Going solar

[SteffyK]

This sounds like such a great idea! Please post updates as you put it together and use it, I am moving next week and will have a one story outbuilding in which to put my calf (currently kept at a friends), but it has an addition for the chicken coop with runs. I would love to start converting this building to solar power to run all the electric so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep us informed of progress!

 

[karlamaria]

Quote:
It will take multiple deep cycle batteries and an inverter to run heat lamps.

You'll end up spending hundreds of dollars to find out it's not a good idea

Not true at all, in fact you can build a pop can solar panel and they work. Look it up on YouTube. I would post a link but on a iPad so not able to. Cheap and easy to make.

 

[Cargo]

You do not need a heat lamp.
They do not need them in Alaska at -30 so they do not need them wherever you live.
Unless you build a poorly designed coop or purchase the wrong breed for your climate.

 

[maizy'smom]

We discovered that putting the coop under the holly tree was great for keeping the girls cool in the summer, but that the root system of the holly tree made running electricity to the coop impossible. My concern is more about keeping the water unfrozen in our PA winters. I was hoping to run one of the light-bulb based heating systems. I'd be curious to know if a solar panel would be enough to keep a 2 gal galvanized waterer unfrozen. I assume I'd have to put the solar panel in a remote location, out from under the holly's shade canopy...but would even that be feasible? I learn so much from all my BYC friends!

Thanks for asking a great question!

mm

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Not true at all, in fact you can build a pop can solar panel and they work. Look it up on YouTube. I would post a link but on a iPad so not able to. Cheap and easy to make.

A solar heat collecter has absolutely nothing at all to do with solar ELECTRICAL panels and heat lamps

going to use it to power my heat lamps during the winter​

 

[cward]

http://www.lowes.com/pd_167265-11338-50022_0__?productId=3126323&cm_cr=Alternative+Energy+-+Solar-_-Web+Activity-_-Solar+Top+Flexible-_-SC_Alternative+Energy_TopFlexible_Area-_-169608_2_solar_Pop_Cat-2

This is the same 12v solar panel that I'ma try to use. If you look on ebay, you can normally get it cheaper or 1 very similar to it. I'm going to try and hook the panel up straight to the fan which I believe will work. I did however hook this same panel up to a 400w inverter and it doesn't have enough amps to run whatever is plugged up to it and it is only 5w's. I have some old solar cells that we're going to add to it and see what happens. So far I only have about $60 tied into everything. So if it works, it will save alot of money. I WILL have it all figured out tomorrow with the help of my bro-in-law, and also will have the updates.

For the winter time, I'm going to use the same panel with a 12v battery. Just have the panel charge the battery during the day and it'll run the lights at night. As a matter of fact, I'm using two 6v batteries that came out of my kids power wheel cars after they drove them till they died. Just tie the batteries together the right way and you'll have 12v's.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Think about that... It's a 5 watt panel. On a winter day with five hours of charging at best you have 25 watt-hours. That will run a 100 watt lamp for 15 minutes or a 250 watt heat lamp for a few minutes. That would be on a 12 volt lamp... Using an inverter increases the losses as they are nowhere near 100% efficient.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I did however hook this same panel up to a 400w inverter and it doesn't have enough amps to run whatever is plugged up to it and it is only 5w's

That's why it's going to cost you a fortune to store enough power to run a 150 watt heat lamp for any length of time.

It will be far cheaper to just run grid power to the coop

You'll need a fully charged 100 Amp Hour battery, and an inverter that is 90% efficient to run a 150 watt bulb for 3 hours.
That will pretty much drain the battery, and you'll need 10-12 hours to recharge it at 10 amps

Your 5 watt panel will put out 3 amps if you're lucky

http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/inverter_faq.html#how_long​

 

[JeffreyDV]

A 5 watt panel will never be enough to power a heat lamp. I recently used 2 deep cycle batteries charged via 45 watts of solar panels to power a small fan during the day and it was only able to run for a few hours before the batteries were dead. The fan is less than 100 watts. FWIW, I have a 9.72 kW solar electric system on my house and I am a huge supporter of alternative energy. Small scale solar electric projects are rarely worthwhile for things like heating or cooling.

 

[cward]

Unfortunately we had thunderstorms all day and was unable to do anything. We have plans to start 1st thing in the morning.

I got the extra cells to build an extra panel to add to the 5w solar panel I have now. Also do have a grid tie inverter to add to the mix incase none of the non grid ties work.