I finished the greenhouse today. The greenhouse is made from mostly recycled materials. I used discarded sliding patio doors for the glass, a screen door from Freecycle.com, 4″ stone floor, concrete patio planters for containers. The soil is 100% organic and my hopes are to provide at least a salad a day for the rest of my life, organic of course. The music playing is Wayana (sp?) on a rummage sale CD player that’s running off of the sun through 3 solar panels into a car battery, then through an inverter. It’s the first day for the solar panels. If I used an Ipod, I could power 50 -100 of them with what the old CD player is using. That would leave lots of electricity to power a laptop, the router, cable modem and printer and 12 volt florescent lights. Even the batteries in the digital camera can be recharged by using the solar panels. I’ve just discovered LED flashlights with batteries also rechargable off of the sun.
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
that 4X4 gets over …
that 4X4 gets over 35 MPG as I used to own one
All food is grown …
All food is grown in containers. No herbicides, pesticides or fungicides has been used on this land since 1995 when I bought it, but… the landscape timbers and residues are part of the legacy of the previous owner. The 4×4′s are new and don’t contain arsenic. We’ve been eating salads since 5 weeks after this video was filmed. I won’t eat anything grown in the ground, only in containers and the soil we use is 100% organic.
be nice to see when …
be nice to see when you got it all fitted and some veg in the greenhouse
That Suzi is the …
That Suzi is the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned. I’m only a block from the ocean and the salt air is eating it alive. I have pipe and metal to convert it to a dune buggy/off road vehicle.
cool… I have 4 …
cool… I have 4 sets of those HF solar panels, they work great! =)
What kind of solar …
What kind of solar panels are those and what wattage? Is the battery hooked up in front of the inverter or behind? What would you say the entire investment was for the panels the battery the cables inverter, controller, etc? I really am interested in solar power and am ready to experiment. I want to power a ceiling fan and charge my electric scooter.
I bought the solar …
I bought the solar panels at Harbor Freight which also included the voltage regulator and several 12v,4 watt florescent bulbs. The panels produce a max of 45 watt @ 20 vdc. The regulator breaks that down into 12vdc, 9vdc, 6vdc, 3vdc. The sale price is $200, otherwise they’re $250. The inverter is connected directly to the battery as is the voltage regulator. For the battery I purchased a deep cycle battery designed for using an electric trolling motor.The battery cost $70.
nice coconuts
nice coconuts
I have just started …
I have just started to explore my interest in solar energy. In your video I see you (with the radio) are directly connected to the battery,am I correct? Where can I learn more about this? as I mentioned I am just starting to learn about the solar energy possibilities and I Could use some direction. Thanks
look imformation in …
look imformation in google!google is your friend
Very cool video.
I …
Very cool video.
I have a question..Im living in the michigan/canadian border area..
do you think it would be woth the purchase of the same kind of 250$ solar panels (given our winters)…and how long do you think it would take for them to pay themselves off in energy savings?
Thank You!
Don’t worry about …
Don’t worry about recovering the cost, as long as you didnt get ripped off. Why do you think the power company has solar panels on their roof?…In case of power outages. I’ve been thinking, solar power and other backup is priceless during power outages. People should also realize to get a chargeable battery(s) for storage of unused energy. Even a small system is a lot better than nothing.
Having been born …
Having been born and lived in Northern Wisconsin for at least 30 years, I can remember days so grey that it was impossible to locate the sun in broad daylight. I would invest in a windmill before I’d try solar panels up there. Harbor Freight has what looks like an affordable windmill with good output. Just Google Harbor Freight and see for yourself.
There is an …
There is an inverter that changes the voltage from approximately 12 volt D.C. off of the battery to 110 volts a.c. to run the CD player. I have made so many improvements since then to handle my music needs that a new updated video is in the works.
if you plan to …
if you plan to provide power for more than emergency lighting, battery charging(aaa,aa,d,c cell ect.),I recommend using high quality name brand components from shell,kyocera,sharp,sanyo,bp,ge charge controls from trace, morningstar, do the dollars per watt math and watch those expensive modules get real cost effective in the face of affordable chinese ones. the place to save money on solar is point of use, most people in most places could use 1000 or less watts pv and 1200 watts wind
ledlightled has …
ledlightled has correctness but beware of the wind turbines under 8 feet in diameter
Thank you I don’t …
Thank you I don’t feel so small out here now knowing there are others that are thinking.
Check out Sunshine …
Check out Sunshine For Dollars– ways to get functional panels, slightly flawed; how to generate 125 degree heated water in Michigan winter, etc. Cool book. Practical now.
can you run a heater
can you run a heater
Liberal myths, …
Liberal myths, liberal lies. Solar power should be banned within 1000 feet ot schools or areas where children play. Solar panels are a dangerous propaganda tool to lure children away from God and the conservative lifestyle to a lifestyle of satan, homosex and paganism. One world One religion.
So, update us.
How …
So, update us.
How is your garden doing?
A salad a day?
Good story…
I am getting a …
I am getting a salad a day and more. There were dry periods though when I was between plantings. That won’t happen anymore (I hope) because I’m more familiar with how the greenhouse functions along with the cycles of the growing season. I am changing my entire yard into an Urban Garden. I’m more than half way to that goal now. I’ve planted around 50 Papaya plants with the intention of having a Papaya smoothie every day forever as well. I’ve also deleted animal protein from my diet.
(cont.)That means …
(cont.)That means that I should have control of the integrity of that which fuels me.
The solar system sadly failed all around. I replaced the controller twice and now the panels aren’t producing any power at all. Rechargeable batteries I purchased from Harbor Freight also have failed so I won’t use them as a source of reliable solar products sad to say.
a nice set up you …
a nice set up you have there. my last comment didnt show for some reason.
i also asked what is the actual name of the song playing i tried to look it up. i am going to set up a green house soon.
thanks
I have all my house …
I have all my house powered with solar panels. I never pay for electricity. I GET PAID for selling electricity. I have full instruction on how to make very cheap home made solar panels.