Jeremiah S's posts

Thanks! I plan on just starting with my room, so the battery will probably be kept there.  I'm just going to start with a small system, and expand later on, so would it be ok to start with a larger battery?

And yes, cash is an issue, but I hope to recieve a grant from the science fair program at our high school to fund part of the project.  I would gladly accept used batteries from companies, but where I live, sadly, there are none.

   Hello, I'm a bit new to alternative energy systems. I would like to know which battery would be best for my situation.  I would like to power/charge my laptop for approximately three hours each day.  The laptop consumes 15 - 20 watts.  I bought a panel rated for 18 watts and assuming 3.5 hours of full sun, this would generate somewhere around 60 watts, about enough to run the laptop for three hours.

   My question is, which battery type should I use in my system?  I am planning on storing 3 days worth of solar power in the battery, since past experience with Virginian winters has proven not to be without some severe storms, mostly resulting in 2 days worth of power outage.  I'm looking at either sealed or gel-cell batteries for my small system.  Any advice would be appreciated!

- Jeremy

Yes, I agree. Solar backup for all the appliances in the house would be very expensive.  Essential loads only!  The less power you absolutely must generate, the cheaper the system will be.

I was in the DC area that weekend.  I didn't get to stop by to see the houses, but I was very impressed with the few designs that I saw.  Some of the homes looked very much like a normal house, with the solar panels nicely integrated with the design.

Shouldn't the snow fall off naturally, due to the angle of the panel? Just wondering...