A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

May have solved my whole Solar vs. AC issue ...

Fortunately I have access to engineers where I work and think, with their help, I may have solved the self sustaining solar issue. Still working out the details but one thing is for sure ... it won't be cheap.

However, I can see a benefit to having such a system not only for running my aquaponic system, but also for sustaining some comfort in the event of a power failure. I will keep everyone posted as I get closer to making my final decision about this solar system.

0 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of Aquaponic Gardening to add comments!

Join Aquaponic Gardening

Comment by John Link on April 17, 2012 at 10:18am: I'm moving to Kenya this summer and would like to install a 500 gallon media bed system. I might have to increase that number based upon available grow bed materials. We are trying to get as many supplies from local sources as possible but I need to purchase some materials like an air pump before I depart. I don't see this project being feasible without solar power and constant pumping so I would like to know if you have any information on solar installation and the engineering of a backup battery system. I need to know if I have to buy a step down converter to run a 120V air pump or how to rig this whole power supply.

Comment by Michael Welber on March 5, 2012 at 6:03am: I'm running my whole house with the solar panels so, yes, it's different. I had gotten an estimate of $800 for solar panels to run the pumps and charge a backup battery.

Comment by Bob Vento on March 5, 2012 at 5:54am: Not planning to spend that much on my solar system. Mine will clock in at less than $700, which includes solar panels, batteries, inverter and pump. Keep in mind that I will have a small system and it sounds like you have a much larger power requirement. My engineering buddy told me that this system will work for my needs to run my system 24/7 ,however he did say I may need to add a second battery in parallel if the primary battery does not last all night..

Comment by Michael Welber on March 5, 2012 at 4:28am: It was over $30K.

Comment by Scott on March 4, 2012 at 6:09pm: How much did all this cost?

Comment by Michael Welber on March 4, 2012 at 5:14pm: Solar power is not cheap. I ended up spending about three times what I expected to spend to install 2.7KW on my roof. However, now that it is installed and working it is incredibly great. This time of year we only end up using 1 or 2 KW of power from the electric company. I have my entire aquaponics system plugged into the solar power and battery backup. If I lose power the batteries will power the pumps and aerator for 3 days and then I can use my generator after that. I'm not off the grid but I love solar power (and solar hot water). We live in the Keys so solar is particularly effective here since we have 300 days of sun a year.