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diy solar

How to set up small system for barn

Likely you can get by with far less, as the heater May heat up to 5C or so, then be off while the water chills to -1 C and back, lowering the KWh needed for the week, plus during the day, solar heating May lower the loads. That’s why having a wattmeter to total the actual usage is important. That heater May only run for 5 or 6 total hours a day. That will dramatically lower the needed storage and solar production.
 
Another question
I have solar panel-charge controller-battery-power inverter
Do I need a battery charger so I can connect it to battery?
Or not?
What’s the benefit of battery charger ?
Thanks
 
It depends on your inverter, and charge controller. Some have built in generator input to charge when you don’t have enough sun.

having a charger you can connect to a generator, or the grid is an option if your equipment doesn’t have the ability.
 
Rchel said:
I’m trying to set up 100w panel with the battery and charge controller to heat water for my chickens and a light
Do I need a power inverter?
Can I connect the load to the battery without power inverter?
How many loads I can connect with Small system
What type of battery I need to buy?
Thank you
I have so many questions ?
Click to expand...
hmmm .. a couple of 12 volt, 20 watt, halogen bulbs would provide heat and light and not require an inverter. You still would need a , (preferabbly), MPPT charge controller and a battery, (I prefer LIFPO but if the henhouse drops below 32 degrees you will need the yucky, old fashioned, flooded lead acid or agm lead acid battery). Here's a source from the bulbs at cheapo depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips...e-Dimmable-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-417204/202762653 Two twenty amp halogen bulbs will draw 3.33 amps per hour, you can calculate how many amp hours are needed based on how long you think that your dark and gray periods will be. Note: Insulate the hen house really good. Here's a good wattage calculator: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/guide/600/how-to-calculate-amps-volts-and-watts.html
 
What would be more efficient get 2 panels to charge the battery or 2 batteries
How I understand it I think 2 panels
If I get 12v 100amp Battery
So if I get 2 panels will it charge faster?
 
Here is a simple way to think about off grid solar.

batteries are a surge and reserve energy storage. Solar needs to be sized to handle the watts used during daylight hours.
You need to know watts used per day, and sunlight hours or “solar day hours” for your area. Then you size the array for 1.5 or more times the daily usage so the battery bank can be recharged during the available solar hours.

so, knowing the daily watt usage is#1.

battery bank needs to hold the total daily usage, and have reserve for times when weather doesn’t produce sunlight... for at least a week...

It can be calculated with math.

wattage of operating loads,and runtimes of the loads, added together.

for instance. A 60 watt bulb running 24 hours a day needs (60x24) 1440 watt hours or 1.44KWh of storage minimum. For a 7 day cushion you need 7 times that (1440x7) 10080 watt hours, or 10.08KWh
If you have 5 sun hours in your area, you need (1440/5) 288 watts of solar panels to replace each day of usage with a 7 day cushion, you need (288x7) 2016 watts.
 
Rchel said:
What would be more efficient get 2 panels to charge the battery or 2 batteries
How I understand it I think 2 panels
If I get 12v 100amp Battery
So if I get 2 panels will it charge faster?
Click to expand...
I guess I didn’t really answer your question.

there isn’t a correct “more efficient” answer.

battery chemistry can only accept charge so fast, and they can only discharge so far.
batteries are more expensive than panels, but the sun is only producing for so many hours a day.
If 2000 watts of panels are needed to replenish the weeks worth of usage, the battery bank needs to be big enough so the maximum charge rate amperage isn’t exceeded...

If 10,000Wh of batteries are needed, the bank needs to be sized so you don’t exceed the battery’s DOD limit...
 
Rchel said:
What would be more efficient get 2 panels to charge the battery or 2 batteries
How I understand it I think 2 panels
If I get 12v 100amp Battery
So if I get 2 panels will it charge faster?
Click to expand...
Well, my 100 watt, twelve volt panels put out about five amps each in full sun, for a total of ten Amps per hour. I figure I'm only going to get thirty maybe forty amps of charging on a sunny day. If you run a heat/light load of four amps per hour for twelve hours, that's forty eight amps. Three, 100 watt panels would be better and on cloudy days your going to have to supplement with a generator I believe.
Rchel said:
I’m trying to set up 100w panel with the battery and charge controller to heat water for my chickens and a light
Do I need a power inverter?
Can I connect the load to the battery without power inverter?
How many loads I can connect with Small system
What type of battery I need to buy?
Thank you
I have so many questions ?
Click to expand...
Okay Rchel, there are literally dozens of videos about solar chicken coop heating, here is just one of many:
As you know, how cold your region gets, how big your coop is, how well insulated it is and what type of solar gain your region gets are all questiones that must be answered by you before you spend any money on a system. Once you have determined how many watts a heater and/or light will require to maintain your coop at the temperature you desire, you can size you panels and batteries according to that. If you choose to do the, "hit or miss", method for building your solar system, be prepared to spend more money than you have planned on and have a good recipe for frozen chicken. Here is a simple wattage calcuator: https://www.outsidesupply.com/simple-device-wattage-calculator/
 
Rchel said:
I live in Canada our winter can get -38C ?
Click to expand...

A better question is how a chicken can live in -38C.

Also, in that kind of cold, I can also assume it is cloud covered. Where do you plan to get the sun from in the middle of a Canadian winter? "Lots of sun" is a relative term. Compared to what other area? People who live in a town of 500 think there's "lots to do" in their town until they visit Chicago or New York because that's all they have ever known. Where I live we get to -8F for 2-3 days per winter, so -38C, or -36F, sounds to me like the worst day of my life ever. You are used to it though. Relative.
 
Last edited:
Rchel said:
I decided to get a 60watt heated bucket and I guess I’ll need the power inverter I want to make as safe as possible I don’t want burn my hens,
Click to expand...

The inverter takes DC (12v from your solar system) and turns it into AC (normal wall outlet type power). That's all it does. If you can find appliances (light and heater) that run on 12v, then no, you don't need an inverter. It has nothing to do with the charging process. From some of your posts I thought maybe someone should point that out. If you have 12v appliances you can run from your battery to a 12v fuse block and just run right from 12v.
 
Yes it sounds crazy but there is days it get that cold, the place I live is one of the sunniest in Canada , so in a very cold day full of snow and about -20c we can see 8 hours of sun no clouds. Lots of people have chickens over here.
I’m still trying to figure out the whole thing I’m new at this solar stuff, since my coop is far from my house I need some kind of power to head the water so they can drink, I do have a generator that I will use when I need.
So I have 60 watt heated bucket that’s 60 watt/hr
If the bucket needs to be on around 10 hours that’s 600 watts I need of power , I have solar panels that are 100 watts and 12v 100 amp battery
So that means that the battery can give me 1200 watts ? Minus what ever real % the battery can give or discharge, etc
Is that right?
In a perfect sunny day and if the solar actually can power the battery around 60% or less( I know 100 watts panel is about 60 real watts) that’s why I’m asking would it be better to get mire panels or more batteries.
thank You ?
 
Rchel said:
...and 12v 100 amp hour battery
So that means that the battery can give me 1200 watt hours ? Minus what ever real % the battery can give...
Click to expand...
Going to assume lead acid battery because of the cold, and the sensitivity of LiFePO4 batteries to cold. Given that, a lead acid is good for about 50%, so 600 watt hours. In extreme cold, even less.

Something that you may need to consider:you plan on running the water heater 10 hours. During the time it's off, the water will freeze solid. To thaw it will require a lot more energy, possibly a couple of hours just to have unfrozen water. It may be more energy efficient to leave it on 24/7.
 
WARNING! I am a complete novice but I wonder...In Rchel's bag of toys is already included a 'generator'; another useful source of power if worse-comes-to-worse. If the generator produces 120v, A.C., then I think that would suggest you look for a heater source using the same power; then you would need an inverter to convert your solar power to 120v A.C. for the heater.
If the generator delivers 12v D.C. then consider a similar heating system for the water/heat and no inverter (for this purpose).
I just wondered...
 
Deno..... wow!
I have to read your post again to better understand your ideas!!
But good ideas!
Thanks
 
I'm not in a cold country but.. couldn't that be canibalised for the heating source and run through some sort of tubing buried underground and insulated in a cold cabin scenario?
 
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