[ Date Index ] [ Thread Index ] [ <= Previous by date / thread ] [ Next by date / thread => ]
> I happen to of dealt with solar powered motorised gate lately. Do you know the > power rating of the solar panels are? > We had a 100w panel with a deep cycle 75Ahr battery with a constant 240mAhr load > and we still ran into trouble after an couple of weeks. > Your normally lucky to get 30-40% of the power out of the panel normally. I run an electric fence and some 12vdc lighting via an 80watt panel. It's not reliable through winter at all and the battery needs replacing with another charged one quite often. The original question was "wanted to run off-grid" - was the reason one of wish, or need? Ie, is mains really not available on-site at all? If it is, it'll be cheaper and more reliable and you won't have to adapt your usage habits. Messing around with self-generated power is kinda fun, and definitely geeky (especially if you can graph it), but I wouldn't say it was cost effective - that's why feed in tarriffs are needed to encourage take up for micro generation. (All bets are off if you have running water though. I really wish I had a good stream and some gravity! Cheap, reliable and low-maintenance power!) -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq