solar panels

[alern]

i have a question about solar panels , i am thinking about getting 3 -15 watt panels if i use a inverter could i run anything off it besides lights

thanks

[ghurd]

Sure.

But what and for how long is another story.

On average, maybe you get 5 hours of "sun" a day.

So 5 Hours x 3 Amps is 15AH per day.

And 15AH x 90%losses = 13AH per day.

That is about 150 watts for 1 hour per day.

"Good 'ol Gary" does some strange math,

or is uninformed.

But he does sell a lot of solar panel kits.

Bigger is cheaper.  Overall.  For what it can do.

G-

[ghurd]

OK.  

I'm done beating around the bush. I'm in a grummpy mood.

If it didn't show before, it will now.

Not your fault. Not at all.

Anything under 40W is just a toy.

If it snows much, or has a long winter, anything under 50W is a toy.

In the snow belt of the Great Lakes, (OH, MI, PA, etc.)

a 32W PV will not always keep up with self discharge of a 105AH battery,

let alone actually run anything!

A 32 or 45W PV system is good for 'sometimes' summer use at a camper or cabin,

for low power uses like a light or 2, and maybe a radio for a short time, or charging a cell phone.  There just is not much power there.

It can do something. Just not what most retailers claim.

I am in the snow belt. For very low power uses, 50W panel is OK, an 80W panel is great, a 32W panel is useless.   Meaning $200 is wasted, but $350 actually does something.  And it does even more in the summer!

G-

[kenputer]

That is what I have set up at my cottage,3,15 watt panels chargeing to 6 volt batterys and it works finest kind.I use low wattage bulbs for lighting and a 20" color tv for the kids and very seldom run out of power with this setup,our inverter is an xpower 1000,   it can be done.

[BT Humble]

i have a question about solar panels , i am thinking about getting 3 -15 watt panels if i use a inverter could i run anything off it besides lights



"It depends..."

For the project that we're[1] running in Fiji, a 12W crystalline panel feeding a 75Ah battery is sufficient.  However, over there a household of 6 people generally lives in a single room of perhaps 20x10', and the only loads we're trying to run are a 500mA fluoro light for 3 hours per night, and a 20mA LED "night light" for the kids.

Also, since Fiji is only 15 degrees from the equator they get 12 hours of sunlight pretty much every day of the year.

I live 35 degrees south of the equator, and since I want to run power tools and suchlike I have 560W of solar panels feeding a 1000aH (24V) battery bank.

Tell us where you are, and what you want to run, and we can give you a somewhat better targeted answer. ;-)

BTH

[1] Me and another guy, and our wives.

[richhagen]

Hello, I suspect you are looking at a thin film amorphous panel.  From my perspective, I would rather have a monocrystaline or polycrystaline panel with a 25 year power warranty, even if it cost a bit more.  I have had bad experiences with weathering and flaking on the backs of the amourphous panels, destroying them after only a few years of use.  You may find a suitable used panel in the 50 watt range through ebay, or another vendor, or you can sometimes find deals on new ones.  While the initial cost might be a bit more, you have an essentially permanent solution barring breakage or theft of the panel.  You can always expand the system in the future.  Depending upon your usage, you can do quite a bit with 45 watts or so.  Intermittant light usage with a 13watt compact flourescent and a radio or an hour or so with a small television should be possible depending upon the season, weather, and your location.  Power is the rate at which you are using energy.  If you use more power, you will have less time for which you can use it for a fixed generating and battery capacity.  Rich Hagen

[richhagen]

Also, look at the page that our hosts put up here on solar panels and used panels.  I have some old Arco and Siemens panels and they seem to work very well and be very well made.  I suspect that some of them will outlast me.  Rich

[ghurd]

""I suspect... "

If it is the 3 at 15w PVs, a couple bulbs, etc,  it's not a bad deal for $200.

(first thing, trash the 7A controller for a decent one. Like a SG-4. Trust me.)

I wouldn't expect them to last very long.

But just the 20W crystaline PV by itself is $190.

That in itself should say something.

In their defense (now that I'm not so darn grumpy)

I know of several still running after about 6 years.

The plastic frames are dry rotted, and the film is 'burning'.

I wouldn't expect them to last much longer.

G-

[alern]

SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWER YOU ,,BEEN OUT OF TOWN ,, I LIVE IN CENTRAL ALABAMA AND GETABOUT 8 OR 9 HOURS OF SUNLITE IN THE SUMMER MONTHS

THANKS ALERN