Solar Power in the Chicken House

[Bantimna]

Quote:
Ditto

 

[PineappleMama]

Son's science fair project is going to be building one of those coke can (solar) heaters... in theory to heat up the doghouse on really cold days.
We've got 2x4s, old puter fans, nails, coke cans from the In Laws... need the spray insulation though...

Time will tell, but if that works well then I reckon that's what I'd go with... perhaps with a small solar panel for powering the fan... *shrug*

 

[quercus21]

Here's a site that I hope might help: http://www.builditsolar.com/

I put in solar for our house - thermal from: http://www.sunmaxxsolar.com/

Kaj

 

[hrdwrkgrl]

ooooh.. very interested in this... gonna be watching too.. xoxox

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
That will be a great project! These can be built to whatever degree of durability (cardboard, wood, stone...) and sophistication is desired. Once the dust has settled from my coop construction and things have settled down a bit around work I'm going to build one for the coop. With a large heatsink (55gal drum of water, concrete floor, etc., some of the heat that is gathered during the day can be stored for use at night. Heatsinks can be built into the unit itself...rock, bricks, etc.,. Down here in south Alabama usually when the weather gets cold enough to think about heat in the coop the skies are very clear, not cloudy...and snow would be basically a freak thing down here.

Hmm, how big is he building it?

Definitely a nice choice for a science fair project!

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Scott]

I found this today... another chicken coop utilizing solar power:

 

[ducks4you]

I'm VERY interested in how you work this out. I delayed building my own coop and cheated--put 'em in a stall in the barn...'cause I could!!--because I'm recycling an old building and I wasn't satisfied with my plans. I've learned more and I'll be including different things in my 2010 coop because of threads like this one.
Here's MY situation:
I put up a temporary coop last summer, and I'll be adding on to it. It's high enough not to puddle when it pours, and other reasons why the location is good.
see post-
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=185353

In addition, it (will be) about 5-6 feet from an outdoor outlet. But I don't want to plug into it for the coop. It isn't safe--it LOOKS crummy to have an extension cord, kind of like my birds live in a run down trailer park!! THAT's why I was thinking solar. I have some questions, though. For instance,
--How much is your total cost?
--Will high winds damage/destroy/remove your solar panels?
--Do you need to protect your panels by, maybe, creating a plexiglass "greenhouse" for them?
--How long will the panels be viable before they need to be replaced?

Right now I have a light on during the day for my birds. I plan to use solar like my "fairey lights", the uber cheapies that last about 4 hours from light on a sunny day, and keep me from tripping around my fencing in the dark.
BYTHEWAY--you have an awesome site on BYC, and also your link to your personal webpage. Your runner ducks and mandarin ducks pictured there are V E R Y T E M P T I N G, since I might "take the plunge" and buy some ducks in the future. Interesting duck facilities--I like your reasoning.

 

[Scott]

Quote:
Thanks for the compliment on the web site and BYC page. The chicken house is well suited to my chicken's needs, and the duck pen is working out well. I'm currently working on a separate aviary for the mandarins. In regard to your questions, the cost is about $200 dollars for the particular set up I'm working. That includes a 20 watt solar panel, mounting brackets, solar charger, 12 volt battery, and the ac/dc inverter. You, however, might require a larger solar panel for your needs so you can expect to pay more. The solar panels are good for decades. They are made of tempered glass, and do not need to be housed in anything like you mentioned. In fact, that would hamper their effectiveness. However, you need to position them away from anything like swaying or potentially falling limbs so they do not break the tempered glass which covers the actual solar cells. It's possible I may have to invest in a larger panel, perhaps a 40 or 60 watt... time will tell. You have to keep in mind that, at this point, I only need enough energy to power a 7.5 watt aquarium heater and then a few lot wattage fans in summer (just enough to circulate air in the chicken house). But ultimately, I am making my chicken solar powered one way or the other. It's "off grid" and has been since I built the chicken house 3 years ago. I am determined to have electricity (via solar power) at the chicken house by spring. I'll add updates as time goes on.

 

[PineappleMama]

Swamp, the plan I saw was really big, and said it heated up to 130 degrees (ack!) so DH figures to make it maybe 1/4 that size. Here too the coldest days have the clearest skies. Something about clouds acting as a 'blanket' that holds heat in?? Anywho, I thought that'd be a great idea, and cheap since we have most the materials already. AND it covers solar energy, wiring, heat, and recycling... several good project subjects in themselves. And, other than the sawing of the 2x4s (and help with cutting the holes in the cans maybe) it is something that he can build himself. We aren't like SOME parents who build electromagnets, complete with hand sketched diagrams, and try to pass it off as the work of a six year old... whose fine motor skills are so great he's making an N in penmanship... ahem... not that anyone's done that and gotten 1st place or anything.

Shoot, didn't mean to go that far off subject. SORRY. If this think works worth a hoot I'll be sure and make a topic, with pics hopefully, and results so you guys can use it if you want to... but I won't keep blathering on about it here.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks, Scott!! I'll check out what Harbor Freight has--LOVE their prices--and start my window shopping. I actually need less wattage than you might think because my coop design has LOTS of window space, so I won't be using any daytime lighting. I just need enough light so that I can do feeding chores after dark in the winter--NO MORE than 20 minutes worth, I think. And then, maybe a bit more in case I want to rake up the litter.