What do you use solar power for?

[Fern Field Farms]

I just got a solar operated battery charger! Very excited! What do you guys use solar for? Does anyone heat a greenhouse with them?

 

[FarmOR]

Drying laundry. Growing hay.

 

[Fern Field Farms]

Drying laundry. Growing hay.

That's the best answer haha love it!

 

[lonewolf]

I dont use it.

 

[The Lazy L]

As a backup power source for our communications

 

[BBLife]

I use it for the street lights that help light up parts of the property so that I can get around without always needing a flashlight. Heat requires so much energy I would think any heater would not last very long and it would take considerable panels to run most heaters. A solar water heater that could heat a large cistern of water in a greenhouse could be a potential though.

I do have a few solar generators that I keep charged for phones, light, small pump for water for a camp propane heated shower, etc. Going to buy a larger one to power some of the shop tools for use in a pinch.

Was going to power the entire house but the cost for the solar vs. cost to have powerlines and power meant I'd never get a return on the solar cost because you still have to "save" for new batteries and panels as they age. If the grid goes down, I'll do without any major power needs as I'm building to suit a non powered lifestyle with the infrastructure.

I did buy one all inclusive solar pump system that I keep in the box and in a faraday cage so that I can easily build out a way to get water up to a cistern if needed.

 

[Aerindel]

First off, heating anything with solar-electric is about the hardest and least useful thing you can possible do with it. Heating a greenhouse.....well, you would need a MASSIVE solar system to do that.

To answer your question though:
Charging headlamps, cell phones, etc. Basically all my small portable devices I charge with solar.

It also runs my DC, LED rope lights that I used for low level nightime lighting.

And the main one, it runs the pressurized part of my water system, which is the hot water side, as my on demand gas heater needs more pressure than I can get from gravity feed to operate.

During short term power outages, like a few hours, I will use it to run the internet, TV etc so the kid doesn't get bored, but my system is only large enough to do that for a couple hours.

 

[Amish Heart]

We have a couple of panels on our garage roof. They charge three large batteries that we use for a number of things with an inverter.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Portable panels and radios
Electric fence energizers
Trickle charge vehicle battery maintenance
Powerpack (230Ah SLA AGM) for shed with no mains - runs inverter, lights and 12V DC Compressor
Backup power for farm house
Power for campsites - mostly for Engel fridge/freezers and 12V DC Oven
RV trailer with 500Ah LiFePO4, 3000W Inverter and a bunch of cooking options and other appliances

 

[Supervisor42]

I dont use it.

Almost none are found here because 4 out of 5 days here are complete overcast.
You can drive around for a week and not see a single panel on a roof here.
But I will soon make an article about some lights that I have been brutally testing, that appear to do the impossible: charging completely, again and again on totally overcast days .
No full sun? = no problem .

 

[Aerindel]

Almost none are found here because 4 out of 5 days here are complete overcast.
You can drive around for a week and not see a single panel on a roof here.
But I will soon make an article about some lights that I have been brutally testing, that appear to do the impossible: charging completely, again and again on totally overcast days .
No full sun? = no problem .

Its just a matter of scale. On a cloudy day, your panels may only make 1/10th the power they do on a rare sunny day....just means you need 10x more panels than there watt rating.

Of course 'just' is relative.

 

[Neb]

Its just a matter of scale...

Of course 'just' is relative.

"Just" is a four letter word!

Ben

 

[viking]

Its just a matter of scale. On a cloudy day, your panels may only make 1/10th the power they do on a rare sunny day....just means you need 10x more panels than there watt rating.

Of course 'just' is relative.

And this is the issue that makes for a short coming in some of the solar kits sold, those panels only produce just a few volts over what the batteries require for recharging. This is why I did all the research before we built our solar backup system and it has paid off big time, our solar array puts out an average daily voltage of 80+ volts for well over 6 hours and even on a rainy cloudy days the voltage can be in the mid to high 70 volt range, couple that to an MPPT solar controller and our battery bank stays at a maximum charge. It would be nice to have installed more 195 watt panels to the array, but the eight 195 watt panels we have are doing a good job for now, considering that our electrical needs are minimal.

 

[Supervisor42]

And this is the issue that makes for a short coming in some of the solar kits sold, those panels only produce just a few volts over what the batteries require for recharging. This is why I did all the research before we built our solar backup system and it has paid off big time, our solar array puts out an average daily voltage of 80+ volts for well over 6 hours and even on a rainy cloudy days the voltage can be in the mid to high 70 volt range, couple that to an MPPT solar controller and our battery bank stays at a maximum charge. It would be nice to have installed more 195 watt panels to the array, but the eight 195 watt panels we have are doing a good job for now, considering that our electrical needs are minimal.

Amps matter. Anybody want to post how many amps their panels make in the middle of the night?

 

[Aerindel]

Amps matter. Anybody want to post how many amps their panels make in the middle of the night?

Yeah, none.
The thing about MPPT controllers is that they turn extra volts, into amps. And although there is no free lunch, its easier to move volts, than amps.

 

[viking]

Amps matter. Anybody want to post how many amps their panels make in the middle of the night?

None, but that is why I have 1,260 Amp Hours of battery storage, I have a hard time seeing why anyone would buy into the power company selling a solar system just to reduce their power bills without having an Inverter/battery system to go with it. We ran our backup system for 6 years using the grid to charge the batteries before installing the solar array and believe me, grid charging really spins the watt hour meter.

 

[Supervisor42]

None, but that is why I have 1,260 Amp Hours of battery storage, I have a hard time seeing why anyone would buy into the power company selling a solar system just to reduce their power bills without having an Inverter/battery system to go with it. We ran our backup system for 6 years using the grid to charge the batteries before installing the solar array and believe me, grid charging really spins the watt hour meter.

I built a great battery-backup system when we were in Bama:
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/solar-energy.47/post-255595
How close does the 510AH @ 24v come to yours?
Yes, I did play with solar, but didn't fall in love with it.

 

[Aerindel]

Yes, I did play with solar, but didn't fall in love with it.

Its a tool in the tool box. In my location, its not going to ever be a major power source, but its enough for the vital, small devices like headlamps, ipads, etc. I'm never going to run a freezer with it or heat my house without massive investment.

 

[viking]

I built a great battery-backup system when we were in Bama:
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/solar-energy.47/post-255595
How close does the 510AH @ 24v come to yours?
Yes, I did play with solar, but didn't fall in love with it.

That's the way I feel about solar, our thought is that it will get us enough power to run the freezers and refrigerators until they are empty, then it's candles and kerosene.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I designed my little system as a battery (12V) backup for when our power goes down. I have 1,600 watts of off grid solar and I monitor our "sunny" days, which I would estimate to be 1 in 3. I try to keep my battery bank above 12.5 volts because it's primary role is battery backup. Total system is 20,000 watt-hours. I have a 3000 watt inverter, but designed my loads around 2,000 watts max.

I set up 2 single circuit automatic transfer switches to feed my grow lights on my 2 growing stations (800 watts each). The inverter power is on a timer with an over-ride that runs from about 09:00 till about 16:00, this leaves me a couple of hours to top-off the batteries before the sun goes down. So on a good day the solar powers the grow lights for 7 hours and the grid powers them for 5. On overcast days I monitor the battery voltage and switch back to grid power if the voltage reaches 11.5 volts.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing, I use a little solar (~7,500 watt-hours per day) for grow lights and keep my batteries fully charged in case of a power outage.

This year I am expanding my summer utilization to include powering a small air-conditioner. The wife is having a very hard time dealing with any heat and the room she prefers is on the southwest corner (solar heat gain is a bear there). So I am placing a saddle air-conditioner in that room (no need to keep the whole house in the 60s). I plan to set up a dedicated automatic transfer switch so I can power the air-conditioner during the sunny part of the day off solar, and off the grid at night or cloudy days if I need it.

I'm not in love with the solar, it is expensive to set up and it is not as straight forward as I would like. But I have tried to make do with a generator when we had week long power outages. We discovered that gasoline and theft became an issue. It's always good to have alternatives when you need them.

 

[old tex]

What would I use solar power for, nothing. I don't feel that it's a viable power source right now. Plus I object to my tax dollars being spent on insane projects where the main goal is to make government officials rich.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Update from my post #20 that is a year old now. Well I did what I said and then some, I expanded my off-grid solar to 2000 watts and installed the window AC unit on the South-West corner of the house. I set it up on it's own circuit and set it up to be the primary user of my solar and lead-acid battery bank. I also added 2 5000 watt-hour LiFePO4 battery banks indoors for emergency power outage use.

The results, last summer the power company noticed the change, 21% drop in energy year to year, and we kept the house cooler. We had several small 1~2 day power outages and the system covered our needs, even with the window AC on. This winter I designed a control circuit for each of the single circuit automatic transfer switches that monitors battery voltage, as the voltage goes down loads are shed with the most important loads being maintained as long as possible. As the battery voltage recovers, the loads are re-applied in the opposite order. Even on cloudy days I am able to get the most out of my system and still keep the battery voltage between 11.7 and 13 Volts. My system is designed as an emergency back-up system so if the grid goes down, all of the circuits rely 100% on the inverter(s) until the battery banks are drained. The LiFePO4 battery banks are designed to be recharged from the lead-acid battery bank inverter, so under normal operation they are always at 100% ready to go.

I didn't take any Gov't handouts or tax breaks to setup or make my system. Yes it's expensive, but when controlled properly it can be a useful tool. I am using Kill-a-watt meters at the grid supply and the inverter side of each circuit so I can accurately track the utilization that I am getting out of my system. No, it's not perfect, but it could keep me and mine going for a long time if necessary. If you had supplemental power from generator the combined system could extend the fuel supply for the generator significantly. (2 or 3 X)

 

[CrocDundee]

Putting wet laundry on the clothesline out there in the sun...whenever there is sun, I guess!

 

[12icemaker]

I use it to charge the batteries that power the feeders, and to charge the throwaway every two years perimeter lights.

sometimes a cell phone charger or some small device.

I do not like any solar farm idea, roof mounted etc that do not take up any not already covered land is for me.

I dont want to see even one panel in a yard, It should be on whatever it directly powers.

 

[dademoss]

I got a 100 watt panel for field day, thats my only interest.

 

[Mountain trapper]

At our place everything is powered by solar with generator backup.

 

[Morgan101]

We use it strictly for back up. If you look at the Patriot Supply Power Generator 2000X we have a very similar system. Basically a big battery that can be recharged with a solar panel array. It can be charged with the solar panels or a110 wall outlet. It should work for us.

 

[Patchouli]

The results, last summer the power company noticed the change, 21% drop in energy year to year, and we kept the house cooler.

Did they contact you with alarm? Charge you extra for using less? Give you an award for being energy conscious?
Edited to add:
Sorry, I'm not being persnickety. You never know about power or utility companies!
My water company let me know my meter was flying. Turned out I had a leak under the house and I had no way of knowing for real, just thought things seemed a little different.

 

[user 2656]

We have an 18.2 kW system. We did it in three different sections to maximize getting the federal and state benefits some of which no longer exist.

It was expensive but it’s also expensive to heat and cool the size house my husband loves. He wanted cathedral ceilings throughout and five bedrooms. We do not run our heat pump off of it because we have a Lopi Liberty wood-burning stove that also heats the house if need be. And you can cook on it.

The system also Powers our pole barn, the large kitchen garden irrigation system, and it now will be powering my new “she shed” which is actually just a small garden shed at the top of the garden since the incline is quite steep. As I get older I find it hard to drag wagons up the hill.

We have been net zero most years but again we have to amortize the system over the course of its life. We are at 10 years the first section, 9 years for the second and 7for the third. We did just replace all of the 14 lead acid batteries after 10 years. The intense usage wore them out directly on time so we went with lithium ion batteries (only 4 needed!)

We don’t have any restrictions on our power usage for all electric appliances and 57 ft.³ of deep freeze in three different freezers. I will say Solar is not for everyone but for us it’s perfect. You have to have 100% southern exposure. We looked at 40 different locations before we bought our place.

 

[havasu]

We have an 18.2 kW system. We did it in three different sections to maximize getting the federal and state benefits some of which no longer exist.

It was expensive but it’s also expensive to heat and cool the size house my husband loves. He wanted cathedral ceilings throughout and five bedrooms. We do not run our heat pump off of it because we have a Lopi Liberty wood-burning stove that also heats the house if need be. And you can cook on it.

The system also Powers our pole barn, the large kitchen garden irrigation system, and it now will be powering my new “she shed” which is actually just a small garden shed at the top of the garden since the incline is quite steep. As I get older I find it hard to drag wagons up the hill.

We have been net zero most years but again we have to amortize the system over the course of its life. We are at 10 years the first section, 9 years for the second and 7for the third. We did just replace all of the 14 lead acid batteries after 10 years. The intense usage wore them out directly on time so we went with lithium ion batteries (only 4 needed!)

We don’t have any restrictions on our power usage for all electric appliances and 57 ft.³ of deep freeze in three different freezers. I will say Solar is not for everyone but for us it’s perfect. You have to have 100% southern exposure. We looked at 40 different locations before we bought our place.

do you have a battery back up?