solar powered shelter

[Browning1]

I have a 32 x 48 three sided shelter with no power going to it right now. Shelter is just used for parking trailers, tractor, truck and storing hay. I was wondering how hard would it be to make it solar powered? Just using a invertor box to power it for now. This was when I putting the lights up. Shelter was still in building phase

 

[ishiboo]

I have a 32 x 48 three sided shelter with no power going to it right now. Shelter is just used for parking trailers, tractor, truck and storing hay. I was wondering how hard would it be to make it solar powered? Just using a invertor box to power it for now. This was when I putting the lights up. Shelter was still in building phase

I will ask you - how hard is it for one person to build a building? The answer is who knows, if it's a 3'x3' outhouse no problem, if it's a 80 story skyscraper not possible!

Point being that a lot more info is needed. Where are you located? That determines how much sun you get. How many watts do you need (how many watts of lights do you want to have on and what's the efficiency of your inverter) and for how many hours per day? How critical is it - if there is a week of bad weather and you're there a lot, can the batteries run down where you need to shut it off or do they have to work no questions asked? What is your budget?

 

[Browning1]

I will ask you - how hard is it for one person to build a building? The answer is who knows, if it's a 3'x3' outhouse no problem, if it's a 80 story skyscraper not possible!

Point being that a lot more info is needed. Where are you located? That determines how much sun you get. How many watts do you need (how many watts of lights do you want to have on and what's the efficiency of your inverter) and for how many hours per day? How critical is it - if there is a week of bad weather and you're there a lot, can the batteries run down where you need to shut it off or do they have to work no questions asked? What is your budget?

I am in eastern NC. We get plenty of sunlight. The bay lights are just your standard 60w light bulb and the 2 flood lights are 100w. I have 8 receptacle outlets. The lights are on switches one for bay lights and one for flood lights. Don't spend a lot of time out there at night other then maybe a hour or two once a week. Outlets are mainly there to run a battery charger or power tool once in a while. Battery charger/ maintainer will be the main thing running. Would like to keep it under 500 cost wise.

 

[blacksporty]

For your needs you could get a couple 100w panels, charge controller, couple 6v batteries and an inverter, probably cost about $550.00 or so.

But, I would switch out all the lighting to 12v LED and get a solar battery maintainer.

 

[Browning1]

would the 12v LEDS put out same amount of light as the 60w bulbs?

 

[simpler=better]

would the 12v LEDS put out same amount of light as the 60w bulbs?

If you get them big enough!

A 60W bulb puts out, what, 800lumens? That's like 10W in the LED world. Very doable.

 

[toplessHO]

why not use the battery bank for a battery charger
agree on using LEDs
12 v makes the most sense if you dont really need 120v as
nowadays battery tools are common
a small (1000w or so) could be hooked up to the 12v battery pack if you do need 120v

 

[Browning1]

thanks guys. that was my plan on using a invertor box if using 120v.

 

[JohnBlack]

would the 12v LEDS put out same amount of light as the 60w bulbs?

I love LED bulbs. As of about a year ago I finally converted every light in my house to LED. An LED of equivalent brightness will use about 1/5th the wattage of an incandescent bulb. They don't produce a significant amount of heat and quality ones will last, quite possibly, for the rest of your life.

When considering a solar conversion LED bulbs are the only way to go.

 

[ForceFed70]

If all you need is lighting for up to 1hr a day I'd say a 100W panel, a single deep cycle battery, and 12V LED lighting. If you need 120V power then you'll need to tell us more about what you plan to use it for.

Solar isn't cheap what I recommended above will probably cost you over $500 by the time you are done. $500 could go a long way towards paying for proper power to that structure depending on the circumstance.

 

[Browning1]

120v power wise will be a battery charger for keeping batteries maintained majority of the time or battery charger for cordless power tools that's about it. Don't have a need for major power usage since I already have a shop. I have looked at the 45w solar panel setup from HF and have figured that might be the way to go for the time being just to get my feet wet. I can always upgrade and expand if needed. Also if I run proper power to it coop charges $35 a month base fee for meter no matter if power is used or not.

 

[JohnBlack]

Also if I run proper power to it coop charges $35 a month base fee for meter no matter if power is used or not.

So that car port is going to need a separate meter? If that's the case then definitely go with solar. Putting that little car port/shed on it's own meter seems ridiculous to me. But then again I'm not an electrician, so I really don't know.

 

[Browning1]

No it doesn't have to be but it will be a good run of wire from house to shelter if I run it off of the house.

 

[nadogail]

Gotta love Solar.

I have a solar system on my home and workshop. 26 panels and a ABB inverter, my investment was $3000 dollars and my gas & electric bill was cut from $350 per month to $125, for the next 20 years.

 

[kd3pc]

Gotta love Solar.

I have a solar system on my home and workshop. 26 panels and a ABB inverter, my investment was $3000 dollars and my gas & electric bill was cut from $350 per month to $125, for the next 20 years.

"someone" else must hold the major portion of that "investment"...without state and federal credits, as many states are....this would be a +$30K system, easily.

 

[JohnBlack]

"someone" else must hold the major portion of that "investment"...without state and federal credits, as many states are....this would be a +$30K system, easily.

That was my thought also. The last time I checked on a system big enough to run my house and garage it was completely cost prohibitive.

 

[TractorJeff]

See post 14 on this thread!
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310533

 

[Browning1]

I ended up buying a 100w solar panel kit off of amazon,35 ah deep cycle battery and a 1000w power invertor box

 

[Lippyp]

I have a solar panel setup at my place in France, single 80W panel, charge controller and a dep cycle battery. It powers two 12V PC fans as extractors to keep air moving when the house is closed up. Works fine even over the winter. I was intending to use a 100W panel but my supplier cocked uop and only had 80W ones but it works fine. He then gave me an extra 100W one that I now have in my garage awaiting my next project.