# Need advice on adding solar to the barn



## Spooled (Jan 31, 2017)

Hi Folks, 
Brand new here. This forum is just what I have been looking for. I have lived on a 48 acre homestead in SW Virginia for the past 6 months. The property was overgrown with vegetation and the fences all in need of repair along with countless other things needing to be fixed. Slowly things are improving, and with a new kubota 4701 we are able to step up the pace. I have started a rabbitry and am going to build cages in the barn which has no power and about 250 to 300 yards from the meter. It would cost roughly $ 5.00 per foot to run the wire out to the barn. At 250 yards the cost would be around $ 3,750.
My question is what would it cost to go solar at the barn? I would only need to run a drill or a grinder from time to time, and have some inside lighting and outside security lighting on a motion sensor. I may have a small radio on full time for the rabbits, but that would be the only thing on all the time. Any ideas on what type of panels and how many I would need? Same goes for batteries, and what else might I need? My thoughts are that if it was cheaper to install a very basic solar system then I would rather go that route because the neighbors say that when the power goes out here, it can stay out for days so at least I would have something at the barn. Thanks for any advice.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

8-2 UF wire is $1.49/ft at Lowes, and would do what you want, and you can buy it in one continuous piece off a 1000' roll. Shop local electrical supply places, and you may find it cheaper. 

Add $150 for a half day rental of a Ditchwich (or you can simply plow an 18" deep furrow with a sub-soiler on your tractor), and you'd have power the barn for (900' x $1.5) $1350 + cost of the ditch. If your soil is rocky, you might want to slip the wire in some 20' lengths of 1" PVC water pipe to protect it.

For about the same price, here https://www.renogy.com/renogy-400-watt-12-volt-starter-complete-kit/ is a fairly complete small kit (you might need some extension wiring from the panels to the charge controller, depending on where you mount the panels....they assume it's pretty close) that would give you about the same amount of power.

Your choice.

I've had pretty good luck with the Renolgy panels on a couple of small projects around my place....DC greenhouse fan (runs direct....no battery/charge controller/inverter), some DC power at one chicken house, etc.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

If you go with something like the Renogy kit I'd look at using DC lighting and radio. That way you only have to run the inverter when you need the power tools.

WWW


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## Spooled (Jan 31, 2017)

Thanks for the replies. I was leaning towards solar, but after looking at the price of the wire $476.00 for a 1,000 ft roll of 12-2 UF, I changed my mind. Also, I can throw a water line in the ditch and have power and water at the barn. Thanks again.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

Spooled said:


> Hi Folks,
> Brand new here. This forum is just what I have been looking for. I have lived on a 48 acre homestead in SW Virginia for the past 6 months. The property was overgrown with vegetation and the fences all in need of repair along with countless other things needing to be fixed. Slowly things are improving, and with a new kubota 4701 we are able to step up the pace. I have started a rabbitry and am going to build cages in the barn which has no power and about 250 to 300 yards from the meter. It would cost roughly $ 5.00 per foot to run the wire out to the barn. At 250 yards the cost would be around $ 3,750.
> My question is what would it cost to go solar at the barn? I would only need to run a drill or a grinder from time to time, and have some inside lighting and outside security lighting on a motion sensor. I may have a small radio on full time for the rabbits, but that would be the only thing on all the time. Any ideas on what type of panels and how many I would need? Same goes for batteries, and what else might I need? My thoughts are that if it was cheaper to install a very basic solar system then I would rather go that route because the neighbors say that when the power goes out here, it can stay out for days so at least I would have something at the barn. Thanks for any advice.


Your best option would be a small couple hundred watt solar power system for the lights and radio. Then get a portable generator for the power tools. 250 years is going to need some big wire. Service entrance wire 00 is around $3/ft anything much smaller is going to have a high loss for that long a run.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Running 12-2 that far, you're going to get a serious voltage drop if you try to run a saw or drill....you may well burn them up.

Run 10-2 at a minimum, and 8-2 is really the best.


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