Oscargrouch
Active Member
Ive always thought using solar would be ideal for growing. Anybody feel the same or doing such?
Anybody using solar power?
- Thread starter Oscargrouch
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Oscargrouch
Active Member
Yea, im surprised more people arent using it, especially with utility rates soaring sky high. . Worst case scenario you just use your regular power if panels dont get sun which is rare down in the south. Even if it was just saving 50% to 75% of the electricity bill, that would be great.
H R Puff N Stuff
Well-Known Member
alot of panels to support 1 light need large battery bank short term not feesable yet.
ScoobyDoobyDoo
Well-Known Member
i agree, yet to see someone with a sustainable system that could run 3,000w+. everything i have ever investigated was entirely too expensive.
MellowFarmer
Well-Known Member
​It's included in my long term plan 
jpockets420
Well-Known Member
and if you live in an area where you get paid by the city for your exess solar energy...they will end up paying you...to grow your mary j 
Free lights! lol
Free lights! lol
Oscargrouch
Active Member
Pretty much...i used to have an attic fan that was ran by solar, during the day when it git sun the fan ran, night it didnt. Id like to do the same with lughts.
I think its a great idea, you can buy a panel for 3000 that will produce 1kw per hour, so personal growers will easily be self sufficient. The elec companies will even pay you for an elec you don't use. The only problem is finding the money to buy the panel in the first place
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
Yah; it would be either for "bragging rights" or for growing in a very remote location ... and if the latter, i'd just use a generator. Outdoor and greenhouse growers do speak well of "direct solar" however. In a greenhouse, i could see using a smaller solar setup to run low-power ancillaries ... fans, pumps ... cn
Oscargrouch
Active Member
With that panel wouldnt it still need an inverter, batteries and controller or would it be able to run DC ppower straight from the sun.
Sure, I grow outside at least once/year, usually twice.
If you're talking solar power, do your research. It sounds great, but like LED lights, it's not here yet. Not affordable yet anyway. You're looking at $30-50k for what you want to do, realistically.
It will get affordable in the future, not in my lifetime though.
Wet
Oscargrouch
Active Member
Lmao! 30-50K will power a house with solar fool! You do the research!
monkeybones
Well-Known Member
it's interesting to think about. theoretically, if solar panels were to advance so much as to absorb ALL light shone at them and transfer it perfectly into converted power with no loss... well you would have found a way to move sunlight indoors with perfect subtlety
that there is an illegal cannabis grower's dream
that there is an illegal cannabis grower's dream
Oscargrouch
Active Member
Yes sir buddy
You are absolutely right! Let us know how it goes for you. Provide links if you can, with $$$$ amounts. Pie in the sky amounts don't count.
Wet
Gastanker
Well-Known Member
But we're talking about growing, not a typical house. I priced together a 5kW solar system and it was ~50k. You'll make that back eventually and in most cases you can find government subsidies, but it does cost quite a bit if you want continuous high power supply. If you aren't going with batteries and instead feeding the grid during the day and pulling from it at night then it is definitely much less expensive. Oh, and I should mention that 50k was on the cheap side... my in-laws just spend $120k on a solar system for just their house - granted it is a large house.
There's a thread around here about growing off grid which covers a bit of solar talk.