# How to design a solar powered grow room?



## Clarencey (Apr 15, 2013)

How to design a solar powered grow room?


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## Metasynth (Apr 15, 2013)

Plant outside? haha


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## oakley1984 (Apr 15, 2013)

expect to spend approx 10-15k in setup costs for every 3-4 lights you run.
from what ive been able to find from looking into it at least


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## Mattemil (Apr 15, 2013)

A friend of mine has his little outbuilding grow running from solar power, he has 4 1K lights.I helped with the build mainly as labor, he has the brains in that department.It cost him about 6 grand not including grow equiptment.

I dont know where the guy above got 10-15 grand in costs for every 3-4 lights.


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## oakley1984 (Apr 15, 2013)

Mattemil said:


> A friend of mine has his little outbuilding grow running from solar power, he has 4 1K lights.I helped with the build mainly as labor, he has the brains in that department.It cost him about 6 grand not including grow equiptment.
> 
> I dont know where the guy above got 10-15 grand in costs for every 3-4 lights.


Simple, I live in Canada, our goods our twice the price.


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## Fazer1rlg (Apr 15, 2013)

Yah the pricing will be different for different areas bro! Some places aren't as expensive to live as others. Same applies to stuff u buy there.


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## oakley1984 (Apr 15, 2013)

Fazer1rlg said:


> Yah the pricing will be different for different areas bro! Some places aren't as expensive to live as others. Same applies to stuff u buy there.


Pretty much! Gallon of gas here is over 6$ right now lol


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## Comatoke (Apr 15, 2013)

You would spend a lot of money on a solar powered INDOOR grow. 

that would be a hilarious idea.

a growroom with solar power.....

I've heard everything....


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## vilify (Apr 15, 2013)

apparently there is something wrong with solar energy?
green energy is fine, unless you are powering a grow room?

and no, it will not be cheap.


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## bradley104 (Apr 15, 2013)

i say go for it, we need more people with GREAT ideas like this. it cracks me up with all these "organic" indoor growers trying to be all environmental and hip, like they are saving the world by growing organics, but they forget to mention the amount of pollution caused by their excessive elcetric bills. we should all be so enlightened to think like the OP and consider solar power. seriously.


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## automated (Apr 15, 2013)

bradley104 said:


> i say go for it, we need more people with GREAT ideas like this. it cracks me up with all these "organic" indoor growers trying to be all environmental and hip, like they are saving the world by growing organics, .


I like organic cos I dont want to smoke chemicals >_< if the world was a nice smelling plant, I might even smoke it


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## oakley1984 (Apr 15, 2013)

Comatoke said:


> You would spend a lot of money on a solar powered INDOOR grow.
> 
> that would be a hilarious idea.
> 
> ...



i thought the same thing after reading your "hash how to"
Fail.


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## Tha CHillz (Apr 15, 2013)

You can google solar power calculator and get an estimate. Another factor is where you live. I played around with it, I entered 360kwh/month which is roughly what a 600w hps uses in veg mode (18-24). My estimate was 7500 dollars to have a system installed (solar panels, inverters and what ever else is involved) without batteries.


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## ExtremeMetal43 (Apr 15, 2013)

not to be an ass but the earth is one dude. glass greenhouse heated in the winter. Try solar panels with something that can accumulate the energy n save it for when u need it.


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## ctoomuch (Apr 23, 2013)

For just 4 1000w lights you would need a 12.5kw system, assuming 318w modules you would need 39 of them. There is no way you can do that for $6k-$7k. The inverter for that system costs $5k alone. I'm not talking about something I don't know about, I have my NABCEP and install solar daily. Even at costco a 5170 watt system is $13k. If it was that cheap I would have it on my house.


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## UpperLeftStone (Apr 23, 2013)

Metasynth said:


> Plant outside? haha


Best power around


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## tampee (Apr 23, 2013)

Mattemil said:


> A friend of mine has his little outbuilding grow running from solar power, he has 4 1K lights.I helped with the build mainly as labor, he has the brains in that department.It cost him about 6 grand not including grow equiptment.
> 
> I dont know where the guy above got 10-15 grand in costs for every 3-4 lights.


wow really? 6 grand too run 4k of just lights thats a steal that bitch will pay for herself in one crop makes me wan't too drop 10 grand and run the whole house and still make some money off the power company.


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## JLStiffy (Apr 23, 2013)

I do not run solar power (dont have the energy to construct my own set up nor do I want people around to construct one for me) But I do know a few things about it.. Its very possible and not crazy to run solar power for grow rooms. Its being done all over the place and its even makings its move into commercial gardens. Secondly, they are new and very exciting capabilities that can run houses on solar energy with out 60 foot solar windmill blades. They even make skylight windows that do solar power that can run a house (usually three) The price is expensive but that depends on whos pockets we are dipping into. There are tax credits for this installation. Just note that its not the amount of power that can be produced at any one time but its looked at over the year of what your system can produce for usable Kw. Generally there is a minimal you can count on for energy produces but there is a maximan. so make sure when u build or install one, u get one more than big enough for your house or garden. 
I do agree with some of the post above, its great to see some people willing to learn and take some risk to help make up for all those fucking pieces of shit that consume more than they produce on this earth. Love the idea, go make it happen!! Best luck! 
O, solar windmills are expensive but ironically not extreme in price. With all work done u can get for about 20-40 grand. That will power everything No problem. Solar panels are not that expensive, generally around 1000 a panel.. U can get fancy ones that look nice but they cost more.


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## CDNflames (Apr 23, 2013)

Start up would cost, but then think if were to actually build or buy a setup that could run your room you would be laughing. People have solar systems for entire houses that run tv, fridge, dishwasher all theses items use mass amounts of watts. Growing weed electricity is the most important thing. Just have to design a solar system to produce necessary watts needed for room. Your cost of panels would be paid of quickly in lower electricity costs.


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## Hydrotech364 (Apr 23, 2013)

vilify said:


> apparently there is something wrong with solar energy?
> green energy is fine, unless you are powering a grow room?
> 
> and no, it will not be cheap.



They don't want it to be cheap. Every time I come across a decent panel I grab my meters to check voltage and amps.The VW Beetles come with solar battery chargers that kick ass but too fukn small to do anything with.Wind would be nice and I can get alot of the parts free, aircraft Prop's, Generators.I would have to build a huge tower though.


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## twostrokenut (Apr 24, 2013)

I bet these would help too.....http://inhabitat.com/solar-tube/solar-tube-solatube-solar-pipe-skylight-daylight-daylighting-natural-light-architectural-daylighting-solutions/


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## Bigtacofarmer (Apr 24, 2013)

Mattemil said:


> A friend of mine has his little outbuilding grow running from solar power, he has 4 1K lights.I helped with the build mainly as labor, he has the brains in that department.It cost him about 6 grand not including grow equiptment.
> 
> I dont know where the guy above got 10-15 grand in costs for every 3-4 lights.


You should have your friend write up a detailed tek. I know, big request. But a few links to the correct materials and a list of mistakes not to make would be nice! 

6-10 g on a setup to run 4 lights sounds expensive, but between to cost of electricity and price of good weed it would pay it self back quickly!


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## DonPepe (Apr 24, 2013)

I think it is a great idea, i plan to power my whole house with primarily solar energy when i have enough cash to afford it. This will include my grow room. With a grow as small scale as i operate i don't see power consumption as a risk or an overly burdensome expense but i also see no down side... 

.....so in the end i just like the idea of depending of fewer and fewer people to provide for myself.


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## Bubbagineer (Apr 24, 2013)

ctoomuch said:


> For just 4 1000w lights you would need a 12.5kw system, assuming 318w modules you would need 39 of them. There is no way you can do that for $6k-$7k. The inverter for that system costs $5k alone. I'm not talking about something I don't know about, I have my NABCEP and install solar daily. Even at costco a 5170 watt system is $13k. If it was that cheap I would have it on my house.


Good points bro, I work in the power industry also. The estimate above... does it include the battery back-up system? If not, better throw that in cause the sun don't always shine lol (wind don't always low either so the same goes for wind turbines). Also, better be conservative with the published efficiencies on panels and understand that pigeon poop and UV damage affects performance. No reason it won't work, but you will need a large array IMHO.


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## fridayfishfry (Apr 25, 2013)

i call butterfly question. whoosh whoosh whoosh. outside


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## ctoomuch (Apr 27, 2013)

Bubbagineer said:


> Good points bro, I work in the power industry also. The estimate above... does it include the battery back-up system? If not, better throw that in cause the sun don't always shine lol (wind don't always low either so the same goes for wind turbines). Also, better be conservative with the published efficiencies on panels and understand that pigeon poop and UV damage affects performance. No reason it won't work, but you will need a large array IMHO.


That's without batteries, which would basically double the cost of the system. I did run across a site that looks promising, http://shopdiyenergy.com/. I'll check it out when I get a chance. If you want the best, go with sunpower modules.


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## unix60959 (Apr 27, 2013)

you could use a parabolic dish to reflect more light onto your panels which would increase power with less cost... also it would be best to use the panels to charge an array of wet cell car batteries which feed into a 12v to 110/120v inverter. the inverter can also be hooked up to regular power so if the batteries run or cannot sustain the lights, regular power will kick in. even if you only had one panel tha'ts less power that you have to pull from the grid..


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## ctoomuch (Apr 27, 2013)

unix60959 said:


> you could use a parabolic dish to reflect more light onto your panels which would increase power with less cost... also it would be best to use the panels to charge an array of wet cell car batteries which feed into a 12v to 110/120v inverter. the inverter can also be hooked up to regular power so if the batteries run or cannot sustain the lights, regular power will kick in. even if you only had one panel tha'ts less power that you have to pull from the grid..


They already make parabolic modules, this one is 6.2kw array  Car batteries could be used but they aren't deep-cycle, so they wouldn't last very long. And they would leak sulfuric acid everywhere while charging. Not to mention the fumes. You would still need a charge controller, and a car inverter from your local auto parts store won't work as it's not strong enough.


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## ctoomuch (Apr 28, 2013)

unix60959 said:


> you could use a parabolic dish to reflect more light onto your panels which would increase power with less cost... also it would be best to use the panels to charge an array of wet cell car batteries which feed into a 12v to 110/120v inverter. the inverter can also be hooked up to regular power so if the batteries run or cannot sustain the lights, regular power will kick in. even if you only had one panel tha'ts less power that you have to pull from the grid..


They already make parabolic modules, this one is 6.2kw array View attachment 2634136 Car batteries could be used but they aren't deep-cycle, so they wouldn't last very long. And they would leak sulfuric acid everywhere while charging. Not to mention the fumes. You would still need a charge controller, and a car inverter from your local auto parts store won't work as it's not strong enough.


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## ctoomuch (Apr 28, 2013)

Crap!!! Sorry for the double post.


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## Red1966 (Apr 28, 2013)

oakley1984 said:


> Simple, I live in Canada, our goods our twice the price.


 Now that's a really good answer.


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## Red1966 (Apr 28, 2013)

oakley1984 said:


> Pretty much! Gallon of gas here is over 6$ right now lol


 Would it be safe to assume you would need a lot more equipment due to being farther north?


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## Red1966 (Apr 28, 2013)

automated said:


> I like organic cos I dont want to smoke chemicals >_< if the world was a nice smelling plant, I might even smoke it


 Tetrahydrocannabinol is a chemical. I like tetrahydrocannabinol. I smoke it all the time.


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## Red1966 (Apr 28, 2013)

CDNflames said:


> Start up would cost, but then think if were to actually build or buy a setup that could run your room you would be laughing. People have solar systems for entire houses that run tv, fridge, dishwasher all theses items use mass amounts of watts. Growing weed electricity is the most important thing. Just have to design a solar system to produce necessary watts needed for room. Your cost of panels would be paid of quickly in lower electricity costs.


 My understanding is that it takes like 15-20 years to break even with solar power. Of course, if electricity rate raise or fall, the break even point would change. PV cells are getting cheaper and more efficient. This also changes the economics. The early adapters pay a premium for new technology. This finances improvements that we all benefit from later. God bless the early adapters!


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## Red1966 (Apr 28, 2013)

ctoomuch said:


> Crap!!! Sorry for the double post.


 What double post?


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## Shik (Apr 28, 2013)

Really like what this company has done..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Panel-Kit-with-Enphase-m215-Do-It-Yourself-for-Home-5000W-5kw-Complete-/320974298830?

Micro inverters, good idea.


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## Grow4tho187 (Apr 28, 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT1hry-F_Zg this is nico escondidos high times magazines GROW LIKE A PRO video.
If you watch the video , at a certain point you will see how they power there grow house . Its a solar panel system and they have like..... 30 lights n shit . must of costed them 50 k for that system . chek it out ,its a good video


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## RiverSix (Apr 28, 2013)

Comatoke said:


> You would spend a lot of money on a solar powered INDOOR grow.
> 
> that would be a hilarious idea.
> 
> ...


I know how absurd it sounds to use natural light to power an artificial one for growing a plant indoors that would rather be outside anyway, but most people don't live where they can safely grow outside. Then there's the cost of electricity itself. It ain't cheap where I live and the baseline is stupid low.



tampee said:


> makes me wan't too drop 10 grand and run the whole house and still make some money off the power company.


Depending on the power company's policies and/or local laws, they may not have to pay money for your surplus electricity that goes into their grid (that they charge other ratepayers for). One thing they like to do is offer only a credit toward your bill. If you always produce more power than you use, then it's not likely you'll ever get compensated for it.


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## ctoomuch (Apr 28, 2013)

> My understanding is that it takes like 15-20 years to break even with solar power. Of course, if electricity rate raise or fall, the break even point would change. PV cells are getting cheaper and more efficient. This also changes the economics. The early adapters pay a premium for new technology. This finances improvements that we all benefit from later. God bless the early adapters!


Usually it's 8-12 years, the higher your rates the faster you get your money back. Power output on the panels are usually guaranteed to last 25 years.



> Really like what this company has done..
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Panel-.../320974298830?
> 
> Micro inverters, good idea.


I love installing microinverters, so much easier. No worries about string sizes and too much voltage for the inverter. Enphase has made it easy.



> Depending on the power company's policies and/or local laws, they may not have to pay money for your surplus electricity that goes into their grid (that they charge other ratepayers for). One thing they like to do is offer only a credit toward your bill. If you always produce more power than you use, then it's not likely you'll ever get compensated for it.


LADWP has two programs: (1) Net metering, where during the day your meter spins backward to build up a credit and at night you use up your credit. That's where the sizing os your system is important because they don't pay you for the excess. (2) FIT (Feed In Tariff), where you just sell power to them. It's really only for commercial buildings because you have to output a certain amount and residences don't have enough roof area to meet the quota.


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## Chipper Pig (Apr 28, 2013)

Micro inverters are great, means each panel is running independently so when one panel gets shaded it wont effect the the whole of your system. I don't have any though I do have a 1.5kw system that does cover a bit of my grow op. My grow is close to 2Kw and hour. If i didn't grow anything and put power back in the the grid i receive 47 cent a Kw. I pay 27 cents for it.


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## ctoomuch (Apr 28, 2013)

Chipper Pig said:


> Micro inverters are great, means each panel is running independently so when one panel gets shaded it wont effect the the whole of your system. I don't have any though I do have a 1.5kw system that does cover a bit of my grow op. My grow is close to 2Kw and hour. If i didn't grow anything and put power back in the the grid i receive 47 cent a Kw. I pay 27 cents for it.


Actually, anytime a module is shaded it affects the power output (watts). All modules have blocking diodes so if one stops producing (including from shading) it won't affect the others, you only lose the output from that one module.


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## tampee (Apr 29, 2013)

Bubbagineer said:


> Good points bro, I work in the power industry also. The estimate above... does it include the battery back-up system? If not, better throw that in cause the sun don't always shine lol (wind don't always low either so the same goes for wind turbines). Also, better be conservative with the published efficiencies on panels and understand that pigeon poop and UV damage affects performance. No reason it won't work, but you will need a large array IMHO.


do you really need batteries couldn't you just hook into the grid sell your extra power and when your out use power from the grid?


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## ctoomuch (Apr 30, 2013)

tampee said:


> do you really need batteries couldn't you just hook into the grid sell your extra power and when your out use power from the grid?


That's called net metering. You don't actually sell the power back, you build up a credit during the day (you can actually see your meter spinning backwards!) and when the sun goes down you use that credit. The key is making sure you have enough credit built up.


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## PurpleBuz (Apr 30, 2013)

Clarencey said:


> How to design a solar powered grow room?


its called a greenhouse silly.

Build an insulated rooftop garden\greenhouse on the top of your residence with automated shades and your good to go.
Veg under artificial lights during the night, and open the shades during the day. 
Control day length with the shades for flowering plants.

Hell of a lot cheaper than solar cells


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## ctoomuch (Apr 30, 2013)

Yes it is.


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## joe blow greenthumb (Apr 30, 2013)

To the OP, it is very expensive to go solar but the reward of being off the grid has to be immeasurable. If I could afford it I would do it. I've had my eyes peeled for used panels.


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## SeedHo (Apr 30, 2013)

to me the biggest thing about solar would to go around the power company. here the last 4 big grow bust were due to power company. not stealing it but just the use of to much. also if you filled 4 4x4 table to put under 4 1k lights thats enough to get you 20yrs. so if you spent 10k it would give you a better shoot at be able to stay free, i dont see that as a bad deal. go green not a bad idea, greenhouse lets just plant in the front yard, go gorilla not bad but you just don`t get to give the plants you love the time you want, freedom you just can`t bet it with a stick. i`m just saying we all see it different and thinks have different values to different people.


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## ctoomuch (May 9, 2013)

Check this out:
http://gosolarcalifornia.cleanpowerestimator.com/


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## SofaKingLost (Jun 10, 2013)

Does anyone have any experience with using solar panels with there grow room? Is it better to be off grid or on grid? From my understanding the only good thing about off-grid for growers is the security it gives that no one knows exactly how much you are using up. . . Also I am using 220v to power my lights rite now. I was told that only above 10kw inverter or solar system would be able to feed power to my lights (I'm only getting a 4kw solar system). That kind of makes sense if I was using off-grid but if I was hooked up on-grid could I run 220v? Will I have to switch everything back to 110v? . . .I am running 2 thousand watt lights in budding room with AC, dehumidifier and all. In the Veg and Mother room I have about 600w in light and fans. My electric bill with everything running and my living in the house is about $500. I would like to expand my grow from here but I don't want to be paying out my ass for electricity and I don't want to draw attention to my grow. . . I am researching all the parts and I will buy them all separately and put it together with one of my handy friends. I just need to know if anyone has any experience with these systems. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you


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## Playk328 (Sep 19, 2022)

Comatoke said:


> You would spend a lot of money on a solar powered INDOOR grow.
> 
> that would be a hilarious idea.
> 
> ...


Several years later and Im thinking it's possible..


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## EmeraldØsiris (Dec 9, 2022)

So I am trying to figure this out. You don't need to run 1000w per 4x4... seems a bit overkill for todays lm301b diode technology. You need about 30w per sq.f. For a 4x4 that is 16sqf x 30watt = 480w. Lets just assume 600 watt per light for CO2 controlled environment or 37.5w per sq.f.

You can pick up a 670w Trina Solar panel for around $0.33 per watt on alibaba: https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&tab=all&SearchText=Trina+670w+solar&selectedTab=product_en

Let's assume we want to grow out 4 4x8's which use 8 lights (600w each) for a total of 4800w/4.8kw. If there is one panel for each light there would be 8 panels total which together would produce (theoretically) 5.36kw. You can pickup a 5.6kw hybrid solar inverter for around $350 on alibaba. Add batteries for around $2500 per 10kw.

The cost without batteries would be around $1800 and with inverter around $2500 total.

For a gram/watt that would produce about 11lbs of weed up to 6 times a year, or 5 to be more realistic. That's 55lbs a year. For the examples sake say that's $500 per lbs that's $27,500 a year.

In 2022 the average cost per kwh in the US was 14.5 cents per kwh. If you were to run 4.8kwh at 12 hours per day 365 days a year that would equal a total of 21024kwh @ 14.5 cents would be around $3048.48 per year on average.

Depending on where you live you can also get a government funded subsidy to install solar so that would also reduce the cost significantly. In california up to 30%: https://www.sunrun.com/solar-by-state/ca/california-solar-incentives

Please feel free to alter the formula. There is no doubt a sweet-spot for optimal production vs cost using solar and it should definitely be something any serious grower should think about when designing a new grow op. Let's get this dialed in for real... I see some of you guys even work in this industry so it shouldn't be that difficult to calculate...


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