# How To Make A Solar Generator For Your Grow OP



## southfloridasean (Mar 28, 2008)

What up to all my fellow comrades here at roll it up. We are all always in search of better ways to beat electricity cost, the constant questions of whether or not to use generators & the most common question of how much will my light cost be if I use a T5, 250, 400 blah, blah. Well you get the point. 

So ok let me get to it, while doing some research on the web tonight I came across some info that could be useful to us all with probably a little bit of tweeking per grow op. I have attached it as a pdf file & have also put it below in a text format. Let me know what you guys think.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 28, 2008)

Ok so my file was to big to upload for some reason. So heres the actual website you can go to & check it out. I will also copy & paste down below for the lazy stoners. 

"How to make a solar power generator"


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## southfloridasean (Mar 28, 2008)

How to Make a Solar Power Generator for Less Than $300 



Using parts easily available from your local stores, you can make a small solar power generator for $250 to $300. Great for power failures and life outside the power grid. Power your computer, modem, vcr, tv, cameras, lights, or DC appliances anywhere you go. Use in cabins, boats, tents, archaeological digs, or while travelling throughout the third world. Have one in the office store room in case of power failures in your highrise. I keep mine in my bedroom where it powers my cd player, turntable, lights, modem, laptop, and (ahem) a back massager. I run a line out the window to an 8" x 24" panel on the roof. 



1. Buy yourself a small solar panel. For about $100 you should be able to get one rated at 12 volts or better (look for 16 volts) at an RV or marine supplies store.



2. Buy yourself a battery. Get any size deep cycle 12 volt lead/acid or gel battery. You need the deep cycle battery for continuous use. The kind in your car is a cranking battery--just for starting an engine. Look for bargains, it should cost about $50-60.



3. Get a battery box to put it in for $10. (This is good for covering up the exposed terminals in case there are children about If you going to install the system in a pump shed, cabin, or boat, skip this.)



3. Buy a 12 volt DC meter. Radio Shack has them for about $25.

4. Buy a DC input. I like the triple inlet model which you can find at a car parts store in the cigarette lighter parts section for about $10. This is enough to power DC appliances, and there are many commercially available, like fans, one-pint water boilers, lights, hair dryers, baby bottle warmers, and vacuum cleaners. Many cassette players, answering machines, and other electrical appliances are DC already and with the right cable will run straight off the box.



5. But if you want to run AC appliances, you will have to invest in an inverter. This will convert the stored DC power in the battery into AC power for most of your household appliances. I bought a 115 volt 140 watt inverter made by Power-to-Go at Pep Boys for $50. More powerful inverters are available by mail. Count up the number of watts you'll be using (e.g., a small color television(=60 watts) with a VCR(=22 watts), you'll need 82 watts).



6. Use a drill to attach the meter and DC input to the top of the box.

7. Use insulated wire to attach the meter to the wingnut terminals on the battery. Connect the negative (-) pole first. Only handle one wire at a time. Connect the DC inlet to the battery in the same way. Connect the solar panel to the battery in the same way.



8. Close the lid (I use a bungee cord to keep it tight). Put the solar panel in the sun. It takes 5-8 hours to charge a dead battery; 1-3 hours to top off a weak one. It will run radios, fans, and small wattage lights all night, or give you about 5 hours of continuous use at 115 volt AC, or about an hour boiling water. This system may be added on to with larger panels, inverters, and batteries. 
Options: A pop-up circuit breaker may be added between the positive treminal and the volt meter. Some of you will want an ampmeter as well. The panels I recommend have built-in bypass diodes, but I recommend charge controllers for people who have panels without diodes. Another option is a voltage regulator, which is not necessary for a system this small, but a larger system would require one.


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## SmokenGirl (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks for your info..I have been doin my research for set ups and I was thinking along the line fo solor and possible wind enery to offset electricy costs. I appreciate what you have contributed to this site. I infact would like to run lights 12 hrs at a time all off solar power and the info you found and shared with us gives me such a great start...your a saint!!


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## ACSCorp (Mar 29, 2008)

One problem however is the wattage you will need. Lights pull some serious watts. This tutorial speaks of using a 140 watt inverter which means you would only be able to run a 140 watt or lower light. You'd need to beef up your inverter and battery bank to get ant serious run time out of this but it is a good idea, I love solar and if I decide to stay in the house I am currently in I'd love to put up a solar array.

If you want to follow up on this, I'd suggest you check out 
http://www.sciplus.com/search.cfm/term/solar

Great place for odds and ends.


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## Bamm Bamm (Mar 29, 2008)

Is there a way I could run my 1000HPS from a solar setup like this?


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## southfloridasean (Mar 29, 2008)

ACSCorp said:


> One problem however is the wattage you will need. Lights pull some serious watts. This tutorial speaks of using a 140 watt inverter which means you would only be able to run a 140 watt or lower light. You'd need to beef up your inverter and battery bank to get ant serious run time out of this but it is a good idea, I love solar and if I decide to stay in the house I am currently in I'd love to put up a solar array.
> 
> If you want to follow up on this, I'd suggest you check out
> http://www.sciplus.com/search.cfm/term/solar
> ...



ACScorp, Yes definitely thats why I said that each grow op would have to tweek the system to its own individual needs. Bigger battery & a few more panels.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 29, 2008)

Bamm Bamm said:


> Is there a way I could run my 1000HPS from a solar setup like this?


See above


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## mywayorthehighway (Mar 29, 2008)

great post, I'll never use it myself... but solar energy is well worth looking into if you live in those 'out of the way' places. Thanks for taking the time.

skunk skool, free forums.
google it


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## southfloridasean (Mar 29, 2008)

mywayorthehighway said:


> great post, I'll never use it myself... but solar energy is well worth looking into if you live in those 'out of the way' places. Thanks for taking the time.
> 
> skunk skool, free forums.
> google it


Yes it will definitely be necessary soon. If we all had the money to do solar we could grow in a log cabin in the mountains somewhere completely off the radar. A good way to get cheap solar panels is to source them in China. Act like your a company whos seeking samples for your showroom in the U.S. & they will be more than willing to send samples for a fee of course but it will not be the price that you pay in the states. If the order is large enough you can ship via sea vessel for a total time duration of 20-30 days for cheap than what you would pay to have it sent by air.


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## mywayorthehighway (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks, I'll bare that in mind if I ever get rich and can move to the mountains. lol.


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## ultranyte (Mar 29, 2008)

Running any kind MH/HPS ballast off batteries will cause it drain very fast. Especially a 1000W light, it would drain that battery so fast the voltage would drop and stop providing enough juice to keep it going. since most voltage converters have a voltage gauge it would keep shutting off.
Not to mention the cost of the batteries and panels would be far more expensive then buying a generator and a few hundread liters of diesel. A system that won't fail.

This is a good idea for everything except running MH/HPS


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## southfloridasean (Mar 29, 2008)

Well thats if you use a car battery or something similar. They have many different batteries such as those made just for solar use that will give the end user complete optimization of the system.


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## willygoat (Mar 29, 2008)

Bamm Bamm said:


> Is there a way I could run my 1000HPS from a solar setup like this?


 There is always a way. Just remember, to provide this much converted DC power, you will need massive panels arrays, battery banks and a large inverter. Be prepared to spend a good deal of money to generate this amount of wattage.


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## AverageJoe21 (Mar 29, 2008)

Even with about $20,000.00 worth of solar panels and battery's ext you would have trouble keeping up with the power demand


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## paddy510 (Mar 30, 2008)

The best way to use solar power to grow plants is to grow them outside under the sun. 
A 1000w light would require about 3000w of panels and over 3000 amp hours worth of battery to run for just 12hrs per day every day for 2 months without fail. 
it was about $6+/watt for solar panels last time i looked. and about $1/AH for batts
could buy a lot of weed for the cost of that type of setup.

Wind power on the other hand would be a bit cheaper, if you can build a wind generator yourself, but you need a good supply of wind. The battery requirements would still be the same though.


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## ripper (Mar 30, 2008)

CFL it!


10 char


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## ScarletteSky (Mar 30, 2008)

rep for you!!!!


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## specialkayme (Mar 30, 2008)

paddy510 said:


> The best way to use solar power to grow plants is to grow them outside under the sun.
> A 1000w light would require about 3000w of panels and over 3000 amp hours worth of battery to run for just 12hrs per day every day for 2 months without fail.
> it was about $6+/watt for solar panels last time i looked. and about $1/AH for batts
> could buy a lot of weed for the cost of that type of setup.
> ...


True, but all of that cost pays off. Even if you payed $50,000 for a solar set up, not just for your grow area but your entire house, it pays for itself. A typical homeowner, if they were to get a solar array pays for itself within 8 years. It's just like me telling you that you have to pay the next 8 years of electricity bills up front, then for the rest of your life you get free energy. We all will spend that much money on electricity anyway, and in the long run you make out like a bandit. 8 years of electircity for the price of a lifetimes worth of free electricity .... not a bad deal.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

As I stated in an earlier post China has solar panels for extremely cheap. They also sell panels by 220 & 320 watt per panel. So figure if you had an op that pulled 4000 watts you would only need 12 panels. There are all types of panels. All are diff in l x w x h. You can get smaller panels that are thicker that can fit your roof without looking cumbersome & ridiculous.


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## Maccabee (Mar 30, 2008)

There are forums for alternate power aficionados at Welcome to OTHERPOWER.COM . Kinda cool stuff.

I want to run my grow off this mean looking bastard. Steampunk grow op!





Note the beer can. Good times! That thing puts out 2 kW!


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

That looks interesting. Do you know the decibel rating it puts out Maccabee


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

I just checked out the site. Its very interesting but the work involved to just install & have that running seems to be quite intensive upon having to deal with a grow op. Good info none the less.


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## Maccabee (Mar 30, 2008)

southfloridasean said:


> That looks interesting. Do you know the decibel rating it puts out Maccabee


I'm guessing somewhere in the range between Totally Unacceptable and Probably Illegal, for city-dwellers at least. Hold on, I'll go have a look.

EDIT: Actually, it's not that frightening. Kind of like a loud model train. 

YouTube - Otherpower.com: Steam Powered Generator

The article:
Steam powered Generator

Another one that might be useful:
Designing a Tiny Solar Power System for a Pop-up Camping Trailer
Remote grow trailer in the backwoods, maybe?


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## FilthyFletch (Mar 30, 2008)

The issue here is this small of a setup will run maybe 3 cfls bulbs for a few hours maybe 3 on a full charge so you just paid 3000 to run 3 bulbs you could have run for 3 years for less. I have looked into offgrid and on grid solar setups.The cost to be able to run needed hid lights is just outrageous in the area of $10000 to $65000.To run a 1000 watt light your at the 10 grand line assuming you run nothing else in your home.I basicaly wanted a setup that could handle 3000 watts of usage so I could run 2 sets of lights and my basic home needs and if I install myself it was right at $65000 for the need supplies.Thats was off grid now you can do smaller on grid setups that feed electric back to your home in partial thewn if there is extra not used the electric companyt buys it back right from your line as the meter runs backwards and they pay you that days real time value or will deduct it from the actual bill as they are required by federal law to buy it back at fair market value which is the rate they charge for thier electric.To run a small 400 watt light by itself is over $7000 so the idea of solar is grand but is so far from any reality its not even worth the cost as of this decade.


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## Maccabee (Mar 30, 2008)

Yeah, that sounds right. On the other hand, I keep meaning to get my building's board to look into covering our roof with panels, purely to sell power back to the utility and try and cover some of our operating costs, maybe even cut fees a little. But they're mostly old people and it scares them. They think it's some kind of scam.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

Hey guys check some of these systems out. 

4000 watt system: Solar panel kit for RV or cabins on sale

3000 watt system: SolarHome.org Grid Tie System (3000 Watts) - Evergreen Solar Panels - solar home package 1


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## g0ds3nd (Mar 30, 2008)

so on that site for 5k you get free electricity in a cabin


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## willygoat (Mar 30, 2008)

g0ds3nd said:


> so on that site for 5k you get free electricity in a cabin


 That system does look pretty good.


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## g0ds3nd (Mar 30, 2008)

for 5k its defo worth a shot site doesnt look too good though


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## specialkayme (Mar 30, 2008)

FilthyFletch said:


> The issue here is this small of a setup will run maybe 3 cfls bulbs for a few hours maybe 3 on a full charge so you just paid 3000 to run 3 bulbs you could have run for 3 years for less. I have looked into offgrid and on grid solar setups.The cost to be able to run needed hid lights is just outrageous in the area of $10000 to $65000.To run a 1000 watt light your at the 10 grand line assuming you run nothing else in your home.I basicaly wanted a setup that could handle 3000 watts of usage so I could run 2 sets of lights and my basic home needs and if I install myself it was right at $65000 for the need supplies.Thats was off grid now you can do smaller on grid setups that feed electric back to your home in partial thewn if there is extra not used the electric companyt buys it back right from your line as the meter runs backwards and they pay you that days real time value or will deduct it from the actual bill as they are required by federal law to buy it back at fair market value which is the rate they charge for thier electric.To run a small 400 watt light by itself is over $7000 so the idea of solar is grand but is so far from any reality its not even worth the cost as of this decade.


$65,000 for free electricity for LIFE? Doesn't sound bad to me. This is assuming your highest estimate to have all of the electricity you would ever need. Assume you pay $250 a month in electricity a month right now. That's $3,000 a year. So every 22 years you pay that much over again. I'm probably planning on living for over 40 years, so it would make sense for me to invest now in one of those solar systems and save over $60,000 over the course of my life. Also, this is all asuming that electricity bills don't go up in cost over the next 22 years, which they most certainly will. So if you pay $250 a month now, in 20 years you'll probaby pay over $500 a month. So in 22 years if I bout that solar system I would be getting free electricity. If you didn't, you would have paid $65,000 anyway in electricity bills, plus paying an additional $6,000 a year. You save money in the long run any way that you cut it. And that example is the worst possible case scenereo.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

g0ds3nd said:


> for 5k its defo worth a shot site doesnt look too good though


There are many other sites out there. One just has to apply themselves & look for deals, source products & youll be suprised what you will find.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 30, 2008)

specialkayme said:


> $65,000 for free electricity for LIFE? Doesn't sound bad to me. This is assuming your highest estimate to have all of the electricity you would ever need. Assume you pay $250 a month in electricity a month right now. That's $3,000 a year. So every 22 years you pay that much over again. I'm probably planning on living for over 40 years, so it would make sense for me to invest now in one of those solar systems and save over $60,000 over the course of my life. Also, this is all asuming that electricity bills don't go up in cost over the next 22 years, which they most certainly will. So if you pay $250 a month now, in 20 years you'll probaby pay over $500 a month. So in 22 years if I bout that solar system I would be getting free electricity. If you didn't, you would have paid $65,000 anyway in electricity bills, plus paying an additional $6,000 a year. You save money in the long run any way that you cut it. And that example is the worst possible case scenereo.



Yeah your absolutely right. I think Filthy was over exaggerating a lil bit with the figures though. Solar has gone down in price since they first came out. Sourcing & research is the key. Im sure some companies also offer financing. After all it is a lucrative business & with any lucrative business the demand is high & suppliers want to get rid of their merchandise.


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## Maccabee (Mar 30, 2008)

Some municipalities and/or utilities will actually _subsidize_ that sort of thing.


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## LoudBlunts (Mar 30, 2008)

once you make your meter spend the backwards they will pay you what you supply them.


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## Maccabee (Mar 30, 2008)

Yeah, but some of them will subsidize the actual installation of the equipment. Rebates, discounts, etc.


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## ultranyte (Mar 31, 2008)

You guys are missing one fact,
It's not free energy for life after you buy the system. Things break!
solar dies, batteries die... cables fail
The cost to maintain the system is on going...

Careful what your planning... there are hidden costs


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## willygoat (Mar 31, 2008)

My state subsides about 50% of the cost which makes this really appealing. Remember, most ROI projections in the threads are based upon rather stable and abundant energy supplies. I do not think either is in most of our futures.


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## willygoat (Mar 31, 2008)

ultranyte said:


> You guys are missing one fact,
> It's not free energy for life after you buy the system. Things break!
> solar dies, batteries die... cables fail
> The cost to maintain the system is on going...
> ...


I agree but one should accurately plan for battery life, maintenance and other issues anyway if you do not want any financial surprises. If you add about 20% for cost overruns like contractors normally do, you should be OK.


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## Maccabee (Mar 31, 2008)

That's ROI. RIO dances on the sand (just like a river twisting through a dusty land.)

Good point, though. 

I want that steam generator, purely because it is bad-ass.


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## specialkayme (Mar 31, 2008)

Things do break, yes, but maintenence costs can't possibly be as much as your electricity bill.


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## southfloridasean (Mar 31, 2008)

ultranyte said:


> You guys are missing one fact,
> It's not free energy for life after you buy the system. Things break!
> solar dies, batteries die... cables fail
> The cost to maintain the system is on going...
> ...


I would not be any different than the occasional interruption of electricity that Im sure all of us have experienced or a natural disaster such as a hurricane or flood. In the long run the electricity companies simply ad on those damages to the end users bill. When you have solar you are now the electric company & like loud blunts said you can get a kick back from the electric company for what you haven't used.


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## Shook (Apr 5, 2008)

paddy510 said:


> The best way to use solar power to grow plants is to grow them outside under the sun.
> A 1000w light would require about 3000w of panels and over 3000 amp hours worth of battery to run for just 12hrs per day every day for 2 months without fail.
> it was about $6+/watt for solar panels last time i looked. and about $1/AH for batts
> could buy a lot of weed for the cost of that type of setup.
> ...


this is NOT true at all, you can get em at $1 or less per watt. and flexible and cuttable to any size.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/04/nanosolar-thin-flexible-solar-cell-coating/
Nanosolar - Products


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## Picasso345 (Apr 5, 2008)

specialkayme said:


> $65,000 for free electricity for LIFE? Doesn't sound bad to me.


That also assumes you never move again for LIFE too doesn't it? Or that the panels raise the houses value enough to cover you....


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## Shook (Apr 5, 2008)

Picasso345 said:


> That also assumes you never move again for LIFE too doesn't it? Or that the panels raise the houses value enough to cover you....


why not just take the panels with you?????


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## Picasso345 (Apr 5, 2008)

Shook said:


> why not just take the panels with you?????


Are all the panels and batteries and wiring and inverters, etc really portable after spending years and years mounted in your house? I suppose they are in some manner, hell they can move a whole house. The thought of moving all that just seems ponderous. I hate moving.


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## Smitty750 (Apr 5, 2008)

check out this site. The guys are pretty cool and most states give very large money incentives to help pay for the purchase and installation. There are also large federal rebates available to pu towards the purchase and install. You could get almost 70-80% of the system paid for by local and federal gov't. How funny is that the gov't is paying to have something installed to help you grow weed. HAHHAHAHAHAAHHHAHAHAHHAHAAH

Akeena Solar. The Nation's Leading Solar Power Installer


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## southfloridasean (Apr 5, 2008)

Shook said:


> this is NOT true at all, you can get em at $1 or less per watt. and flexible and cuttable to any size.
> 
> http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/04/nanosolar-thin-flexible-solar-cell-coating/
> Nanosolar - Products


 
Very good info.


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## southfloridasean (Apr 5, 2008)

Picasso345 said:


> Are all the panels and batteries and wiring and inverters, etc really portable after spending years and years mounted in your house? I suppose they are in some manner, hell they can move a whole house. The thought of moving all that just seems ponderous. I hate moving.


 
When your making money moving wont be an issue. Everythings fun when your making $, its only when were not things start looking bad .


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## FilthyFletch (Apr 5, 2008)

Special that is fine if you could have a simple monthly paymnet plant but I dont have the $65 grand to drop all at once time. Then like said battereis have a 3-5 year life so figure $100 a battery minimum and to hold enough power thats about 25 batteries as told to me byt the 3 quotes I got so every 3 years add about $2500 to the total and also assume your panels dont get broken from hail,hard freeze, heavy snow, or wind damgae which I get all yearly.Loud those prices I gave were from about 8 months ago.My state allows up to $5000 sunsidies for adding a full solr grid addition.Thats a 1 time cost but you have to meet certain criteria they wont give you $5 grand to just ad a partial panel system.Ill look around and see if I still have the quote papers and post everything needed to be off grid full solr 24 hours a day. I looked at that cabin setup and for 5 grand he is able to run a few cfls bulbs a laptop a few days a week and his tv a couple times a week. So he is able to run about 250 watts 3 days a week which does what he needs but not what your thinking of doing with it. And thats with the assitence of the windturbine addition as he said before it was no tv and laptop


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## southfloridasean (Apr 5, 2008)

Filthy they are way cheaper than that. Check the links I had in some earlier posts. 14k, 7k. Just depends.


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## White Widow Woman (Apr 5, 2008)

Very interesting and well worth further investigation
WWW


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## DragonsBreath (Apr 6, 2008)

I think everyone should look into solar for there house, It's a needed change. 

If I could run my AC every night during the summer for just 200-300 by putting a solar panal on top of my AC facing the rising the sun would be amazing. AC runs me 100 a month by it self.


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## gst1147 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Big Watts, Low Cost*


A method developed by US researchers for making solar panels is closing in on mass production and could bring us the 50 pence per Watt device 
Solar energy conversion is potentially one of the most powerful methods to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. However, the photovoltaic materials used to convert sunlight into electricity are expensive and inefficient, which makes the wide scale adoption of solar energy unviable with present technology. Now, Walajabad Sampath of Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, and colleagues have developed a new way to make photovoltaic materials that overcomes the problem of cost and inefficiency by allowing solar energy to be produced at a fraction of the cost of conventional solar panels and so could cut the price of solar power generation to below the $1 per Watt threshold. 
Sampath and colleagues have developed a continuous, automated manufacturing process for solar panels by developing a method for creating a thin film of the PV material cadmium telluride on glass instead of using standard high-cost crystalline silicon. The resulting devices are more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity, 11-13% efficient, which could make these panels competitive with generic power from the electrical grid in many parts of the world. 
"This technology offers a significant improvement in capital and labour productivity and overall manufacturing efficiency," explains Sampath, who is director of Colorado State's Materials Engineering Laboratory, "The current market is over $5 billion annually and additional markets are developing." To commercialize the invention, Sampath and colleagues Kurt Barth and Al Enzenroth formed AVA Solar and have subsequently raised two rounds of funding and been awarded a $3 million ($1.5m) grant from the US Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative.


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## southfloridasean (Apr 6, 2008)

DragonsBreath said:


> I think everyone should look into solar for there house, It's a needed change.
> 
> If I could run my AC every night during the summer for just 200-300 by putting a solar panal on top of my AC facing the rising the sun would be amazing. AC runs me 100 a month by it self.


What are you in like a 3-4 bedroom house?


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## notavailable (Dec 5, 2008)

After Dec 31 2008, the Feds will reimburse 30% of the Cost (with no cap, previous $2k cap removed)

States also have reimbursement plans. Im in California and the Department of Water and Power gives out a 1 time payment for reimbursement.

Price of system depends on whether its an On-Grid or off Grid system. (If your using batteries, or are net-metereing with a utility.)

Net-metering is when you basically roll your meter back when producing excess energy, and only pay for whatever your net usage is. This is what most residential systems are.

For a 4-5KW system it runs around $30k before all the tax incentives and rebates which cuts the cost in half.

IMPORTANT: Some utilities require you to install an upgraded meter that records time of day usage. Worse, some require you to install an additional meter, 1 for your solar production, and 1 for your use.

Most will allow you to continue with a "simple meter" that works just like the mile counter on your car. Your produce extra energy, it rolls back, you use energy, it rolls forward. you pay the difference.

I say this is important because I dont want an extra meter so they can say WOW! This guy is producing mad juice but he's using it all and then some! WTF is going on over there? 

With a simple meter there is much less info to analyze. Not huge, but helps you sleep a little better.


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## omar701 (Dec 5, 2008)

right now solar energy is like 3-4 times more expensive than the energy from the grid. there `s far more reaserch to do. The only way you are going to lower the cost of your system is by making it DG system, you will not have to deal with batteries(batteries are very expensive and not much efficient they have to be replace by new ones in a few years from new). in the day when the sun is pumping you will try to supply all the power that you consume, if you exeded the power that you consume you can sell it to the company that you buy energy from. and in night when there is no sun to power you system/house you close a switch and now you buy energy from them. it is going to lower your monthly bill a lot, you will have to power your lights in the day when the sun is up in the sky and you are in peak production of energy.


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## atombomb (Dec 5, 2008)

Just build a Nuclear reactor. Use its heat to generate steam to run a turbine generator. 

This guy did. 
Hahn, nicknamed the "*Radioactive Boy Scout*", is an Eagle Scout who got a merit badge in Atomic Energy and spent years tinkering with basement chemistry which sometimes resulted in small explosions and other mishaps. He was inspired in part by reading _The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments_, and tried to collect samples of every element in the periodic table, including the radioactive ones. Hahn diligently amassed this radioactive material by collecting small amounts from household products, such as americium from smoke detectors, thorium from camping lantern mantles, radium from clocks and tritium (as neutron moderator) from gunsights. His "reactor" was a large, cored-out block of lead, and he used lithium from $1,000 worth of stolen batteries to purify the thorium ash using a Bunsen burner.[1]
Hahn posed as an adult scientist or professor to gain the trust of many professionals in letters, despite the presence of misspellings and obvious errors in his letters to them. Hahn ultimately hoped to create a breeder reactor, using low-level isotopes to transform samples of thorium and uranium into fissionable isotopes.
Although his homemade reactor never achieved critical mass, it ended up emitting dangerous levels of radioactivity, likely well over 1,000 times normal background radiation. Alarmed, Hahn began to dismantle his experiments, but a chance encounter with police led to the discovery of his activities, which triggered a Federal Radiological Emergency Response involving the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, having designated Hahn's mother's property as a Superfund hazardous materials cleanup site, dismantled the shed and its contents and buried them as low-level radioactive waste in Utah. Hahn refused medical evaluation for radiation exposure.

He was arrested in Michigan in 2007 for stealing smoke detectors from his apartment bldg. Wonder if he got it right this time? Or died????


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## Picasso345 (Dec 5, 2008)

atombomb said:


> He was arrested in Michigan in 2007 for stealing smoke detectors from his apartment bldg. Wonder if he got it right this time? Or died????


They say facial sores are a sign of radiation poisoning.....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292111,00.html


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## ANC (Dec 7, 2008)

If you realy went big schale you could turn the biomass from the stalks and leaves into fuel...

I noticed there are also some realy neato micro wind turbines that will work with even 2kmph winds... of course you need a bunch of them but they are supposed to be cheap.


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## blackguard_rogue (Dec 10, 2008)

This has been a major problem for me and my grow-ops. Energy (electricity) has been one of my biggest obstacle.

As much as I would love solar to be the silver bullet I just don't think by itself it can be (yet), incorporating Wind and Biomass seems to me the only real way to run a large scale grow-op operation. Depending on the amount you want to grow, 1000W HPS lights will suck power down like there is no tomorrow, high capacity inverters and larger capacity batteries getting juiced up from more than one energy source seems the real only way.

I would agree that a complete photovoltaic cell (solar system) is definitely worth it, even if I had to take out a loan to install one. As what is produced by top quality lights will pay for itself in dividends. But I find myself needing to adopt myself more as an electrical engineer than a botanists. While I don't mind learning new things it does detract me from my focus on my garden.


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## awry (Dec 10, 2008)

what if you run fans to cool the lights, but you run the lights off a generator from the moving fan?

lol


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## Picasso345 (Dec 10, 2008)

awry said:


> what if you run fans to cool the lights, but you run the lights off a generator from the moving fan?
> 
> lol


You have a bright future in the perpetual motion game, lol.


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## specialkayme (Dec 12, 2008)

awry said:


> what if you run fans to cool the lights, but you run the lights off a generator from the moving fan?
> 
> lol


Um, hopefully that's a joke. While a nice idea, the physics behind it will NEVER pan out.


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## FilthyFletch (Jun 3, 2009)

Better yet what if you have a solar panel or 2 in the grow room in addition to the outside one so that while the outside panels charge during the day the panels in the grow room use the HID light to recharge the batteries that are powering them to make light os the cycle never ends


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## theonetrueace (Jun 3, 2009)

this is the exact reason i wont buy property unless it has a running stream/creek on it


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## sinner of saints (Oct 17, 2013)

*

simple crazy question i have an extra 10,000 watt inverter that i have never used with like a dozen 12 volt deep cycle batteries, can i rig that up with a solar panel and a small wind turbine to recharge the battery bank that way i could stay off the grid simple set up just wanted someone to give me their two cent before i move forward​
​

*


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## GroErr (Oct 17, 2013)

mywayorthehighway said:


> Thanks, I'll bare that in mind if I ever get rich and can move to the mountains. lol.


This is a great post and you just gave me a great idea. Turn your sentence around and it would read "when I move to the mountains to get rich". Cash in (sell my house), invest in a place, remote, cheap, setup an off-grid op, sounds like a nice retirement plan


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## Ringsixty (Oct 17, 2013)

If your serious about Solar for electricity for growing or to run your home or both..like I do.
Cost of a unit cost some $$$$$
I have a $36k Photo voltaic system, commercially installed. If you can do it yourself, save some big bucks.
No battery array attached to my system. So, I,m still partially on the grid. But, only $17 a month bill, service fee. I do all my Flowering during the day hours

Good Luck


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