Looking for some advice, I have a cabin setup where I'm running all 12 volt lights and well pumps. Currently have a bank of eight 6v batteries and charging with generator, I would love to install solar panels for charging and a power inverter for charging radios and misc. batteries and to just have a little 120volt available. I have done a lot of online research and am familiar with calculating sizes of panels. But company on the Internet says their system is the best. So my question is in y'all's experience which manufactures offer the best value in solar panels and which inverters would you recommend. Sorry for the long post.
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Solar power
- Thread starter Jero77
- Start date
Northern tool has a vast selection from solar to wind generatorsand they even have a system thatyou can run both with so you aleays have a backup system.and you can claim most of that stuff as investments on your cabin and in most cases is a tax writeoff
Harbor freight does good with solar panels, and Tractor Supply has small ones for charging electric fence batteries that are cheap
This is what it looks like...
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I attached four 55 watt, 12 volt panels together with a hinge in the middle so it would fold up for easier transportation and storage. The best I can figure out 15 solar watts = 1.5 amps, thus-fore I have close to 15 amps of charging which is way more than you need on a sunny day for one battery. But on a cloudy day these panels still will charge a little. These solar panels require a controller / regulator for full-time use. These panels also use special wiring and connectors which was quite pricey, but are sun / heat resistant. These panels also create alot of heat thusfore they have to be well ventlated. I used these yesterday for only 2 1/2 hours and it done a pretty good job. Maximum output was about 14.5 volts...I'll be hooking up my regulator / controller next and will give more feedback...Oh, by the way, I think I got about $1000 tied up in this setup!
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I attached four 55 watt, 12 volt panels together with a hinge in the middle so it would fold up for easier transportation and storage. The best I can figure out 15 solar watts = 1.5 amps, thus-fore I have close to 15 amps of charging which is way more than you need on a sunny day for one battery. But on a cloudy day these panels still will charge a little. These solar panels require a controller / regulator for full-time use. These panels also use special wiring and connectors which was quite pricey, but are sun / heat resistant. These panels also create alot of heat thusfore they have to be well ventlated. I used these yesterday for only 2 1/2 hours and it done a pretty good job. Maximum output was about 14.5 volts...I'll be hooking up my regulator / controller next and will give more feedback...Oh, by the way, I think I got about $1000 tied up in this setup!
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That's pretty impressive mm30004... !! I wish I had the electrical knowledge to figure that sort of stuff out.
(I've noticed that there's a lot of info on youtube about setting up smaller systems like this, too. And there's a guy from NC or SC with user name Engineer 775 on youtube who has several videos on how to build alternate energy sources. He's good and seems to know his stuff. He built a generator/battery charger out of an exercise bike, for one - cool stuff)
(I've noticed that there's a lot of info on youtube about setting up smaller systems like this, too. And there's a guy from NC or SC with user name Engineer 775 on youtube who has several videos on how to build alternate energy sources. He's good and seems to know his stuff. He built a generator/battery charger out of an exercise bike, for one - cool stuff)
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I want to figure how to hook my well pump on solar/battery
I don't know if your 12v lighting is DC halogen, but you might get more out of a charge if you invert it to 120v and use CFL's for light.
