diy solar

diy solar

where do I start?

L

larrylarry

New Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
6
well..I guess I gotta make a lotta mistakes first....
I want to power my 1000w growlight and a pump and maybe a fan...not asking too much!
I saw this youtube guy Will Prowse and he is listing low cost solar panels ......santansolar.com...like $55 solar panels....
I might start there...
thanks for your help!

hey....why aren't all houses solar powered already????.......
 
1,000 watt grow light, WOW!

How many hours a day does that need to be lit?
Can you use grid power, or does this need to run totally off grid on solar only?
How much power does the pump and fan need? For how many hours a day?

Once we know how much energy you need, we can work back to recommend how to get there.
 
GXMnow said:
1,000 watt grow light, WOW!

How many hours a day does that need to be lit?
Can you use grid power, or does this need to run totally off grid on solar only?
How much power does the pump and fan need? For how many hours a day?

Once we know how much energy you need, we can work back to recommend how to get there.
Click to expand...
thanks for replying.... my kill-a-meter thingy should be arriving soon.....so I can measure how much voltage? wattage?...everything is taking...
 
larrylarry said:
thanks for replying.... my kill-a-meter thingy should be arriving soon.....so I can measure how much voltage? wattage?...everything is taking...
Click to expand...
GXMnow said:
1,000 watt grow light, WOW!

How many hours a day does that need to be lit?
Can you use grid power, or does this need to run totally off grid on solar only?
How much power does the pump and fan need? For how many hours a day?

Once we know how much energy you need, we can work back to recommend how to get there.
Click to expand...
so...with everything plugged in for my grow room......it's hiitng about 1700 watts with everything running at full power.... Do i need 4 solar panels?......how many batteries do I need?
 
Do you need to pull that 1,700 watts all day, 24 hours every day?
 
GXMnow said:
Do you need to pull that 1,700 watts all day, 24 hours every day?
Click to expand...
(from a search: average kw per panel) Wow, that would be the avg output of like thirty panels. Sometimes! Guessing maybe 30Kw of batteries.
 
Last edited:
Lets run some numbers:
1700W x 12 hours = 20400Wh

Assuming you get an average of 5 hours of quality sun:
20400Wh / 5 hours = 4080W of solar panels

You will need battery for 7 of the 12 hours so sizing the battery:
20400Wh x (7 / 12) = 11900Wh of battery storage

Assuming 12.8V battery:
11900Wh / 12.8V = 929Ah of batteries (if lead acid, 50% dischargeable, then double that)
 
SO you also need to tell us your Latitude and do you plan to run it at the same rate all year or does it take more in winter when you have less sun to power it etc.

Maybe you can reduce your power needs ?
LED grow lights tend to use less energy to operate fore the same amount of illumination though sometimes that requires adding some heat
does the pump need to run 24/7 or would running it on some timed cycle work, using an upper reservoir .
 
Last edited:
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area....near the ocean and SF Bay...Is 4 solar panels gonna cover my needs?
 
larrylarry said:
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area....near the ocean and SF Bay...Is 4 solar panels gonna cover my needs?
Click to expand...
There is lots of FOG there at times so you will need some sort of back-up power for those days.
Also, we have caculated for you that its
1700W x 12 hours = 20400Wh per day usage

You have an average of around 5hrs a day of light and not all of that is productive in winter or when there is fog
20400Wh / 5 hours = 4080W of solar panels

In summer you are going to get more hours of sunlight than dark time you can find out better how much that time range is by using several calculators on the WWW.
 
larrylarry said:
hey....why aren't all houses solar powered already????.......
Click to expand...
Because it’s quite expensive compared to grid
And the products haven’t finished maturing
And it’s not 100% dependable yet

still a good idea! I’m not anti solar, off grid now. But “we” are not ‘there’ yet.
 
12 hours a day? You know, you could just use the daylight and forget about making electricity for lighting.
 
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