Solar Panels and Power Outage

filippo · 08/09/2008, 03:53 PM

Does anyone use solar panels to feed electricity to their tanks, especially in case of power outage?

I know that solar panels cost a fortune, at least the ones big enough to feed an entire house. However, I am now looking online and I found some really cheap and portable ones that might be worth the money: http://www.solarstyle.com (These could feed powerheads and heaters at least).

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice? Any product you would recommend at a reasonable price?

If I can find a solar panel big enough and inexpensive that would run my entire tank, then why not? Living in AZ there's plenty of sun (way too much!). No more monthly bills.

Thanks

Harry_Fish · 08/09/2008, 05:01 PM

I currently use a UPS to run my Tunze Pumps when I loose power.

I am considering either a small Honda generator or solar Panels
the solar panels would be nice since I can use them all the time.

Only draw back on the Solar panels for me is I live in NY and winter here can be pretty dreary (low sun)

MJDiP · 08/09/2008, 06:25 PM

For the amount of money you'd spend just for backup power, you might consider buying a battery back-up system (like Harry's UPS), a battery/inverter combination, or a generator. You will probably need a lot of panels run your entire system.

Solar power usually isn't used for backup power as much as it is for normal power operation, so you could use them as a "green" source to run certain components of your tank during normal operation, then use parallel batteries at night or on cloudy days.

Also, consider having multiple panels that are all linked together instead of having one large panel. In the event that a panel breaks, you only need to replace/remove that single panel and you can still operate. Having a single point of failure with one large panel will put your system at risk if something goes wrong.

HTH, I can't really comment on prices or manufacturers.

08/09/2008, 03:53 PM	#1
filippo Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Milano, Italy (Tempe, AZ) Posts: 623	Solar Panels and Power Outage Does anyone use solar panels to feed electricity to their tanks, especially in case of power outage? I know that solar panels cost a fortune, at least the ones big enough to feed an entire house. However, I am now looking online and I found some really cheap and portable ones that might be worth the money: http://www.solarstyle.com (These could feed powerheads and heaters at least). Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice? Any product you would recommend at a reasonable price? If I can find a solar panel big enough and inexpensive that would run my entire tank, then why not? Living in AZ there's plenty of sun (way too much!). No more monthly bills. Thanks

08/09/2008, 05:01 PM	#2
Harry_Fish Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Liverpool, NY Posts: 1,461	I currently use a UPS to run my Tunze Pumps when I loose power. I am considering either a small Honda generator or solar Panels the solar panels would be nice since I can use them all the time. Only draw back on the Solar panels for me is I live in NY and winter here can be pretty dreary (low sun)

08/09/2008, 06:25 PM	#3
MJDiP Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA (Buckhead) Posts: 175	For the amount of money you'd spend just for backup power, you might consider buying a battery back-up system (like Harry's UPS), a battery/inverter combination, or a generator. You will probably need a lot of panels run your entire system. Solar power usually isn't used for backup power as much as it is for normal power operation, so you could use them as a "green" source to run certain components of your tank during normal operation, then use parallel batteries at night or on cloudy days. Also, consider having multiple panels that are all linked together instead of having one large panel. In the event that a panel breaks, you only need to replace/remove that single panel and you can still operate. Having a single point of failure with one large panel will put your system at risk if something goes wrong. HTH, I can't really comment on prices or manufacturers.