I have a shed that has wiring run for light bulb and a couple outlets. It is in a dark corner of my yard and at night is kinda creepy to go in with even a flashlight. I am weighing the option/expense of running electricity from the house on an overhead line versus putting up a 45 watt solar panel on the metal roof with inverter, battery etc. Sunlight is good to excellent at the location. Question is - will this be sufficient for the occasional use of light and an outlet? What can I expect? Pros and cons appreciated
For okorder /... Electric power. Rather than an overhead cable you can bury a cable or PVC conduit and power the shed with 20AC. You can easily supply 5 to 30A of 20V AC that supply all of your power needs without the issues and limitations of the Solar system. If your shed is within 200 ft of your home you should be able to power the shed for less than $400 if you do the work.
Lets say, for a simple approximation, that the 45 watt panel produces 45 watts /3 of the time and nothing the rest of the time. Each day, this will produce 8 hours times 45 watts = 360 watt hours. Also assume the battery charge controller and inverter waste half of that power, leaving 80 watt hours per day. If you use compact fluorescent lamps, that would allow you to burn 80 watts worth for an hour every day, or 90 watts for 2 hours, etc. That is a lot of light for a shed. You might consider using much less efficient tungsten filament lamps, but eliminate the inverter and choose low voltage (automotive) lamps that can run directly across the battery and lower the total cost, but give you only about half the light times time. The main advantage of the inverter might be that it would allow you to use small power tools or appliances in the shed. -- Regards, John Popelish
