![]() This setup now produced FAR more power than I could store on a single battery, so I was wasting juice I was already harvesting! ACK! So I traded for another deep cycle battery, and hooked it in parallel with the first. However, I now needed a larger charge controller to handle the extra output, so I opted for the 1224-20a 12v/24v 20a Pwm Solar Charge Controller, a nice upgrade that should keep me going for at least another solar panel, should I ever chose to add one. This panel received great reviews, and would work well with my existing setup. So I purchased another panel, a Sopray SR-50 50watt, cost was actually less than the first one, on sale at $99 delivered. ![]() Until I realized my meager draw was eating my batteries faster than they were being charged. All draw runs thorough the controller to make sure the power delivered is “clean”, and allows the controller to shut off the draw if the batteries get too low. The setup is straightforward – panel to controller, controller to battery. I found a 10 amp entry level model for $12…SWEET! I was thinking it was going to cost hundreds for something called a “solar charge controller”. Researching the best way to charge a 12v deep cycle battery, I found a charge controller makes it a far more efficient, and less dangerous, process. I then traded for a 12v deep cycle marine battery, and was in business. So when I ran across an add for a 48watt solar panel on Craigslist for $100, I jumped on it. It would save wasting gas on the generators, and would always be available for other things like lighting and fans for my poultry and rabbits, as well as spare 12v batteries that are always topped off for trolling motors, or emergency car battery replacements. I wanted a way to charge them, should we ever have a power failure like we did during hurricanes Jeanne and Frances. I have plenty of low voltage gadgets: phones, Kindles, flashlights, lanterns, two-way radios, etc. (I’ve often wondered why no one has come out with a production model of an a/c unit that is solar powered – The the more sun you have, the more you need a/c, it just seems like a no-brainer product to me…) Specs on my First Solar Panel ![]() I’ve wanted to establish a 12v solar charging system for years, since I live so far south and have all of this free sunshine going to waste. Now I want to go over the power system, the pumps, and moving forward. Ive introduced my aquaponics project, talked about the magic of the bell siphon, and discussed my containers and what is in them. ![]()
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