Posted March 1, 2015 Now, my uncle (stric in Serbian) 2~ years ago mentioned how he wants to put some solar panels on his boat. And since then we had some talks on this subject. Now a few days ago i read how the prices of electricity here will go up, and i've been thinking about them all over again... They seem like a good investment, but are they currently advanced enough so that they (around 2 of them) could power a fridge, one outlet for PC (of course extension cord would be used) and possibly one heater that'd use a three phase current (it probably won't be any heater, but better safe than sorry). My uncle was explaining me that it would depend on the size of the batter that'd be used alongside it (he works in a hydropower plant and i don't really know much about electricity). Also, how long would that battery last before it needed changing? Now, even if we (me and my father) decide to do this, it won't be coming to life in at least 5 years (i'm going to college), but he likes investing in technology that he knows will pay off Now, should i continue thinking about it or just wait for a few decades before it becomes advanced enough? Also, i'll be offline for a few hours (till around 4:30, but i'll try to reply to as many people as possible), so i won't reply immediately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 You need to find prices for panels that can handle your load. Solar panels are something that pays off after very long time. Are you sure you will use it enough to pay it off with price difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 with personal solar power its seldom worth the cost to implement at least at the current moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 You can use them for a water heater (bojler), lighting around the house, we built one into my friends weekend house on a lake, it charges car batteries during the day and they power the lighting, stereo, tv (rarely) and outlets. It works fine for small consumption. Solar panels aren't advanced enough and they are useless during winter time, however for such places like I mentioned they work miracles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Author You need to find prices for panels that can handle your load. Solar panels are something that pays off after very long time. I can ask my uncle when i see him, since, i think, he's been keeping up with the prices, so he could get the best bang for the buck for his boat Yeah, but i don't know if they're advance enough... Hell, do you know how much you could save if you could keep your food cooled and how much information you could not lose by not having power outages... That in itself would be a very good plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 I can ask my uncle when i see him, since, i think, he's been keeping up with the prices, so he could get the best bang for the buck for his boat Yeah, but i don't know if they're advance enough... Hell, do you know how much you could save if you could keep your food cooled and how much information you could not lose by not having power outages... That in itself would be a very good plus If you want stable power source with solar panels you will need lot of backup batteries as every cloud will make a big difference in output power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Author You can use them for a water heater (bojler), lighting around the house, we built one into my friends weekend house on a lake, it charges car batteries during the day and they power the lighting, stereo, tv (rarely) and outlets. It works fine for small consumption. Solar panels aren't advanced enough and they are useless during winter time, however for such places like I mentioned they work miracles! Well, they'd literally be used for continuously powering at the least 2 outlets, and one would use a 7 way extension cord... As fo the heater, my father also thought about it, but i don't know... It's a nice idea, but how quickly does it heat up the water? So, should i just wait...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Author If you want stable power source with solar panels you will need lot of backup batteries as every cloud will make a big difference in output power. And if i remember correctly, the said batteries are very, very expensive...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 And if i remember correctly, the said batteries are very, very expensive...? Yes they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 And if i remember correctly, the said batteries are very, very expensive...? Yeah, they are, a standard car battery can go anywhere from 8 000RSD to 12 000RSD and you might need several... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Author Yes they are That's a bummer Yeah, they are, a standard car battery can go anywhere from 8 000RSD to 12 000RSD and you might need several... Don't you for home usage need a lot better battery than a car battery...? I think it's somewhere in 30-40k RSD range...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 That's a bummer Don't you for home usage need a lot better battery than a car battery...? I think it's somewhere in 30-40k RSD range...... I recommend you read this http://www.freesunpower.com/batteries.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Now, my uncle (stric in Serbian) 2~ years ago mentioned how he wants to put some solar panels on his boat. And since then we had some talks on this subject. Now a few days ago i read how the prices of electricity here will go up, and i've been thinking about them all over again... They seem like a good investment, but are they currently advanced enough so that they (around 2 of them) could power a fridge, one outlet for PC (of course extension cord would be used) and possibly one heater that'd use a three phase current (it probably won't be any heater, but better safe than sorry). My uncle was explaining me that it would depend on the size of the batter that'd be used alongside it (he works in a hydropower plant and i don't really know much about electricity). Also, how long would that battery last before it needed changing? Now, even if we (me and my father) decide to do this, it won't be coming to life in at least 5 years (i'm going to college), but he likes investing in technology that he knows will pay off Now, should i continue thinking about it or just wait for a few decades before it becomes advanced enough? Also, i'll be offline for a few hours (till around 4:30, but i'll try to reply to as many people as possible), so i won't reply immediately I also have solar panels at my house Dont just put plain solar panels if there is no too much sunlight Also mine don t work only with the sun but if there is light There are also some special solar panels that in a series for example if the sun only hits 3 of 6 then the solar panels will take the power from that 3 ( more intelligent ) whereas if you have the some scenario the solar panels will not take power ( block) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Author I recommend you read this http://www.freesunpower.com/batteries.php Will read it as soon as i get back Also, don't you think it's funny how we all here speak Serbian, but converse in English Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 That's a bummer Don't you for home usage need a lot better battery than a car battery...? I think it's somewhere in 30-40k RSD range...... Depends on how many things you plan to power. You have to scale everything. A single panel could never charge up all those batteries so the consumption would be higher constantly than what the panel is capable of providing. So instead of having a charge/discharge cycle you would get slow discharge at best. For the cabin I talked about we used two high capacity car batteries, we didn't need more. You gotta calculate it ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Will read it as soon as i get back Also, don't you think it's funny how we all here speak Serbian, but converse in English This is international forum and this topic could be useful for other people But yes its funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 I also have solar panels at my house Dont just put plain solar panels if there is no too much sunlight Also mine don t work only with the sun but if there is light There are also some special solar panels that in a series for example if the sun only hits 3 of 6 then the solar panels will take the power from that 3 ( more intelligent ) whereas if you have the some scenario the solar panels will not take power ( block) Yes, but power generated when there is just light and where there is direct sunlight is a HUGE difference. And yes, you could place 2 panels on two different sides and as the sun goes down you would constantly have 1 panel providing power (sometimes even two). The best solution when working with a single panel is to put it up on a pole and have you or a small electric engine rotate the panel towards the sun as it changes position above the panel. So you would end up having maximum power generated through out the entire day from a single panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Yes, but power generated when there is just light and where there is direct sunlight is a HUGE difference. And yes, you could place 2 panels on two different sides and as the sun goes down you would constantly have 1 panel providing power (sometimes even two). The best solution when working with a single panel is to put it up on a pole and have you or a small electric engine rotate the panel towards the sun as it changes position above the panel. So you would end up having maximum power generated through out the entire day from a single panel. first solution is expensive but second is really nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Yes, but power generated when there is just light and where there is direct sunlight is a HUGE difference. And yes, you could place 2 panels on two different sides and as the sun goes down you would constantly have 1 panel providing power (sometimes even two). The best solution when working with a single panel is to put it up on a pole and have you or a small electric engine rotate the panel towards the sun as it changes position above the panel. So you would end up having maximum power generated through out the entire day from a single panel. yeah but that idea is for only solar parks ( atleast in ly country ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 yeah but that idea is for only solar parks ( atleast in ly country ) Well yes, that is the same principle, just kind of a home made version of it. An electric engine that rotates the pole and panel is much cheaper than a second panel, this is kind of a cheap fix if you will call it that. It's kinda perfect for boats, small cabins and similar places that we mentioned, as it's cheap, easy to make and work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Solar panels on a boat are great, because the alternative is to bring a generator with you/run outlets off the engine which is noisy and requires fuel. However, solar panels on land make very little sense when there is a cheap and convenient alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Well yes, that is the same principle, just kind of a home made version of it. An electric engine that rotates the pole and panel is much cheaper than a second panel, this is kind of a cheap fix if you will call it that. It's kinda perfect for boats, small cabins and similar places that we mentioned, as it's cheap, easy to make and work great. Thanks I didnt know that Also is there any way to boost your khw power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Thanks I didnt know that Also is there any way to boost your khw power Get more panels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Get more panels? Cant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2015 Cant Can you point them more directly at the sun? Better positioning? They aren't in any shade? This part of the year is problematic due to cloudy weather, so the power generated is much lower than in the summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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