I need some advice,I have a container that I would like to put in some solar lighting in. What I need is (4) 4'-0 led light to work in this space for 4 hrs. or more? I know I will need solar panels, controller, inverter and a marine battery or two, what I need advice on is the size(s) of each component .
Solar Question
- Thread starter welder57
- Start date
Glacial_Speed
Well-known member
Hmm....haven't done this before, but sure I'll play for a bit.
I guess you should start with how many watts you need for the lights.
4 of those LED shop lights? They should be around 38~42 Watts each, so lets say 170 Watts and drag it up to 200W for a nice round number and some other loses.
Regular 120V household AC voltage for the lights means you need about 1.7 Amps if we round up. A bit more amps if you run 115V and a bit less if you run 125V.
Now you want them to be on 4 hours or more at a time? So how long can a deep cycle battery put out 1.7 amps.....(math is easier with 2 amps
)
so 4 hours times 2 amps equals 8 AmpHours....which you might be able to use a small battery, like a motorcycle battery, but that's 4 hours and total capacity, maybe something bigger since I haven't factored in any losses from the 12V DC to 120VAC converter. Should I even be using 12V? Or something more like 24V?
I'll have to think about this some.
I guess you should start with how many watts you need for the lights.
4 of those LED shop lights? They should be around 38~42 Watts each, so lets say 170 Watts and drag it up to 200W for a nice round number and some other loses.
Regular 120V household AC voltage for the lights means you need about 1.7 Amps if we round up. A bit more amps if you run 115V and a bit less if you run 125V.
Now you want them to be on 4 hours or more at a time? So how long can a deep cycle battery put out 1.7 amps.....(math is easier with 2 amps
)so 4 hours times 2 amps equals 8 AmpHours....which you might be able to use a small battery, like a motorcycle battery, but that's 4 hours and total capacity, maybe something bigger since I haven't factored in any losses from the 12V DC to 120VAC converter. Should I even be using 12V? Or something more like 24V?
I'll have to think about this some.
hh76
Well-known member
Where are you located? How much sun do you get?
4 hrs everyday, or will there be a few recovery days in between uses?
How much will you be depending on power? If it's a necessity, figure in a few unproductive solar days.
size the inverter for largest load.
size the batteries for time that load is needed, including cloudy, unproductive solar days.
size the solar based on number of recovery days and battery size.
4 hrs everyday, or will there be a few recovery days in between uses?
How much will you be depending on power? If it's a necessity, figure in a few unproductive solar days.
size the inverter for largest load.
size the batteries for time that load is needed, including cloudy, unproductive solar days.
size the solar based on number of recovery days and battery size.
slow
Well-known member
Do you already own any of the parts, if not, I would search for 12 volts led lamps, avoid the costs and complexity of going to 120 volts, unless you want to run other items.
Totally agree... I'd be looking for something like this:
https://www.ecolocityled.com/product/led-strip-light-trailer/led_lighting_projects
Glacial Speed gave you the basics of how to right size your system. Once you know how many Watt-Hours you need, you can purchase the right size battery. Then use PVWatts: https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/ to determine the size of the solar panels you need.
I would strongly suggest using 12V Led lights if you can, as this would eliminate significant cost of the inverter.
I would strongly suggest using 12V Led lights if you can, as this would eliminate significant cost of the inverter.
couch67
Well-known member
+1 on 12V LED. I did exactly this 2 years ago in my shed. Small setup with a utility battery, solar 'topper', and (2) 60 watt 12 volt LED bulbs. I'm sure you can put together a similar setup to suit your lighting requirement.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=341085
couch
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=341085
couch