as long as you record it and post it so we can use it repeatedly. great idea actually, better than the podcast.
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Calling @Mr.Sparkle.
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, but I am out of likes.
So basically It Is possible to run 2 x100 watter leds for 20 hours of lighting with Just solar panel,but I Guess the cost Is a lot for the hardware needed,also the cost Is even more for someone like me Who never has been educated in the field.
What could you suggest me or us based on my/our current situation?
A book?Some YouTube good videos?
@OhNo555
chalk board talk. that is great. first subject is making your own led lights.
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You also have to consider a battery 
for power storage during your non sun light hours which will add to the cost 
. You will only draw slightly less than 2 amp to run the lights which is very minimal. It’s almost cheaper to buy an inverter.
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Basically you are looking at a solar panel fed to this sort of $15-20 controller, hooked up to an AGM battery (could be salvaged from something else or new) as a buffer/storage. You can run 12v or 5V USB power right out of the controller:
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You are telling me that my led panels are Fed by the driver with only this small amount of Ampere right?
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Let me get that:Solar panel 200-300watt capacity(?) connected to that unit as you linked as output which is wired to an accumulator/battery as output and to the 100watt led,right?
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I’ve been looking, and I’m thinking I might wire up some led grow light chips myself into a grow light, then hook them up to a 12v dimmer and timer. Then I can customise the size and power of the light.
At $2.29 AUD a piece it’s looking like a good option and affordable too.
Currently I only have a 120w panel hooked up to an agm lead acid battery.
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Let’s do some basic math here.
100W x 2 = 200W
20 hours x 200W is 4000 Whr
Divided by 12V nominal for Ahr:
4000Whr/12V=333Ahr
That’s a big battery. Especially if you figure you are realistically getting about 80-90% efficiency all over the chain (if using a switching power supply).
I’d be looking for about 420Ahr. For reference, that’s about 8 car batteries, which tend to be about 50Ahr.
Ok, so that’s a huge battery. But we got that sorted out, 8-10 car batteries in parallel would guarantee a run cycle is stored. How the F are we going to keep them charged?
It’s reasonably assumed you can get 15W/sq ft these days. Let’s assume 8 hours a day of sunlight. So, each sqft of solar yields 120Whr. Back to our 4000Whr usage, you’d need 4000Whr/120[Whr/sqft] = 34 sqft of panel. Again, realistically you want more than that. Say 45 sqft. That’s 3 3x5’ solar panels. It’s a lot.
I think this only makes sense economically if you are already doing a whole-house solar setup even bigger than this. Or seriously compromise your goal. Not to be pessimistic, math is real. Down-sizing your lights, minimizing how long you run them, all would make a huge impact. But, in short, you aren’t going to be successful with an Amazon small panel, a car battery and 100s of watts of lights
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Yes, if you divide the wattage by the power factor (120v/in USA) it will give you amps.
What is the formula for calculating amps?
If you have the watts and volts of an appliance, you can easily calculate its amps. For example, if the watts and volts of an electric device are 3600W and 240V, respectively, the amps value will be: Amps = 3600W / 240V = 15A. Amperage is the strength of the electric current and is expressed in amperes
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That s It,thank you for the math,some time ago I did try to sort It out,basically It is a matter of putting a lot of panels and some real cash for a project,which is what I am avoiding right now by running low watters to help myself pay the Electric Bill
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Yes that is true I installed 42 36”x60” solar panels on my roof to cover all are electrical needs and to sell back excess to the power to the power company which they are obligated to buy and have battery backup as well as a whole house generator that comes on automatically if it senses a lose of all power sources. Pretty elaborate set up. I bought everything years ago and now not only has it paid for itself, but I profit.
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I think I need to DM you after I move wood. The house we are in had a generator and an auto switch. The generator is gone but the switch is still there. Would love to know what I could do with it. It’s a fairly large panel outside, have never opened it.
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Send pics of outside and inside of it and include the name plate rating, you might get luck 
and find the schematic drawings on the inside. Model # number is always good as well.
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Thanks dude.
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@FieldEffect has more or less covered it.
Really you can run any DC powered led light with a DC-DC buck converter, i have some smaller constant current ones that i can say run 19.5v bridgelux strips off a 12v wall power supply which are plentiful, allows me to use my old strips as aux lights elsewhere.
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I just remembered that @olschool @Cormoran and @ShitSeeds among other users do this off grid indoor growing stuff
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I have been dreaming of running at least one tent on 100% solar power. But now I also have a green house so I am very interested in running a fan and some lights in there as well. Cool thread, looking forward to learning more.
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