.


  1. Well :) your math is sound but problem is it just doesn't work that way .my buddy runs 250 watt solar array with a 6 battery system ,his 600 watt hps will only run about 6 hours a day before the voltage drops to the point of his invertor shuts off which is around 10 volts this protects your elec. also very few places get 10 hours of uninterupted light a day,then add in the cloudy and rain days. well think your figures are a little off but you are right about not looking at in watts but in amperage hours. i truly wish it was that easy to run a 175 watt panel but fact is it will take much more to run a 1000 watt hps.:(
     
  2. #22 fyrhazzrd, Mar 5, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 5, 2012
    hmm.. Yeah I knew in the winter that I wouldn't be able to get the ten hours of light, but I thought for sure in the summer I would be able to. Honestly though if I were to pull the trigger and do it, I would probably go for around 700 Watts, and twenty or so batteries giving me 4,000 amp/hours of juice to feed my system. That will cost some serious bread, but it will pay for itself just in not having to pay property taxes, plus the huge tax rebate every year. I still feel it is worth it.

    Yes, I have a friend doing solar as well. On a really sunny day he gets full amperage for around 9 hours out of the day and 25-50% amperage from 2-4 hours a day. I haven't seen his system running in the summer to know what he is getting there.

    On cloudy and overcast days he still gets 75% of his amperage output for the majority of the day. He even gets some output from his panels when it's raining, as long as there is light out there he has output.

    He is able to run his 600 Watt light on a 400 Watt system without any problems, but he does have three rows of batteries in his garage.
     
  3. here is one of the cheapest places i've found on quality solar panels Kyocera KD245GX-LPB 245 Watt Multicrystalline Solar Module and i would also skip the deep cycle marine type batteries and go with the more expensive agp batt. they work in all temps and are made pretty much for solar panels. the money spent will be worth it in the end. also a good charge controller not one of those cheap ass harbor freight ones .and finally if your wanting to go totally off-grid you will need a real goon inverter preferably a sine wave especially if your going to have any expensive electronics running like a pc or flat screen.Little long winded sorry but good luck it can be done but it's not cheap at first.
     

  4. Stealing electricity is dumb. If it's expensive, don't run so many lights.

    You will get caught eventually, especially with how easy it is to monitor where there electricity is going.
     
  5. Karma Im avery big believer in it
    Have fun in the Hoscow
     

  6. Hurry up and get it. Those tax credits are on the chopping block...its been largely unsuccessful and with budget issues its one of the things there talking about eliminating.
     

  7. Since you are not going to go grid-tied you might as well primarily look at 12v off-grid panels which wont need a voltage drop when feeding into your battery system. Youll need a good charge controller and will likely need to maintain the batteries with a trickle charge throughout their life despite only wanting to use them a few times a year. Whichever 12v batteries you choose, make sure they all match because they will equalize and perform only as well as the weakest link. Deep cycle marine batteries are popular, and you should be able to find them lots of places. AGM offgrid specific batteries are an option as well but are probably more $$$.

    If you do try to get tax credits or take advantage of other incentives, someone will likely want to inspect the installation and see your setup. Here is a link to current renewable programs etc in the US. DSIRE: DSIRE Home
     
  8. thanks for the link ICK but i´m in the czech republic, also it looks like it will be next year now (ill heath and life shit).

    i will post on here on any things i find for solar wind or water power.
    middy
     
  9. I'm interested in solar as well...I have a small solar system setup right now that can run about 30w on 12/12 lol. It's taking way more $ then I thought it would...though my system is kinda ghetto so far.

    I've been eyeballing those flexible solar panels with the sticky backs for some time now but they only come in 24 or 48v :( I wanted to mount em on something light so they'd be easy to maneuver. I also get some major hail here in the summer.
     

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