# solar power barn



## mill (Aug 16, 2012)

hay never messed with solar power much. i was wanting to make my barn run total off of solar power just not real sure what all i need.i need to run a dorm size fridge to keep meds in, also about 4 heat lamps,and a few lights in the barn and may be a radio. any suggestions would be great.


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## tkrabec (Mar 12, 2003)

take a look at the power requirements on the small fridge, it may be the same ore more than a full size. Aside from that, add up all the watts of what you want to use, or list them all here.
You'll add up the watts of each device times the number of hours to get watt hours 
then this will give you the amount of energy used. You'll need to produce 20-40% more power than this daily, to take into account loss & inefficiencies. that will also tell you how much battery capacity you will need (you will need 4x this amount in battery storage or more if you can afford it)


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Of course that is a very commendable idea to go solar.
But when you add up all of your listed loads, the price tag for all the equipment to handle that much load 24/7 is going to scare you.............
A couple of lights can be done simply enough ($$$)
But the other listed loads---running 24/7----are the kick in the slats.

For the time being the grid is the easy ($$) way to go............But for how long .???


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

mill said:


> hay never messed with solar power much. i was wanting to make my barn run total off of solar power just not real sure what all i need.i need to run a dorm size fridge to keep meds in, also about 4 heat lamps,and a few lights in the barn and may be a radio. any suggestions would be great.


People that do not know about solar---Just do not know---so you ask!! Just to throw a example at you---Lets work on one heat lamp first---You could go to Harbor Freight and buy their 45 watt kit on sale for say $175(some people think you can run a whole house on this kit) Grab a 400 watt inverter for $40---Stop by Wal-marts on the way home and get you a $100 deepcycle battery, come home and get it all hooked up and charging---Let it charge all day with the Sun shining---Now plug in 1 "small" heat lamp----you will have stored enough wattage in the battery to run it for LESS THAN 1 HOUR. You could probably run that little fridge for 4 hours IF it was already cold when you first plug it in and if you do not plug in any heat lamps.

It Takes a BIG solar set-up to run several high wattage heat lamps 24hours per day and would cost YOU Mega Bucks. For just one 300 watt heat lamp running 24hrs per day, buying the cheapest panels, a few batteries, wire inverter, charge controller would tear up $5 grand and you would need to double to tripple that to get enough reserve to be able to run that 1 heat lamp if it stayed cloudy for a couple days. "Not cheap when you are using Heat"


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

LOL . . . . .and when you turn on that heat lamp and walk away very soon that cheapo inverter will smoke if it does not have LVD (low voltage disconnect) . .and that battery will become a boat anchor . . . . ruined because of over discharge.


Solar is more than fantastic . . . . .
But oh so many folks just don't realize that it takes more than a buck . .to make a buck....


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I hear ya Jim.

This is 6-7grand worth of equipment BEFORE you drop down to look at the batteries......

(2 Outback 2500w inverters, 2 60amp charge controllers + 1 80amp, numerous boxes, breakers, etc )


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## mill (Aug 16, 2012)

would this not due for me 

1800 Watt Off-Grid Power System

also the fridge would run all the time but the heat lamp witch is 250w are not used much at all. the lights would be used when i get in late to feed. i thought about just leaving the fridge in the garage and may be just starting out with lights say 16 75w light bulbs. what would it take to run them? thanks

oh ya i am checking on solar because my barn is 300ft to the closest elct pole and about 450 from my house that's a lot of wire.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

. . 16 X 75 = 1200 watts . . . times how many hours that they are on . .??

This would be a easy system to design and spec . . . . . .
But I can guarantee you will not be happy with the price tag.

A much better option would be LED lamps . . . . .they are not effected by the cold, CFL's don't like cold temps.
Say 7 watts per bulb times 16 = 112 watts . . .a far easier load to handle
The heat lamp on a timer to cut its usage way way down......


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

As a designer / installer you don't want to ask what I think of those "kit packages" from an outfit like that.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

mill said:


> would this not due for me
> 
> 1800 Watt Off-Grid Power System


Well, no, *since one of the key missing ingredients from that list is an inverter.*






mill said:


> oh ya i am checking on solar because my barn is 300ft to the closest elct pole and about 450 from my house that's a lot of wire.


450' ?? You could run a #8 UF cable for a buck/foot......$450.....some connection costs on both ends, and STILL be well under $1,000.

The solar "kit" is 10 times that, and would be short by couple thousand bucks of what you really need. 

So......you pick......

There ARE reasons to go solar in my opinion....but if you're doing it based on cost, you're on a fools errand.


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## mill (Aug 16, 2012)

okay a buck a foot sound grea but that far i will have to burry it wich is a lot high price or i could but it on poles. the main reason i am looking at solar is no bill. my barn fell so insurance is paying me so i am building a new one i have about an extra 8,000 bucks left over from the check after building my barn. so it ain't going to cost me much out of pocket . also i am a union millwright would i be able to install this on my own?


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Depends on your understanding of electricity.........
For that distance you would be safer to install the wire in conduit . . .just for the physical protection of the wire.
Put the wire in the conduit. 
Rent a trencher and bury the conduit/wire as deep as you can.
If you are uncertain about hookup . .then get an electrician to hookup 
If you were to consider going to 6 gauge wire instead of 8, you will have a little more "power" to use in the barn.

For that matter spending some of those bucks on even larger wire up front will let you use those 'heat lamps'.............


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

It's probably more cost effective to find a way to use solar for heating instead of converting it to electricity.

You may be able to replace the heat lamps during the daytime with an attached greenhouse type structure or maybe some add on solar collectors that feed into an insulated stall for the lambs or kids.


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## nadja (May 22, 2011)

TnAndy said:


> I hear ya Jim.
> 
> This is 6-7grand worth of equipment BEFORE you drop down to look at the batteries......
> 
> (2 Outback 2500w inverters, 2 60amp charge controllers + 1 80amp, numerous boxes, breakers, etc )





TnAndy said:


> Well, no, *since one of the key missing ingredients from that list is an inverter.*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Andy, your system is just so purty !


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Nadja,

Looked up those new Trojan batteries you called me about. They look real good....of course, price is the next issue, which I didn't find one.


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## mill (Aug 16, 2012)

i was not wanting to run all that cable . the heat lamps are just used in real cold weather and when i have kids born in the winter moths last year i used them twice for 2 days each time( ram them off my generator.


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

mill said:


> i was not wanting to run all that cable . the heat lamps are just used in real cold weather and when i have kids born in the winter moths last year i used them twice for 2 days each time( ram them off my generator.


Well Go With Solar---That seems to be what you want. Decide how much money you are going to spend then get one of the "Pro's" on here to help you get the best set-up for your money. These Pros on here can talk you through getting it hooked up. 

Understand that running a wire to the barn will take some effort but its a one time thing as well---run the wire, get it all hooked up and you are pretty much through with it. Going solar------go through all the Hooking up. mounting panels and everything will probably take alot longer to do. And when you get it all hooked up and running---then There are things you will have to monitor, you will have to check the batteries often, worry when you have a storm if all the panels will get torn up. Wait till a battery goes bad and you got to find it and deal with that or have to replace all the batteries in some years(more money to spend), get a loose connection have to find and trouble shoot that. Solar is NOT a hook up and forget deal. If you go Solar you will have to learn everything about it or Hire someone that does to help you out. Again, hooking and running a wire to the house is way cheaper and almost trouble free.

Can you place a service pole at your barn and get your power company to hook it up with its own meter?


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Batterys are not happy with prolonged periods of cold weather
After a week of no sun freezing weather, there will be a drastic reduction in the amount of energy available from a battery bank.

I certainly do not want to dissuade any one from solar / wind / renewable systems, but you really need to know up front that there are a bunch of factors to take into account to make a system work well


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## Robotron (Mar 25, 2012)

#6 copper at that distance is the min. For voltage drop. That's 220vac @ 15 amps.
Wire cost will skyrocket. 8 is unusable for the run. I suggest that the op continue to research his options. He has a generator and can get an inverter that will allow the generator to connect to it. This allows more than one way to get power in. His needs are not that extreme. Would agree to different lightbulbs.


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## downsized (Aug 28, 2012)

Okay, what if there were a different approach? How would a DC refrigerator and DC lighting/radio work in this scenario. Then for heat, there are propane infrared heaters.


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## downsized (Aug 28, 2012)

Here's a DC frig/freezer. If you can turn off the freezer, I'm sure it would be less power usage Sundanzer dcrf134 DC Refrigerator Freezer

Voltage: 10-31VDC
Array Size: 300 Watts
Average Energy Use at 12VDC:
70Â°F - 460 Whrs/day, 38 AH/day
90Â°F - 720 Whrs/day, 60 AH/day
110Â°F - 1050 Whrs/day, 88 AH/day

Here are a common propane infrared heater in my area: Mr Heater propane infrared heaters Tank top heaters or floor standing Buddy Heaters

Here's a place with DC lighting fixtures: Energy Efficient Low Voltage (DC) Lighting | Alternative & Renewable Energy - ABS Alaskan, Inc.


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## downsized (Aug 28, 2012)

DC Light bulbs: 12V DC Light Bulbs 

This is the least efficient, but you can have all the wiring/fixtures AC compatible in case you upgrade to an AC version later.


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