Solar panels harbor freight

[HenOnAJuneBug]

They would be out on the roof 24/7. I thought I had seen others use the hf panels with success.

They're probably just using the solar panel to charge a battery to run a light or popup door. There's no way a HF solar cell will run a heating plate, especially at night when the sun isn't shining. You'd be better off having a window on the south exposure that let's sunlight heat the coop interior.

 

[wyoDreamer]

The small animal heat plate that I used with my chicks uses 25 watts.
That was all that they needed for out in the barn. Now that they are 7 weeks old and fully feathered, they don't use it anymore.

How old are the chicks that you are moving out to the coop? Are they fully feathered? If so, they may not need any heat source at all.

 

[EggWalrus]

Now that I think about it, extention cord and heaters of any kind are a bad idea.
It wouldn't cost a whole lot to run a 10/3 wire thru a piece of 1/2" pvc pipe. It could lay on the ground temporarily till they feather out but I would bury it permanently. I'm always doing something in our near the chickens that I need electricity.

 

[imnukensc]

4 week old chicks probably won't need any supplemental heat even with temps in the 50s at night. Build them a huddle box.

 

[Kusanar]

Another reason Tesla should have won the power race.

Actually, that would have been really bad... AC power is safer and much more efficient. If we were running DC we would lose so much power to heat in the power lines that we wouldn't get any power where we needed it. DC is only good for short distances, that is why in big solar arrays they do not run all of the panels together and then to an inverter, they have an inverter for every few panels because you lose power so much faster with DC.

They would be out on the roof 24/7.

But, how long is it going to be daylight with enough brightness to produce power? What about cloudy days? The shorter the day, the less power you would produce but the more you would need (shorter days = winter = colder temps) so you have to budget the entire thing to the shortest day of the year and have enough battery to handle a day or 2 without sun in case it rains.

Not trying to be a downer, but I have had several classes in alternate energy and a few classes dedicated to solar specifically so I know what goes into designing an array for your needs.

 

[EggWalrus]

You could always make them a wool hen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...possibly-no-supplemental-heat-at-all.1126460/
I've made ones out of 2 pieces of 1 foot square plywood and stapled wool strip to its underside. Just screw the plywood together to form a teepee or tent shape. It worked great.
I've also took some hardware clothe, shaped it into a little hoop coop and hung the wool thru the hardware cloth holes, then covered it with a piece of wool. It was a little easier to build and worked just as well.

 

[EggWalrus]

Actually, that would have been really bad... AC power is safer and much more efficient. If we were running DC we would lose so much power to heat in the power lines that we wouldn't get any power where we needed it. DC is only good for short distances, that is why in big solar arrays they do not run all of the panels together and then to an inverter, they have an inverter for every few panels because you lose power so much faster with DC.


But, how long is it going to be daylight with enough brightness to produce power? What about cloudy days? The shorter the day, the less power you would produce but the more you would need (shorter days = winter = colder temps) so you have to budget the entire thing to the shortest day of the year and have enough battery to handle a day or 2 without sun in case it rains.

Not trying to be a downer, but I have had several classes in alternate energy and a few classes dedicated to solar specifically so I know what goes into designing an array for your needs.

With solar,
you have to plan for the worst,
and hope for the best.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

But, how long is it going to be daylight with enough brightness to produce power? What about cloudy days? The shorter the day, the less power you would produce but the more you would need (shorter days = winter = colder temps) so you have to budget the entire thing to the shortest day of the year and have enough battery to handle a day or 2 without sun in case it rains.

Those are several reasons why modern society will never be able to run on 100% solar and wind.

 

[aart]

4 week old chicks probably won't need any supplemental heat even with temps in the 50s at night. Build them a huddle box.

This^^^

 

[EggWalrus]

Those are several reasons why modern society will never be able to run on 100% solar and wind.

There are a whole lot of young Bliss Ninnies (and a few older ones) that believe that the MAGIC OF SOLAR will cure all our energy problems.
They never take into account all the problems with it.
Even with the most advanced solar cells that we've put on other planets, IT AIN'T HAPPENING ANY TIME SOON.






Well?
I'm waiting.