PV Gap

Gary Said:

How large a solar generator would you need for this?

We Answered:

If you need light in your gurt, it will, presumably be needed at times when the sun will not be providing light for solar panels, so you are going to need a battery as well.

I have 2 solar panels and a battery in a remote wooden cabin in the mountains, but this was intended to provide power for a small TV. I can, and do, use low voltage for lighting but it is an extremely inefficient way of using solar power, after all, there are many other ways of obtaining light--candles, oil lamps and a woodburning fire --but TVs need electricity so that has to be the primary use for the panels.

It just so happens, that since the TV 'went digital' I have not been able to receive it, so reading became more important and I could use electricity that was no longer going to be needed for a TV!

I would say that if you have access to mains, you might just as well run a cable and live in comfort, but if you do feel a need to be free of mains power, then you might be better off with a windturbine such as used on sailing boats, and that will give you more power than the solar panels which are rather expensive. In fact, all the "natural" power sources are going to cost much more than a bit of mains cabling, and this will be far more reliable.

I would have understood that the solar panels that you use to heat your swimming pool would not be photovoltaic but rather the thermal type which would be rather more efficient for this purpose and, that no electricity is involved.