Any solar power wizards around?

[BellyUpFish]

Hey guys-

I'm going to be installing an electric gate on the driveway of our property and I'll be running the gate actuators off of dollar power due to the distance from available power.

I'd also like to have 2 lights on the gate posts, like in the photo below.

I'm going to have to power these lights with solar power and I'm thinking I'll use a photocell to turn them on/off.

Anyone have a proven setup that would power these?

 

[shortykorte]

Check out 1/2 Cup. He has panels on his shop. He can probably provide some great advice and/or tips.

 

[nadogail]

How many Watt Hours will be consumed in the operation of the lights?

How many openings and closing operations do you anticipate the gate opener will make? What is the current draw of the opener?

 

[larry4406]

We use Gama Sonic solar lights on our driveway entrance monuments.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Check out 1/2 Cup. He has panels on his shop. He can probably provide some great advice and/or tips.

I'll check him out. Thanks.

How many Watt Hours will be consumed in the operation of the lights?

How many openings and closing operations do you anticipate the gate opener will make? What is the current draw of the opener?

Haven't calculated the lights yet. They'll run on a separate system than the gate.

Gate is going to need a 30watt panel to get the maximum number of opensing/closings. According to their specs, I can expect 28 cycles with a 30watt system. I wouldn't expect to need get near half that on an average day, but you never know.

We use Gama Sonic solar lights on our driveway entrance monuments.

I'll look into them. I think after some research last night, it looks like I will be looking into lights with onboard solar.

 

[jonjon1]

I have a similar setup at one of my properties, I will not be there until next week depending on the snow, but I can take pics...

here is what I did..

1 Renogy 100w 12v panel, I made a mount for it on the fence, ran the wires inside the fence tubing so its all protected...

that came with the 12v controller and temp sensor, all really easy to hook up..

NEXT I got a large 12v deep cycle agm battery and matching plastic box, I dug and installed a small cement box in the ground and put the controller, plastic box etc all inside of it (made it water tight and vented it)..

I used LEd outdoor lights, and it runs them all, I have some down the driveway that run off of it also... I keep the gate controller in the box also, its just a lift master brand...

The entire setup was around $500... Works and has been working for a few years, we dont use it much year round but during the summer spring fall months it can get opened and closed 4 times a day 4 days a week and its never gave me a problem, there is always power there, the gate always opens. I did the math when I built it, and figured the average load, with opening the gate twice a day, 50% sun, running the lights for 5 hours a night (timer is in the box also), etc it was something like 20w average over 24 hours... So I wasnt sure if I would need a larger panel, but I watched it over the years and its fine with a single panel..

 

[BellyUpFish]

I have a similar setup at one of my properties, I will not be there until next week depending on the snow, but I can take pics...

here is what I did..

1 Renogy 100w 12v panel, I made a mount for it on the fence, ran the wires inside the fence tubing so its all protected...

that came with the 12v controller and temp sensor, all really easy to hook up..

NEXT I got a large 12v deep cycle agm battery and matching plastic box, I dug and installed a small cement box in the ground and put the controller, plastic box etc all inside of it (made it water tight and vented it)..

I used LEd outdoor lights, and it runs them all, I have some down the driveway that run off of it also... I keep the gate controller in the box also, its just a lift master brand...

The entire setup was around $500... Works and has been working for a few years, we dont use it much year round but during the summer spring fall months it can get opened and closed 4 times a day 4 days a week and its never gave me a problem, there is always power there, the gate always opens. I did the math when I built it, and figured the average load, with opening the gate twice a day, 50% sun, running the lights for 5 hours a night (timer is in the box also), etc it was something like 20w average over 24 hours... So I wasnt sure if I would need a larger panel, but I watched it over the years and its fine with a single panel..

Thanks. I've been reading about the Renology setup. Looks like the direction I'll be headed.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I am not a fan of AGM batteries, unless you need a battery that operate upside down. You pay a lot for them and they are not noted for long life.

You are much better off with a flooded (wet) cell deep discharge battery. Most marine batteries are not true deep discharge. 2 - 6V golf cart batteries (GC1 or GC2) would be overkill, but really are the best for this kind of setup. You ca get these at Walmart, Sams or Costco. They do make a 12V golf cart battery (GC12) but they are not very common.

Yes, you do have to check the liquid level about once a month.

 

[hh76]

Lots of factors go into the design, be weary of simply copying another's design.

Key factors:

How much power the gate uses
Light hours
Local sun hours
Number of cycles per day
Number of poor solar days you want to plan for