# Harbor Freight 45 watt solar kit @ $199



## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

they are on sale until January for $199 plus tax. Just wondering how this price sounds to you with experience and what I might use a 45 watt kit for on a daily basis?

I would like to take the plunge but want to start small and dont know value or what 45 watts would really do? Some lighting perhaps? I assume I will need a storage battery and inverter?


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

There are really several ways to look at it. Generally, from what I have read on these forums, if a panel will gather energy for 6 hours a day during winter it is doing well.

Therefore 6 X 45 =270 watt hours per day. To put it into perspective a kilowatt is 1,000 so such a unit would produce about .27 of a KWH. If your grid electricity cost 10Â¢ per KWH the unit would be producing about 2.7Â¢ worth of electricity each day.

With an inverter you would be able to power a 100 watt light bulb for about 2.5-3 hours if you have an excellent inverter that had little loss. 

If you drive a vehicle or run one daily the alternator could probably charge a second battery to provide the same energy with only a tiny amount extra of gas consumption. Park near where you would need the energy overnight and tap into the second battery. 

Such a unit doesn't provide a lot of power but could power a 7, 9, 11, or 13 watt compact fluorescent bulb for longer of course than a 100 watt incandescent.

Just my opinion of course but if you are already grid hooked you might as well use the $199 to help pay for your bill rather than buy it unless you want to get your feet wet into PV systems. 

It'll be interesting to see what others have to say.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

Maybe some outdoor lighting? Do you have a gazebo or a patio deck? Some walk way lighting? It's open to the imagination as long as it's kept small..

I figure around 15 aHr./day but that could operate some LED's with ease.. All nite!

Maybe take a corner of the garage and install the lights that come with the kit and add a boom box or even a cheap car stereo with a couple of speakers and enjoy some adult beverages..


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

For us the first thing we want to be powered by an alternative source is our well pump.

220VAC @ 7 amps = 1540 watts. Say if it runs a total of an hour / day would require 1500+ watts.

Assuming: 6 hours of sunlight each day X 45watts = 270 watt hours per day.

1500 / 270 = 5.56 so we would need 6 of these panels to be charging a battery bank to provide the current for this one device.

6 X $200 = $1200


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

Randy Rooster said:


> they are on sale until January for $199 plus tax. Just wondering how this price sounds to you with experience and what I might use a 45 watt kit for on a daily basis?
> 
> I would like to take the plunge but want to start small and dont know value or what 45 watts would really do? Some lighting perhaps? I assume I will need a storage battery and inverter?


The problem with them is they are NOT really 45watts, The one I had in full summer sun was less than 30 watts and would quickly drop off with clouds and afternoon sun down to 10-15 watts.

The charge controller is also JUNK and will need to be replaced pretty quickly. 

You will need a storage battery if you want to use the power at night and a QUALITY inverter or you will waste 1/2 the power in the inverter.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

As I understand it that "sale" price has been the same ongoing for a long time.

It is a 'learning tool' . . .little more.
It is good in that YOU learn that you can 'direct' a piece of hardware toward the sun and generate a small amount of energy (into a battery) that can then be used . .however.

The down side is the amount of energy is very small and quickly will be used up.....

With a reasonable battery and LED lights you will be able to "light up" a small area.....................


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I bought one a few years back to get my feet wet. Learned a lot and am currently using the panels, a new controller and a battery for the fans in the greenhouse which only need to run when the sun is shining. Still have enough residual to power my ham radios (low power) and scanner. I did replace the charge controller which came with the kit as it is a piece of garbage with a better one. 

If I had to do it all over again, I would pick up a small panel (60 watts or less) and a decent controller from a reputable source. BTW, as Gary mentioned, even on the sunniest of days, the panels are closer to 30-35W than 45W. Hope that helps.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

"BTW, as Gary mentioned, even on the sunniest of days, the panels are closer to 30-35W than 45W."

This holds true for almost all panels on the market today if you really look at the specs and do the math.. (RE: Working Voltage and Current Rating)


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

wouldnt something like this be a much better value/quality 

http://store.oynot.com/nt175u1175watt.html 

some places are even offering free shiping, I know nothing of these vendors but if you do the google shopping search and price high to low these are 560.00 - 999.00


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## Michael Kawalek (Jun 21, 2007)

Our neighbor bought one to power lights in a storage container he bought. He thought it was working out OK, so I picked one up also. Check for sale coupons published in various magazines. I found a 20% off coupon in Shotgun News that I used for my panels. Walking out the door cost was 163$.


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