12v Garage Lighting - 5W Solar panel

[Denz13]

Hi all,

I have a garage in the middle of a block of 3, and therefore have no means of getting mains power to the garage.

I have a home gym setup which I use approximately 1-2 hours a day. And use a single 12v 50w bulb (supplied with the solarmate kit as detailed in the link below). This single bulb lights the garage enough to see what I'm doing safely, but ideally I'd like to expand/replace the lighting to provide a better coverage and better appearance of the garage.

Here's my setup below:

• 5W solar panel -http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solarmate-i-mains-free-lighting-kit-l42bk
• Numax LV22MF Leisure Battery 12V 75AH

My initial thoughts were to use multiple 12v 4/5w spotlights, as i have a boarded ceiling. But from the Google searches I've performed most people suggest florescent light strip's.

Or, would buying an 12v to 240v inverter and standard bulbs be an option?

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on what'd be the best solution? I'm not planning on spending much on this really, under £100.

 

[skenk]

I put a similar solar setup in my dad's shed. I used 12v G4 LED's and a 'charge controller' to prevent overcharging of the battery. It also (apparently) has a 10A thermal cutout of some description but I put an inline (car/blade) fuse in anyway. I wouldn't advise using an inverter because it's not necessary just for lighting and the losses are significant (inverter uses power - so it will drain your battery a lot faster).

As well as the lights I put in a 'car socket' so eg a radio or phone charger could be used as well, and an LCD voltmeter to see how the battery was doing (not really needed as the charge controller gives an indication).

You can get 12v fluorescent lights, if you prefer fluoro to LED then get these rather than an inverter.

A 5w panel will take forever to charge a 75Ah battery, you will need more panels to keep it full if you're using the shed every day with any kind of load.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...aps,k:solar charge controller&oqid=1446155335

 

[Denz13]

Thanks, how many of the g4 LEDs would you recommend for a single standard sized garage?

How do they compare say, to something like this?http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DL0NJ...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=16SAF70TBDZWDA493C2Q

 

[winston1]

You haven't got a 50w lamp, you have a 9w CFL. Just as well really as a 5w panel could never work.
Any replacement needs to be about the same wattage so no more than two 4/5w spotlights.

 

[ericmark]

Using LED instead of compact fluorescent should allow you a better spread of light. However you need good quality LED lamps designed for battery use. This firm was recommended to me as a supplier but I have never used them yet. But note all the lamps are 10 ~ 30 volt not simply 12 volt to allow for the varying battery voltage. A battery can be 11.5 to 14.8 volt when using a stage charger so the bulb must also be rated for the range not simply 12 volt.

 

[JohnW2]

You haven't got a 50w lamp, you have a 9w CFL. Just as well really as a 5w panel could never work. ... Any replacement needs to be about the same wattage so no more than two 4/5w spotlights.

Since the OP only wants 1-2 hours use per day (and the kit claims to give 5-7 hours per day), he could probably have more than two 4/5W lamps.

"12V CFLs" obviously involve an internal inverter, which will waste some power - LEDs designed for ~12V DC would seem far more sensible.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Denz13]

Thanks for the response John, any suggestions on what type of LED bulb to use?

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks for the response John, any suggestions on what type of LED bulb to use?

eric has suggested one supplier. I would think that suppliers of things for caravans/boats would give you the best choice. The important thing is to make sure that the lamps are suitable fir ~12V DC.

Kind Regards, John