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DIY Solar Resources?
TihSon writes "I'm building a large shed out back and I want to power the lighting using a surplus solar panel. In searching for information on how to go about this, I have found a lot of rough DIY guides for various projects that are close to my goal. But none seem to explain the reasoning and theory behind using solar panels, so hacking their project to suit my own needs could be pretty much hit-and-miss. I don't want to do a hacked-up job, and future solar projects are not out of the question, so something a bit more in-depth is required. Do you have suggestions for books or Web sites you have used to learn the ins and outs of using solar panels? Something that starts with basic theory and ends with the ability to wire a house would be perfect."
Hook up the battery to an inverter (to make 115V AC)
Plug light into inverter.
Why not skip this bit, and use a lower-voltage bulb? An LED array might be best, for the very low power needed.I know a bit about solar from the perspective of a cruising sailboat, in that scenario you would take a 12V solar panel, some deep cycle 12v batteries (car battery would work) and a charge controller, connect solar panel thru the charge controller to the batteries and you are done. Everything on a boat is 12VDC lights, radio, etc so running straight from battery power is easy. You could get a inverter for regular 120VAC, but it consumes your battery charge fairly quickly. For learning the parts and functions on the cheap (solar stuff can be expensive) I would suggest taking apart a solar sidewalk light and extending the wires to put the light inside your shed, and the little solar panel on the roof. To make good use of a larger solar panel you will need a larger battery bank, and probably a better charge controller. What is the output of the solar panel you want to use?
We are all just people.
I have three light tubes aka light pipes in my home. They consist of an acrylic dome on the roof, a mirrored rigid pipe, and a diffuser at the end facing the inside. I often do not need to turn on lights with these suckers - very nice! Some tips - do NOT put them anywhere near a ceiling fan unless you want a disco and do NOT put them in your bedroom lest a full moon have you howling all night - yes moonlight is strong enough to light the room!
Other than that yeah go compact fluorescent or MAYBE LED. I have both and find that the LED is pretty directional and very stark white with a tinge of blue. The CF stuff lasts a good while but be careful not to get the crappy ones that take forever to light up :-( I have one of these and it pisses me off but it fits the fixture, the LED lights I bought wouldn't fit in the "can" fixture.
BTW notice that many holiday lights and tube lights are LED. These actually work pretty good for lighting some areas!
Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
Oddly enough, I'm doing the same thing: in fact I just came back inside after a day of building.
I'm building a coop for my ducks & chickens and am going to light it with power LEDs & surplus solar cells and perhaps keep the water liquid this winter using solar heating.
Solar cells are pretty straightfoward. Just think of them as batteries and you won't be too far off.
PM me if you want to run some ideas by me. I am an EE and I've done enough design work that this should be trivial. I'm also making my first attempt at a blog: http://softwarefromthefarm.blogspot.com/