making a solar powered battery set up to run a small grow room ???
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Renfro
Well-Known Member
lol, keep in mind I used to work as an electrician and I have installed several PV arrays. Wouldn't waste money on one myself.
SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
I've realised I might have come off as an ass, sorry if so, it was stupid.
It's honestly not that simple to calculate your needed capacity, right off the bat you should add 20% more due to efficiency losses and that's with quality stuff, also even deep cycles suffer beyond 50% DOD, that alone can bring your charge cycles from 1500+ down to 100+ which is a pretty penny for 3-4 months use.
That 100Ah deep cycle actually needs to be 240Ah or you'll need new batteries every year, then you deal with solar outages which requires even more capacity, because lets be honest its crazy to have your veg room shut down due to a day/week without sun, when reality kicks in it doesn't work with simple calculated setups and that's where the price starts to kick.
Im no pro but have built a fair share of 10kw+ setups for friends and three times myself due to upgrades.
SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
Lol we went from vegging a room with solar to spare parts during an apocalyptic event 
...
Fuck I missed RIU man
...Fuck I missed RIU man
sarahJane211
Well-Known Member
23rd today, my 5 panels have generated 82 units in 22 days (so projected yield 120 units this month).
Not so great, but it is monsoon still, by the end of this month the rain will be gone and the sky will be sunny again.
I use the national grid as my battery, costs nothing as long as the meter reader doesn't notice my wheel spinning backwards.
I have one battery as a backup for my entertainment area, plenty of power cuts in monsoon.
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SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
Damn, i know how it feels to get stuck in a massive storm, the panels are pretty much useless in the rain lol, good luck with the storm though.
Are you buying your batteries new? If so, have you considered lithium yet? The switch is well worth it.
Techdirectclub.com has some used 3s/4s kits that might help you if you consider it, moving entirely to 48v (14s) would also be more efficient.
if you are running 300 watts of lights. after adding up fans controllers and whatever else is needed, i bet you will be close to 500 watts being used.
if you are running a battery bank with a inverter you will have to calculate for loss of conversion. Infact you need to calculate for many factors of inefficiency. advertised numbers are in ideal conditions. batteries are most efficient and tested at 75*F. Panels are tested in ideal conditions and at 90* to the cells in the panel. also are you going to go with a 12v or 24v system.
also cant calculate for 18hr on 6hr off or 12/12, you will have some sort of draw at lights off (fans, heater,de-humidifer) note: heater would be hard on a solar system.
if you are hell bent on solar. your best bet is feeding back into the grid and trying to offset your cost. we haven't even calculated for having to replace that battery bank every 8-10years. or in poor weather conditions having to run grid power to get by, or even a crop loss.
best bet IMO is a greenhouse with a outdoor wood boiler. using a small 50-100watt light to stop flowering in winter months until the plant has vegged long enough
if you are running a battery bank with a inverter you will have to calculate for loss of conversion. Infact you need to calculate for many factors of inefficiency. advertised numbers are in ideal conditions. batteries are most efficient and tested at 75*F. Panels are tested in ideal conditions and at 90* to the cells in the panel. also are you going to go with a 12v or 24v system.
also cant calculate for 18hr on 6hr off or 12/12, you will have some sort of draw at lights off (fans, heater,de-humidifer) note: heater would be hard on a solar system.
if you are hell bent on solar. your best bet is feeding back into the grid and trying to offset your cost. we haven't even calculated for having to replace that battery bank every 8-10years. or in poor weather conditions having to run grid power to get by, or even a crop loss.
best bet IMO is a greenhouse with a outdoor wood boiler. using a small 50-100watt light to stop flowering in winter months until the plant has vegged long enough
Keesje
Well-Known Member
As long as batteries are that expensive, this system will never take off.
And there is hardly a change that the traditional batteries will get much cheaper.
We just have to wait for better batteries (which are in development and in test fase already)
Also better solar panels are coming. But it will take a few years before they hit the consumers market.
And there is hardly a change that the traditional batteries will get much cheaper.
We just have to wait for better batteries (which are in development and in test fase already)
Also better solar panels are coming. But it will take a few years before they hit the consumers market.
sarahJane211
Well-Known Member
My hlg 240 + 2QBs lights my MarsHydro 2x4 tent nicely, I usually have it on 200w and with fans the power meter says I'm drawing 220w.
So in veg (16hrs) that's 3 units a day, in flower (12hrs) that's 2 units a day and my 5 panels generate 5 units a day.
No batteries, I drive my meter backwards.
Not growing now, in 5 months I grew enough to last me several years, but my electricity bill is half what it used to be.
If I add any more panels the electric company will get suspicious, my electric bill's only $30/month.
Lockedin
Well-Known Member
I built studio control rooms & edit bays for a long time.
Add up your needs - add 30% for overhead ( I saw 20% above - 30 was my company standard and I blindly follow that still lol).
Minimize your needs - power 1 light, minimum pumps, and exhaust fan only.
Just the basics to get through until the power comes back on. Lights are high draw and will drain the battery banks pretty quick.
Lights definitely CAN run on batteries - we've done that for years in the studios - I have a 56K 1K HMI in the garage, the battery is old, but I can still get a solid 6 hours before the battery shits the bed.
Added benefit is that most UPS also are power conditioners, which may help extend diode and bulb life by aligning the 60 or 50hz AC waves.
I'd trust @Renfro 's opinion more than mine - I was a casual "electrician" out of necessity.
It really is as simple as adding up your needs, then adding overhead ( we did 30%).
You might consider minimizing the wattage as much as possible - only run one light & exhaust in the case of a power outage.
Add up your needs - add 30% for overhead ( I saw 20% above - 30 was my company standard and I blindly follow that still lol).
Minimize your needs - power 1 light, minimum pumps, and exhaust fan only.
Just the basics to get through until the power comes back on. Lights are high draw and will drain the battery banks pretty quick.
Lights definitely CAN run on batteries - we've done that for years in the studios - I have a 56K 1K HMI in the garage, the battery is old, but I can still get a solid 6 hours before the battery shits the bed.
Added benefit is that most UPS also are power conditioners, which may help extend diode and bulb life by aligning the 60 or 50hz AC waves.
I'd trust @Renfro 's opinion more than mine - I was a casual "electrician" out of necessity.
It really is as simple as adding up your needs, then adding overhead ( we did 30%).
You might consider minimizing the wattage as much as possible - only run one light & exhaust in the case of a power outage.
Mohican
Well-Known Member
@sarahJane211 - thank you for the links. On peak days what have you generated with your 5 panels?
I priced many systems including the Tesla roof ($100K). The markup is consistently 100%.
They make it so hard to buy panels directly. Such a scam.
I priced many systems including the Tesla roof ($100K). The markup is consistently 100%.
They make it so hard to buy panels directly. Such a scam.
SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
Driving the meter backwards lol, That is jail time where im from.
sarahJane211
Well-Known Member
1x 330/340w panel generates 1 unit/day there's never much variation, unless it's overcast or raining then you get half or nothing.
I can get 340w panels delivered to my home for $90 each at the moment.
Electric company ain’t gonna think shit.
The block heater on my Diesel is 900watts. Plus other vehicles that get plugged in.
In the spring when I’m raising turkeys and chickens I have 750watts of heat bulbs going for a month or more.
My heated horse waterer is 500watt.
These are all random hydro spikes through the year. Also have 600-1000watt of growing going on.
You would have to be crazy high for them to look at your hydro use.
I had a friend growing up that his mom bread tropical salt water fish. Here hydro was over 1000$ a month.
Their are thousands of reasons to use hydro. Don’t be paranoid
sarahJane211
Well-Known Member
I was more worried about them taking out my analogue meter and replacing it with a digital meter so I can't drive it backwards.