I was looking through some HF adds, and looked at their solar panels. Knowing very little about the technology, I was wondering, 2 different types of panels, some with all the stuff and other with no controllers and stuff, at the same rating and the same price almost. What is the difference, between them? Years ago we had a wind turbine set up at camp for nothing more than shyts and giggles that charged a 12 volt battery, why I have no idea, who set it up or why. It was damaged from a winter storm and scraped. But now I want to try something different, since the power company at camp is some what less than reliable any more. I know HF stuff might not be top shelf but a place to start, a learning curve if you will
Smart guys, SOLAR
- Thread starter skeets
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You need to give more info skeets, where are you planning on installing it and what and how much are you needing it to run with it? If it's a your home and I'm thinking we're close to the same age it may not be feasible. When I looked into it a few years back they told me it wouldn't' be worth it because of my age, (yep the one two punch) however everything is changing fast now so best to check into it.
Russell King
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Some are at household 115V and others are at 12 or 24 volts. The solar panels are all DC power output and can be arranged for different (12 or 24) DC output. For AC power you will need some electronics (inverter) to get to AC and increase the voltage.
If all you want is lights then I would use some 24 volts LEDs, a suitable 24 volt solar panel(s) and some 12 volt batteries (lithium ion) wired to 24 volts. There are some electronics needed to protect the batteries and solar panel but that is basically a battery charger (but for 24 volts). That is basically what I use for my gate opener with some signal lights involved.
If all you want is lights then I would use some 24 volts LEDs, a suitable 24 volt solar panel(s) and some 12 volt batteries (lithium ion) wired to 24 volts. There are some electronics needed to protect the batteries and solar panel but that is basically a battery charger (but for 24 volts). That is basically what I use for my gate opener with some signal lights involved.
Depends on what your looking to power up. I had one that ran a 12 water pump to my camp and another that ran a 120v inverter for lighter charging loads and radios.
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Grok knows more than me.
Depends on how much power you want, how much you want to spend, and how reliable you want it. I'm playing with 10-550 watt bifacial panels on a trailer, a 12000 watt EG4 inverter and 45 kw of 48 volt batteries now. Started off as a replacement for our 12kw gas generator due to many power outages and now supplies half our house power. I have it in a shed. Diysolarforum.com has good information to get started. Black Friday will have great prices on most lithium batteries. Remember that lower voltages require bigger wires.