Solar charging for garden

[terryhawkins]

I would like to install a few lights in our garden, they will all be LED and I have no power outside (getting it installed would be too expensive).

What I would like to do is have a solar panel on our summerhouse (which is pretty much always in the sun) and charge a battery of some sort within to power the lighting.

Is that possible and would it be easy enough to do?

I have seen that there are 12v charge regulators on ebay which seem to connect to a battery, solar panel and lights and will just work? Is it that easy?

 

[OtleySpark]

I would like to install a few lights in our garden, they will all be LED and I have no power outside (getting it installed would be too expensive).

What I would like to do is have a solar panel on our summerhouse (which is pretty much always in the sun) and charge a battery of some sort within to power the lighting.

Is that possible and would it be easy enough to do?

I have seen that there are 12v charge regulators on ebay which seem to connect to a battery, solar panel and lights and will just work? Is it that easy?

Yes and no! It is pretty straightforward in terms of the wiring but can end up costing a lot of cash - which is ok as long as it lasts for years. So it's a case of buying the best components that you can.

There's a lot of useful stuff here: http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/index.html

I got the book and it covers things thoroughly.

 

[ericmark]

Solar panel regulators come in two flavours.

The basic type turns excess power to heat if the panel is likely to over charge the batteries and does not vary the voltage from the solar panel so in the morning and evening does not charge and mid day is inefficient.

The second monitors the current and voltage from the solar panel and matches the voltage to get the best wattage output. These allow the panel to charge batteries even in morning and evening. They charge capacitors with the power turn it to AC and transform it to voltage required to charge the battery. Even this is clever as it measures what the battery needs and changes the charge voltage so when flat the voltage is higher then when nearly fully charged.

This means the same solar panel can give out over the day a huge difference in kW/hours according to the controller used. It will also effect how long the batteries last.

The selection of type really depends on output required with low outputs the controllers are too expensive compared with price of panel but in some cases shadows cast at some times of day change which is required.

But to advise on which is required would mean looking at the garden and working it all out there is no simple answer.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have no power outside (getting it installed would be too expensive).

How so?

 

[big-all]

also remember the time you want the lights the most you have the least daylight and sunshine

have you thought about battery and charger ??

 

[terryhawkins]

also remember the time you want the lights the most you have the least daylight and sunshine

have you thought about battery and charger ??

We only really want the lights on (just feature lighting) during the spring/summer evenings anyway. It just makes it easier if the battery is charging in the sun all day instead of me having to charge the battery all of the time.

Happy to charge it up if necessary if we do want to use the lights when there is no sun.

 

[terryhawkins]

I have no power outside (getting it installed would be too expensive).

How so?

Well I'd have to pay an electrician to run power outside and the fact that the summerhouse is a good 15m from the house it's not going to be cheap.