Solar power for shed

 looking to get some lights and small power usage devices running on solar
power for my shed.  I seen this solar panel/inverter/controller (54 Watts)
at my local costco for about $299, and I would have to buy my own Deep Cycle
Batteries.  Will this do what I need?  How many batteries would I need, 2-3
batteries?  This will be mostly used for lights.

Or would this be useless and not worth the money.

Thanks.

Steve
Canada

 

SteveC wrote:


How many lights do you plan to use and what wattages ? They almost certainly
would have to be CFL types. Where do you live (this affects the power generated
through insolation). Lastly, when you need the light most (in winter) it
generates the least energy so it has to be sized for winter time.


Almost certainly.

Graham

 SteveC wrote:


Be careful with the ratings. What they do is advertise the inverter or
controller rating as the actual power, not the panel output. It's
deceptive advertising at best, and downright crooked at worst.

Could you find out what the panel output is? If it actually IS 54 watts,
that setup is a bargain. That's why I don't believe it.

With LED lights, it will work well. Don't use fluorescents, as they
don't like to start in the cold. They may have changed that recently,
but it pays to check the specs on the bulb packaging.


mike


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   Due to the insane amount of spam and garbage,
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   I also filter everything from a .cn server.

            http://improve-usenet.org/

 

   We can't really answer your question until you give us a better idea of your
usage pattern.  If you are only talking about a couple lights for an hour or two
a day, on trolling-sized deep cycle battery will be more than enough.

   Do you have a link to that system you are looking at?



   It all depends.  I have been using 12 volt compact fouorescents outside for
years now (I have a little PV system), and they work great year around.  (Of
course, I live in south Florida so your results may vary)



--
Vaughn


Nothing personal, but if you are posting through Google Groups I may not receive
your message.  Google refuses to control the flood of spam messages originating
in their system, so on any given day I may or may not have Google blocked.  Try
a real NNTP server & news reader program and you will never go back.  All you
need is access to an NNTP server (AKA "news server") and a news reader program.
You probably already have a news reader program in your computer (Hint: Outlook
Express).   Assuming that your Usenet needs are modest, use
http://news.aioe.org/  for free and/or http://www.teranews.com/  for a one-time
$3.95 setup fee.

Will poofread for food.

 To answer some questions, here goes.
Mostly 1 13w cfl light bulb, maybe (2) 4 FT fouorescent lights when extra
light is needed and maybe a drill or saw sometimes, but very rarely.  If I
need more power then I will run an extension cord from the house.
Also a 26 watt flood light over the front of the shed.  More or less, that's
about it.  Maybe a small radio for a couple hours a day.

I will have a solar furnace for heat, so that's not an issue.  Shed is
Insulated.

I live in Newfoundland, Canada, not a lot of sun, but enough.

Here is a link for the Solar Kit.
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid 306972&search=solar&MoD&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&N=0&whse¼CA&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne@00000&D=solar&Ntt=solar&No=0&s=1&Sp=S&topnav=&Nty=1

Steve