Anyone mess with hobby solar panel stuff?

[Bananaguy]

The weather is really crazy anymore and my greenhouse in the winter gets sun from 9am till sunset so it backs in there pretty good. I have two automatic vents that open once temps go over 57 inside.

I have 4 DC 120mm computer fans wired up with louvers. They are converted to AC power with a little converter box. Have a thermostat that is not the greatest that turns them on. But besides that the fans will run until the sunsets even later. So that spikes the electric bill at 20watts over November-April running 8hrs or more depending on the weather.

I have looked over Harborfreight’s stuff and don’t know what I would exactly need to power the 20watts total in fans and whatever the thermostat would need voltage wise. I know I need a solar panel, two plug outlets wired to panel. Would I need a battery for that low of wattage/voltage for these items? Charge controller, voltage regulator needed?

Thanks for any help.

[Larynasvai]

You'll probably need everything

[Melt in the Sun]

Can't possibly be economic, right? 20 watts x 12 hrs/day (guess) is ~88 KWh/year = depending on your energy costs, got to be well under $50.

Not to say it woudln't be fun!

[Bananaguy]

Forgot about this post. Never got around to it but with electric costs going up every little bit would help.

[JeemyWolker]

My hubby and I are also researching how to install solar batteries soon. it occurs we will really need a battery and charge controller.

[JeemyWolker]

My hubby and I are also researching how to install solar batteries soon. it occurs we will really need a battery and charge controller.

Otherwise it will be pretty hard to control the electricity. However it depends on the way you'll use it. We plan to use some electrical appliances and heat the pool in the summer. The bills for heating the pool are colossal, and we actually don't need it everyday, so solar energy will cope with it; moreover it is very sunny in our place in the summer. We plan on ordering the solar panels online, and currently stopped on yenex. I've read a lot of positive reviews and hope they're sincere. Still decide are solar panels worth it though

[Bananaguy]

For your house though, doesn’t it take a few years to recoup the cost and savings? That’s what I always heard but maybe systems are made better now?

[gave_agave]

For your house though, doesn’t it take a few years to recoup the cost and savings? That’s what I always heard but maybe systems are made better now?

Most solar panels have warranties which are far longer than the time needed to recoup their costs.

[Bananaguy]

Warranty claims from stuff going bad or claims of how soon you will be spending less for electricity?

[gave_agave]

Warranty claims from stuff going bad or claims of how soon you will be spending less for electricity?

Breaking. Either way, life expectancy is far longer than earn-back times, at current energy prices (in Europe), and with energy prices more likely to increase than decrease for the foreseeable future, the earn-back times only get shorter.
Electricity consumption will grow considerably in the next decade due to people shifting from using gas for heating and cooking to electricity (heat pumps and induction). Add to that the increase of electrical vehicles (which often increases the consumption in a household by 50% or more) and there will be a big increase in energy consumption. Powergrids struggle to keep up, and will need big infrastructural investments, which will also increase the price of electricity. The one thing which might decrease it is if nuclear plants come online. But the ones being build now in Europe take far longer and are far more expensive than originally budgetted for (Finland, France, UK), so it's unlikely that those will really reduce electricity prices. Having solar panels will make one less sensitive to price increases.

[Bananaguy]

Yeah cost are going up so gonna look into some for the house maybe.

[Hooptism]

Considering your setup with 4 DC 120mm computer fans and a thermostat, powering them with a solar panel setup sounds like a feasible solution. To start, you'd likely need a small solar panel, a charge controller to regulate the flow of electricity from the panel to your fans, and possibly a battery to store excess energy for use during periods of low sunlight or at night.

[Hooptism]

Considering your setup with 4 DC 120mm computer fans and a thermostat, powering them with a solar panel setup sounds like a feasible solution. To start, you'd likely need a small solar panel, a charge controller to regulate the flow of electricity from the panel to your fans, and possibly a battery to store excess energy for use during periods of low sunlight or at night.

While it may seem complex, there are plenty of resources available to guide you through the process. I recently came across some solar panel installers who share valuable tips and advice for DIY projects like yours. They might have insights on selecting the right components and optimizing your setup for efficiency.