Total solar noob... Needs solar shed help!

[jfoust]

Hi everyone! I'm putting the finishing touches on my 10x11 metal shed, and was looking at buying some solar shed lights. The reviews on the pre-made kits are terrible! Everyone says the light is very weak, the build quality is poor, etc. I don't need anything heavy duty - I have a workshop in the house that I actually do work in, so the shed is strictly for storage. As such, I just need a light to see what I'm doing for maybe 10-15 minutes at a time. I'm thinking about building my own system - something that would last for a few years and actually put out enough light to dig around in the shed. I'm new to all of this, but if I understand correctly, I would need a panel, a charge controller, a battery, and the lights, correct?

I was looking at the Morningstar Sunsaver 6 for the controller, and I have some 12v 12ah SLA batteries that I can use for power. (side note - would a lawn and garden battery work for this? I just need short amounts of power). I have no clue what kind of panel I should go with. I have a few options I'm kicking around for lights, but I'm definitely open to suggestions! If possible, I'd like to keep the panel/controller part around $100!

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Mike90250]

There are many LED replacement lights for Boats and RV's. They may not be as bright as a task light, but there are many choices.
Battery - I'd suggest a marine deep cycle, about 80AH, common, inexpensive.
Panel, depends on what's near you, but look for about a 50-100W panel. Still $$
Charge controller, either Morningstar, Trace/Xantrex, or Blue Sky Avoid the un-namesd ones from china off ebay.
Anything smaller than a 50W panel, will have troubel recharging a battery if you "grow" the system, and all systems grow over time. Gee, I could have a radio. Recharge cellphone. Laptop.......

[jfoust]

Thanks for the reply! Do I really need 80Ah? I may want to run a small iPod dock or something similar for tunes while I'm working in the yard, but I doubt it... Having some room for growth wouldn't hurt, but this is really just going to be a place to get all the junk out of my garage, so I'd like to be able to see in there.

I think I know which lights I want to use, and they're pretty low-draw LED spotlights, pre-wired for 12v. Assuming I don't expand the system, and it's just for shed lighting, what would a 15w panel do? I've run two of these same spotlights off a 12v 7Ah battery, and they last for hours and hours without needing to recharge, so I would think a low power panel would be fine, and even if it took a day to recharge, that's okay, because I wouldn't be dragging it down that fast.

[Mike90250]

When you price out the 80AH marine deep cycle,
DieHard Marine Deep Cycle/RV Battery, Group Size 24M
$69.99 new - Sears

and compare it to the

http://www.batteryspec.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?action=link&product=68

TR22-12 Tempest AGM, Valve Regulated, Maintenance Free, Sealed Lead Acid Rechargeable Battery - 12V 22Ah (20 hour rate) $43 + shipping.

Or you can just buy a 12V lantern battery, and run off that. forget the solar part, and save a bundle of $$

But don't get the 15/45W harbr fright panel kit, waste of $

A 15 W panel will just barely keep a large battery topped off, and days to recharge if you leave a light on overnight,

[jfoust]

That's not too terrible on the battery. The storage shed is mostly for lawn and garden stuff, and also for Power Wheels parts and bodies (I have a huge collection of these things), so I have a lot of SLA batteries, and a couple of lawn and garden batteries as well.

I could spare one of those batteries to run the lights, and like I said, with a 7ah battery, the spotlights last a long time, so I'm thinking that might work. It doesn't give me any expandability, but I guess I'd burn that bridge when I get to it!

[Sunking]

Well are you in that shed at night? Ever hear of solar tubes or sky lights?

[jfoust]

Yeah, I'll be in it at night - that's about the only time I get to work on Power Wheels (we have over 20 right now) so I'll be rummaging for parts out there after the kids go to bed. I was hoping to not have to drag a flashlight, headlight, or otherwise out there every time, and it would be nice to get some illumination in the daytime as well.

Plus the shed is a generic metal-walled deal. I don't know how if it could support the added weight of a skylight or anything else on the roof, and I don't know how that would effect the structure. Arrow doesn't sell any window, skylight, etc kits for it, so I'm guessing there's a reason for that.

[Mike90250]

Daytimes, you will likely have better luck leaving the door open, small lighting won't make much of a dent from sun adjusted eyes. Nighttime, LED's and 12v CFL's should do fine.