Off Grid Solar Set-Up

I've been reading up on alternatives to conventional electric supply.

Generators do not seem suitable for using as a constant supplier of energy
rather they serve best emergencies and for short bursts of use.
(If I'm wrong about this I'd like to be told).

OFF GRID SOLAR
Instead of using PV panels to make energy, then allowing the power company to measure it, take it, sell it
and pay you a part of the money it was sold for
Power failures still affect you (even though you make your own power)
and the POWER COMPANY can still monitor your usage and act as informants to the police.
this OFF GRID is when you get away from the power companies GRID
(as if you lived in a place too remote to have no profit motive to justify extending their grid to you).

You make electricity with solar panels
and store it in your own batteries
No one gets to see how much you use
or start asking questions about the amount you use.

Personally I would like to stay on grid
but use my Solar to power the things I wanted to keep private.

DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OFF GRID SOLAR SYSTEMS???

i own and live in a large newer 5th wheel motorhome,we have 10 large solar panels mounted on the roof,and 2 24 volt batterys for use with them,you could easyily run a few nice led setups on 12/12 and a single for veg,24/7,as thats what im running
if you had bigger panels,you could do a nice grow,and maybe bigger batterys then i have

I also have onboard diesel generator,which will also charge the batterys in no time,i can stay off the grid for months or years at a time if i like,lol,just saying,,solar is free and works great,with bigger better panels,you get alot of power

There is much on the web about solar and alt power use, but come to cannabis growing, in a shitty, damp climate like the UK, it takes power unless you wanna grow just autos for 4 months of the year at most, led tech is still far off unless you wanna buy in 3w diodes, and get marginal yields, if I were in the UK I'd be using the dutch methods of growing, perhaps vegging under T5/T8's and budding under low level hps, in the sensational bbc style 'cannabis farm'. ...lol
don't forget any electrical engine can be easily twisted to 'make ' or generate electricity, if on a farm or croft ...make a dam generate you own hps power ...lol ...or as before immigrate to spain ...and use the sun for free ....lol

vostok said:

There is much on the web about solar and alt power use, but come to cannabis growing, in a shitty, damp climate like the UK, it takes power unless you wanna grow just autos for 4 months of the year at most, led tech is still far off unless you wanna buy in 3w diodes, and get marginal yields, if I were in the UK I'd be using the dutch methods of growing, perhaps vegging under T5/T8's and budding under low level hps, in the sensational bbc style 'cannabis farm'. ...lol
don't forget any electrical engine can be easily twisted to 'make ' or generate electricity, if on a farm or croft ...make a dam generate you own hps power ...lol ...or as before immigrate to spain ...and use the sun for free ....lol

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im also running t5s in watts its about split ,was on led only,for veg,now there very happy with the mix

the t5s are also 12 volt DC t5s,not 110,very low voltage draw

okay all i know you have them and they work but led is proven to beet hps 1 watt diodes will produce same as a 400 watt hps if not more. a 3 watt diode panel can beet 600 hps for 1/3 the power. has better spectrum's and grow fatter buds. Its time to go greener and dump the hps when your bulb dies dump hps and buy led. if you really want to be the big boy then buy the 5 wattdiode 250-300 watt panel and kick the smack out of hps all the way around. i know it works why change it well even if you save $35 a month over 12 months humm that is $420 a year wow 420 a year. humm just paid for your led light plus money to pay the electric bill for the year. humm why would i not switch. Ive seen fatter thicker better buds with led. no reason to stay with hps except be dense and try to hold on to old ways. ask the old guys about the old ways. they all moved on. sorry for the ramp. Go greener all.

JoObJoOb said:

the t5s are also 12 volt DC t5s,not 110,very low voltage draw

Click to expand...

I grew under T8's and T5's for years...is what we did back in the 1970's tho then it was T12's ....lol IMHO T5's rack 4 feet long and hung with 6-8 4ft tubes together make a great T5 fixture, tho I'm not so sure of the 2 foot versions, have you a link to these RV T5's at 4ft long assume to be 54 watts per tube ...?

vostok said:

I grew under T8's and T5's for years...is what we did back in the 1970's tho then it was T12's ....lol IMHO T5's rack 4 feet long and hung with 6-8 4ft tubes together make a great T5 fixture, tho I'm not so sure of the 2 foot versions, have you a link to these RV T5's at 4ft long assume to be 54 watts per tube ...?

Click to expand...

there not 4 foot t5s there 12 inch t5s dual bulbs,cool little lights,they cost about 70-150 new,so there not very cheap,i have 12 in the rv,im useing 3 in the 12/12 setup,and this is first time ive used leds,and yes i love it so far,very cheap to run and supper bright,

those are not as bad just use them to veg. great for that. and if you have them and bulbs not worth switching yet. but on the flower bloom side yeah all switch. do the research find the best for the buck you big growers get 5watt diode panels. 18 inches is perfect spave with huge penetration better than hps by far. but dotn do it till your bulbs go why waste what you have working. in 1 year when bulb goes your led is free including electic bill do the math the new bulb/and pwer used. now take led 5 watt diode 250watt panel and eltric bill estimate. it comes out you brake even 1st year but you have 6 more years to save so wow you save like 2500 in savings in electric in 6 more years.

JoOb vn post pics bro show them led rocks even with cfl assist/t5 post your setup please.

JoObJoOb said:

the t5s are also 12 volt DC t5s,not 110,very low voltage draw

Click to expand...

So there is no inverter? How do they hook up the batteries to the lights? I dont know much about 12vdc besides whats under the hood. How many watts are the t5s? At 12V does this increase the amps and wire size by 10x?

What size (in watts) panels do you have? How much did they cost?

Sorry for all the questions in someone elses thread but free sun powered light indoors excites me

alll the lights will runn just off batterys for 3 days,so yeah there cheap,thats without the solar panels,and they will charge in about 1 day in full sun,,im hooked on the led,i made this setup myself,150 dollar total parts,about 100-300 watt,hps power,its ajustable

DCobeen said:

okay all i know you have them and they work but led is proven to beet hps 1 watt diodes will produce same as a 400 watt hps if not more. a 3 watt diode panel can beet 600 hps for 1/3 the power. has better spectrum's and grow fatter buds. Its time to go greener and dump the hps when your bulb dies dump hps and buy led. if you really want to be the big boy then buy the 5 wattdiode 250-300 watt panel and kick the smack out of hps all the way around. i know it works why change it well even if you save $35 a month over 12 months humm that is $420 a year wow 420 a year. humm just paid for your led light plus money to pay the electric bill for the year. humm why would i not switch. Ive seen fatter thicker better buds with led. no reason to stay with hps except be dense and try to hold on to old ways. ask the old guys about the old ways. they all moved on. sorry for the ramp. Go greener all.

Click to expand...

WHERE is 'LED proven to beet HPS'???
If LED's are so good why do NO COMMERCIAL GROWERS USE THEM???

It really winds me up when people make blanket statements of a black and white nature, but don't post supporting evidence.
LED's are OK when HID's are not an option.
But any grower who wants a serious amount of top quality bud uses HID
or MAYBE some CFL/T5 mixed in for Veg.