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Powering light in our farm store

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  • Powering light in our farm store

    I am planing to install a small solar system to provide lighting for our farm store. The farm store is a 16 x 20 shed. I was planning to use two 12 volt batteries to power 12V lighting. I don't quite understand a few things about battery systems so stop me if I am going down the wrong path. Basically, I need to keep the batteries charged in order to use the lights and run an inverter for 100V stuff. Can I just get a small battery charging panel to keep the batteries charged?. I guess I don't understand why I would need multiple 100 watt panels as I have seen in some packaged systems just to charge the batteries. Are the large panels so I can run off the panels when I have sunlight?

    I know it would be easier to just attach to the grid but that is not what I want to do.

    Thanks

    New to solar and trying to learn.
    Brian.....

  • #2
    Hi Brian and welcome to solar panel talk.

    Your may cop a bit of flack here as if you have the grid you have access to cheap power(solar panels and batteries and inverters are expensive), but don't let that discourage you if that's what you want to do.

    You really should start by reading the off grid stickys, that should give you a bit of an idea, then you should know enough to be able to ask good questions, cheers and have fun.

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    • #3
      Brian,

      Start here first: http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design

      Then here: http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...p-Why-Tutorial

      This should help with asking the right questions and getting the right answers. If it were as simple as hooking up two batteries to a 100watt panel, those systems wouldn't be all over harbor freight and e-bay. Unless you like to store useless junk, don't buy anything yet.

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      • #4
        It depends how much amps you plan to use every day. Myself I would just get a large 240 watt panel and maybe a 20 amp ecoworthy mppt controller (the inexpensive model I use), for battery make sure you get a deep cycle battery at least 100 ah. A large panel will put out at least 12 amps of power when the sun is overhead. Even in cloudy weather you will get usable power. You want to be able to quickly charge your battery the following day, a small panel say 100 watts will only give you maybe 5 amps of charging power.

        Small panels will charge your battery, but it will be more of a trickle charge. I used both 120 watt panels and 240 watt panels and the difference between the 2 panels is night and day. With the 120 watt panel I was struggling to be off grid, with 240 watts it never failed to keep my 145 ah battery charged up. For your setup a 240 watt panel might be the difference between being 100 percent off grid or relying on generators or grid power.

        It might be expensive up front but its worth it to be offgrid. They make a big deal over the cost of batteries but even if you have to replace a battery ever other year you still come out ahead. In 3 years I've upgraded batteries 3 times to accommodate my needs. For some people here solar is a hobby, I use it every day to run fans, lights, inverters, laptops, cook. When I was new to solar, I thought a 120 watt panel was all the panel I ever needed but it prove too small. I think 240 watts is a good starting point. Anything smaller and you might be disappointed with the results.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by jony101 View Post
          Myself I would just get a large 240 watt panel and maybe a 20 amp mppt controller
          I think 240 watts is a good starting point. Anything smaller and you might be disappointed with the results.
          jony - You stay hung up on the same system - having no idea as to why.
          [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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