Solar panels to power 2 or 4 CFL Light bulbs with LAMPS

[Matheusmachado]

Hello! I am new to the whole Solar Panel talks (I'm 14). I have recently been growing indoor plants (Not Marijuana! Just Cactuses, Succulents, Sensitive plants such as Mimosa, and slow growing plants) and I have been using 2 CFL Light bulbs for the past 3 months.. I am going to build a schedule for when I should turn in my lights, when to water them, etc.. I started to notice that my Light, and Electrical bills are going up (My mother warned me of this) and I just thought of using Solar Energy as a source of energy (Instead of just plugging the lamps in my walls). How can I make a solar energy kit that can fit two lamps (Or four because I am planning to grow more)? I am growing them inside a smaller room inside my room (Perfect for a Library, Growing space, study space, computer space, reading space, etc) and the the window in the small room is turned to where the Sun Rises, so I would get at least 5 hours of MAXIMUM sunlight throughout the solar panels.
The Information written on the light bulbs I use are: 120v AC 60Hz 160mA.. It is said to use only "10w" (Possibly 10 Watts). I want to create a small (Not too large) Solar Panel to power the lights for at least 4-5 hours.. Although, I do not understand how I am able to do this! The light bulbs are manufactured by Energy Smart (Longer life)..

[Sunking]

I started to notice that my Light, and Electrical bills are going up (My mother warned me of this) and I just thought of using Solar Energy as a source of energy (Instead of just plugging the lamps in my walls).

OK here is the BAD news. What you are talking about is Off-Grid Solar Battery system. Anything you take off grid is going to cost 5 to 10 times more than you pay the electric company for as long as you live. On such a small scale even more. What is ironic here is you are running 2 - 10 watt CFL's for 5 hours now, or at least that is what you are implying. That is a total energy of roughly 20 watts x 5 hours = 100 watt hours per day. 100 watt hours from the electric company is 1-cent per day, or 30 cents per month. That should not be noticeable on a monthly electric bill.

Here is where it gets fun and educational. You want to run 4 10 watt CFL lights 5 hours per day right? That is 4 lights x 10 watts x 5 hours = 200 watt hours or 2-cents worth of electricity per day. To do that with solar you will need:

150 watt solar panel = $200 to $300
10 Amp PWM Charge Controller = $30
12 volt 85 AH Battery = $100 to $200
100 watt, 12 volt Invereter = $30
Total around $500 to $600.

Now here is the fun part. In about 2 to 4 years you get to replace that $100 to $200 battery. Now here is the educational part so pay attention. Let's say you treat that battery with TLC it should last 3 years. If you had just bought the same electricity from th emean ole power company they would have charged you 2-cents each day x 365 days/year x 3 years = $21.90. Take the lights off grid and it will cst you $500 for the first 3 years.

Now ask your parents which would they rather spend. $22 or $500? I think you know the answer young man.

[billvon]

Hello! I am new to the whole Solar Panel talks (I'm 14). I have recently been growing indoor plants (Not Marijuana! Just Cactuses, Succulents, Sensitive plants such as Mimosa, and slow growing plants) and I have been using 2 CFL Light bulbs for the past 3 months.. I am going to build a schedule for when I should turn in my lights, when to water them, etc.. I started to notice that my Light, and Electrical bills are going up (My mother warned me of this) and I just thought of using Solar Energy as a source of energy (Instead of just plugging the lamps in my walls). How can I make a solar energy kit that can fit two lamps (Or four because I am planning to grow more)? I am growing them inside a smaller room inside my room (Perfect for a Library, Growing space, study space, computer space, reading space, etc) and the the window in the small room is turned to where the Sun Rises, so I would get at least 5 hours of MAXIMUM sunlight throughout the solar panels.

Dumb question here.

You have sunlight coming in through a window. Why not use that as light, instead of using a solar panel to convert it to electricity, store it, then convert it back to light?