Solar power Jamaica. DIY

[iLOVENATURE2011]

i love jamaica... 

[Lanny615]

@iLOVENATURE2011 thanks, Jamaica is my island home.

[LOPEZdJUNGLIST]

proper job cant wait to rig up something similar, its not as sunny in England at the moment so I might be able to run a small red LED for a few seconds.. : )

[Lanny615]

@LOPEZdJUNGLIST Actually you will still get power from the panels even in low light conditions. So, go for it and make a video so i can see your setup. Thanks for the comment and Greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[pinchasjm]

where in jamaica can i get cheap solar panels

[Lanny615]

@pinchasjm Alternative power sources, they are in the phone book, they also have a website.

[donperry1]

Yo boss. Great setup. Bout how much does a 600W system would cost?

[Lanny615]

@donperry1 I have no idea. A solar company would be able to give you a estimate. This is only my little hobby i have built 1 piece at a time.

[Jigaboo123456]

@Lanny615 Interesting- better for Jamaica than here in Scotland- -not a lot of sun - only 6 and 1/2 hours of faylight in midwinter, and in midsummer-- when the sun sometimes shines for 18 hours, the sun moves so much from NNE to NNW and moves up or down throughout, I had to make an equatorial mount to "milk" the avaiable sun.

I use it for a weekend shack that is very remote, otherwise it is a silly, expensive form of power here. Much better for Jamiaca!

[Lanny615]

@Jigaboo123456 Thanks for your comment. Maybe you could try a small wind turbine since you dont have much sunshine.

[daemonk9]

@donperry1 panels are anywhere from US $1(for real DIY with grade b cells) to $7 per watt (latest most efficient ready made panels) = $600 to $4500. converter and controller less than $200

[honkydudeman]

flourescent lights drain ,they constantly flicker?all diy solar guys make same obvious mistake also?lifespan of cell is 20/25 years?no wood will last that long?it warps with seasons?causing leaks?its expensive to buy+maintain,,,whats the glaringly obvious answer,,,,,,,.......old used upvc windows??alredy framed for you?double glazed?most manufacturers throw rejects away?recycle em ?use fibreglass as backing ,they will outlast the cells ?imaginne patio doors converted to solar panels?????????????

[ooKRE8Roo]

Hi, I want to link a 12 volt battery & a 6 volt battery together. I already have a 12v 100AH Deep Cycle, & understand the AH rating needs to be the same, but I want to use them together at under 18 volts. So I would need to have the 12v @ about 11.5 & the 6 volt @ about 5.5. I only need a few 3 second bursts of use. Would the batteries still give a strong current? Or would they perform weaker at those voltages?

[Lanny615]

@so4eyo I thought of doing that if i were going to keep these panels. However, i will be changing them to better quality/more efficient panels soon, and selling these used to someone wanting to start up small like me. Thanks for the advice tho, and greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[Amidat]

@Lanny615 Great idea. My question is what is the government of Jamaica doing to encourage "renewable energy"? I would think Solar power and geo-thermal would make for viable solutions on the island. Maybe they should seek help from the Germans who are very good at it. Jamaica needs to cut pollution and reduce the amount of outside energy sources that need to be imported. Have you upgraded your system yet?

[Cybrjinx]

I like it. I used the inverter like the one you used from my car to the house during one of the hurricanes to power a small fridge. 2,000 watt inverter. You need 800 to power it and an extra 800 to kick over the compressor. 1,600 watts total. My problem was that the car alternator was taxed almost to it's limit because amps needed to keep the car on. Heh. I have wanted to try using a two battery banks of 10 deep cycle batteries charged by solar and wind power. Goal 20kw

[tryme2pls]

which part of JA are you?

[Lanny615]

@tryme2pls Im in the Kingston area, greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[ecotts]

Change your lighting over to led :)

[Lanny615]

@ecotts I already have some LED lights, thanks for the advice tho, and greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[unbrkblctzn]

Very nice setup. Solar is awesome stuff. I'll be moving my unit from the barn to the house this winter and will also include vids. Thanks for sharing.

[kenhetz]

Thanks for the video. I just started gathering information about solar power and I appreciate your input. I found it interesting that you lay your panels flat, but your proximity to the equator explanation makes it clear why that is possible. I'm in the northeast and will need to position my panels (when I get them) accordingly. Thanks again.

[Lanny615]

@kenhetz The sun passes almost directly overhead in summer in Jamaica.

[Jigaboo123456]

In the winter, there is much less movement and height difference, so a fixed position facing South and an Angle of 45 degrees inclination is ok. My panels produce about 30 watts each. What wattage do you get from your bank of panels?

I Think I will need to buy a charge controller like yours, my charging vloltage is too high ( about 17v) I wish I could trade volts for amps--any ideas how i can do that? Thanks for the clip

[daemonk9]

@Jigaboo123456 reduce voltage increase amps by aligning in parallel (++,--) instead of series(+-,+-)

[Jigaboo123456]

@daemonk9 thanks, they are in parrallel each panel produces about 17v.



[daemonk9]

@Jigaboo123456 nice 'how to' at ebay(dot)com/itm/40-Multi-6x6-­Solar-Cells-DIY-Solar-Panel-15­6mm-/130573527911?pt=LH_Defaul­tDomain_0&hash=item1e66c9eb67

[Jigaboo123456]

@daemonk9 Thanks, but unfortunately the link doesn't work. Is it on The ebay site . Do you mean that I should strip down the panels and rearrange the units? Taht is the only thing that I can see would doa s you suggest, but It think it would be a major hassle, no?

[Jigaboo123456]

Lucky you-- soalr power is greta in hot rtopical countries, but I live in Scotland. I have a weekend cabin in the country, I use a solar panel for charging 12v batteries which I use for lighting. Due to Scotland's latitude, in mid- summer the sun rises very low in the north-north-east and sets in the NNW-- there's only about a 30-degree angle

of difference and the sun climbs very high. I had to make up an equatorial mount to "milk" the sun efficiently

[dreamcasting2008]

Guys i have a 40 watt solar panel at about 12,50 volts...But when the heat goes up i get 11.30 volts...Will be enough power to charge a car battery with that?

I have a charge controler also.

[Lanny615]

@dreamcasting2008 That voltage does not sound right, check it again with a multi meter, the controller might not be calibrated properly. I had to adjust mine as it was 0.5-0.2v off. Panels do give a little less power when hot tho. but not that low.

[dreamcasting2008]

@Lanny615 Thanks for the answer.It really goes that low and about 11,70 volts.Iam leaving in Greece we have a very string sunlight here.Anyway.But i can still charge with a voltage like that right?My solar charger outputs that voltage with no problem.Iam measure it at its battery outputs.Iam thinking to upgrade the volatge by adding two solar cells3x6 so i can have 13,50 voltage output and when the heat is up it would give me about 12,70 or 13 volts.Maybeits the distance between glass and cells

[VWRabbitdiesel]

@dreamcasting2008 you need to have 13.5-14.V to charhe a battery.

[dreamcasting2008]

@VWRabbitdiesel

Thank u very much!!!...My solar panel outputs max 12,30 volts and when hit goes up reach 11,30(all the day)..THATS WHY I CANT CHARGE THE CAR BATTERY..THAT U VERY VERY MUCH

[Lanny615]

@dreamcasting2008 Have you found the problem yet?

[Cybrjinx]

@dreamcasting2008 you my have thought of this, but use the conversion tables to estimate the number of watts you will need to get 13 amps. Car alternators run 14 -16 amps to keep a regular car battery charged while it is running with the surplus powering car accessories. That's if I am not mistaken.

[kvasilepton]

Lighting should be 12V, specially when the distance is so short from the battery to the light source. With 12V you will not get the losses in the inverter for the lighting. In other word: More hours of light per Ah battery.

You can get incandescent, compact fluorescent and LED for 12V.

[omose14]

my solar panel should put of about 63 watts and also ye i do have a charge controller and it says the battery is at 12.65volts which is fully charged

[Lanny615]

@omose14 Try adding another battery or 2 to the one you have, preferably the same size and type, and see if you get a big improvement.

[solarcellsforsale]

great vid !

[omose14]

So as of right now my solar panel system is working perfectly. I do have light at night. But there is still on problem. On a fully charged battery, i was only able to run 1 14watt cfl blub for about 30mins. I have a 18ah battery. How many hours am i suppose to get and how do i fix this?

[Lanny615]

@omose14 An 18mah is a very small battery and it was prob not fully charged. Do you have a charge controller to indicate when battery is fully charged? Also, what wattage panel do you have? A really small panel might take a few days to a week to fully charge battery.

[sirmasterpimp]

@omose14 Ouch, 14 watts should run a lot longer on a 18 amp hour battery.I run a 40 watt ac fan though an inverter on a 10 amp hour battery for 3 hours. It sounds like your battery is getting weak. 63 watts is well over the 1 amp charging current the battery is rated for, so it probably vented and partially dried out the glass mat. This causes the electrolyte (acid) to be weakened, not allowing it to fully charge. Your battery should hold between 13-13.5 volts when fully charged in standby.

[dwayneluwe]

Thanks of the inspiration, i am going to try this need to reduce my JPS bill now...

[Lanny615]

@dwayneluwe Thank you sah. Jus gwaan buy one one panel and setup a small system so you will learn as you go along till your whole house run off solar power.

[thekingwc]

I bought my system a while back from pricemart. You've inspired me to set it up.

[thekingwc]

I got one from pricemart. I've had mine for 2 or 3 months but have yet to set it up. Actually I clicked on the video because I recognized the battery. You've inspired me to set it up. Thanks

[Lanny615]

@thekingwc Im glad i was able to encourage you bro. But these panels are not too good, they only give about 50% of rated power as i have discovered.

[thekingwc]

@Lanny615 Well it's too late too return them now, however there is a bigger one at pricemart now. It's one big panel and its rated between 120 and 140. I can't remember which. But it cost 60 something thousand!!! have mercy!!!

[Lanny615]

@thekingwc Set it up and use it, you will learn a lot from this small solar kit. But when you decide to upgrade use better panels and batteries. there are cheaper sources than P.Mart. Solar is a real nice hobby that will pay off in the long run. I want to tell you, its the greatest feeling when there is a power cut and your lights stay on.

[aquileus]

Very nice vid. soon I'll be doing mine in Puerto Rico close to the ecuator too. Thanks man!

[Lanny615]

@aquileus Nice, make a video so we can see your new system when you have it up and running. Greetings from Jamaica.

[sunharvester]

Nice setup. Thanks for sharing!

[Lanny615]

@sunharvester Thanks bro, try get a system going for yourself, its a nice hobby. Greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[jamaicanewart]

very good system im going to try and make one

[Lanny615]

@jamaicanewart Thanks, stay away from the cheap panels i have tho, get better quality panels with 25 years warranty, unless you are on a really low budget and only want solar power as a hobby.

[Longs81]

This is an awesome system you have here and I found you video very informative, I'd love to have something like this set up on my own home but the lack of sunshine here in the UK puts me off :(

[Lanny615]

@Longs81, the panels will still give you power as long as there is light, just less on cloudy days.

[Longs81]

@Lanny615 That's handy to know, I do get a lot of cloud where I live tho :( there aren't any obstructions howeverso if I had them on my roof they could get light for the entire hours of daylight. How many panels and batteries do you think you might need to eventually have a completely solar powered house?

[Lanny615]

@Longs81 I started with one panel and one battery, so can you, and just keep adding to the system as you need. To power an entire house would be a lot of money and a lot of panels and batteries, it would be dependent on how much power your home uses. Start by getting lower powered appliances. (Florescent/LED lights lcd tv etc.)

[Longs81]

flat on deee grooond sonsheen in aabundance :D

[AntiVot]

if u want it just for lights use led`s the use less power and produce more light ...

[Lanny615]

@AntiVot Thanks for the advice bro, i do have a few led lights already, (need more tho). I am now running more stuff like internet modem and a laptop on the system which has more panels now. Thanks, and greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[anupamvipul233]

hey dood great dam good BUT ONE THING IS MISSING Solar TRACER currently you r getting 4 to 6 hr after it 6 to 9 and with high watt

[Lanny615]

@anupamvipul233, Its just a hobby now, as soon as the system is big enough i will get a tracker. Thanks for the compliment, and greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[Tomthetoolman100]

keep up to good work I'm working on a project like this i have recently ordered solar panels and a controller

[Lanny615]

Make a video so i can see what your system looks like once you got ti up and running.

Greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[lasleandras]

great video i live in puerto rico and i been

looking information in this solar setups to make my self a emergency generator for a hurricane or emergency to come this vid is very help full for me thanks

hoe long can it be run for

[Lanny615]

@lasleandras, Thanks for the compliment, i have since upgraded my system with more panels and batteries+a larger charge controller.

[Karlous100]

thanks for sharing

[Lanny615]

You'r welcome.

[michaeldecoursey]

nice set up plan on doing the same thing keep up th e good work .....baje

[Lanny615]

@michaeldecoursey, Thanks for the compliment, greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[rootzboy]

Nice setup! I built a small solar power battery bank the summer for a side project using similar panels (15watts 1amp) I connected three and had a deep cycle battery and charge controller inside a weatherproof container and I keep a 400watt inverter inside the container as well. I have used it for camping trips to provide power as well as emergency power in case of an outage at home. Go free power!

[Lanny615]

Thanks for the comment. You might want to mount your 400W inverter outside the battery compartment, the batteries give off hydrogen when being charged. BTW, hydrogen is explosive.

[rootzboy]

Good call. I will try to attach the inverter to the outside. Safety First!

[ejemm]

BIG UP, nice to see a yard-man representing us well. Can't wait to see the rest. Where did you get the Xantrex 1000? I have seen those panels @ pricemart, but never the Xanrex.

[Lanny615]

I got the Xantrex 1000W at pricemart abt. 3-4 years ago. Thanks for the comment.

[Christopher711]

Thank you for sharing.

[amanda601]

how does this connect to the house? what was the starting cost?

[Lanny615]

@amanda601, the panels have a wire running into the house. Start up cost abt $200, and i upgraded little by little to what i have now.

[scottmdy40]

How many "lights" in your home are you able to run with current solar panels? Any appliances ?

[Lanny615]

I run one desk lamp + outside motion sensor lights, internet modem and splitter switch full time. When power goes, i run/add 2 laptops, fan, and 2 more lights.

[fargus5000model]

hmmm electricity, sparks, fire!!! i like it

[Lanny615]

@fargus5000model, so far no sparks or fire, sorry to disappoint you. I now have 10 panels and 5 batteries and a new bigger charge controller :)

[fargus5000model]

oh, aw well, its still cool

[stanakanats]

I like your Hobby! I think i will do this as well!!!

[Lanny615]

@stanakanats, thanks i'm having lots of fun with it. Hope you get your system going soon. You can start with just one panel and one battery.

[mrbuki77]

I did not see how your panels are attached to your house. If you do plan to use them as a power backup. Make sure they are very secured, or they will go flying of in hurricane winds. Hi from sunny FL

[Lanny615]

Hi mrbuki77, they are not on the house, but on concrete at ground level and not secured. I take them inside when there is a hurricane threat. Thanks for the advice tho., much appreciated.

[hooterman2828]

nice collection.

[ashcaw]

You have some nice panels there! :)

[terrytrooper]

o to have so much sun. good one.

[Lanny615]

Actually, we got too much sun for these panels, they overheat and produce less than the rated power. I got to get diff. panels that wont overheat.

[m715fm]

I saw a man run water tubes under the solor panels to absorb the heat, It cooled the panels and made hot water that he stored in a water tank. hope this helps.

[Lanny615]

Well, thanks for that info. I think i'll try it.

[Lanny615]

Thanks for the comment. I am saving up for a 80 watt panel of better quality.

[Lanny615]

LOl, but u got me there, yes i have found out that these panels overheat easily. But at least the system is up and running, all i have to do is keep upgrading now.

[vanfarowe]

To MandL I think it is also true that the panels retain a element of their value. So one only needs to make more that depreciation to get cheap energy.

[MandLVideo]

very nice way to go. I have one also I think more people should. But remember it is not free energy untell all is paid off from the power which is made. If more people would do this panels would get cheaper keep going cool.

[vudumojo]

Hmmn, I see you use the 12 volt marine batteries.

A lot of people use the 6 volt batteries and run them in series to *get* 12 volts and then parallel that configuration.

Does it matter?

[Lanny615]

No it does not matter, except that the 6 volt battries are usually better quality than the 12 volt's. I chose the 12 volts because that is what was available at the time. When i can afford it, i will prob get the better more expensive 6 volt battries.

[vudumojo]

Thank you very much sir...

[skippy3840]

Lanny, great system. I have the same panels and they work great. They are charging 8 6v deep cycle batteries giving me 880 amp hours. Runs all of my lights and a 19" color TV every night. Check my system out.

[12643]

I also got into this hobby, to power stuff off a solar panels. Its expensive hobby though! But fun to learn. you also have the same charge controller as mine. Its must be a very common one.

[carot2003]

Cheers, interesting....

[skippyriddle]

Excellent job sir. Very informative, thank you for sharing.

[dapdannic]

hey Lanny,

I like your small setup. Maybe it is becasue it was similar to mine. I still havet the xpower1000 adn the everyready marine battery, except that i had an array of six solar panel at 240w. I have since upgraded and sold those panels. I know have a 5120Ah battery and 14 130w panels (total 1680w) and that capacity and panels affords me 51kw storage for 10days power for my entire house here in Barbados. You can check out my video post. Oh and i have also invested in a whisper 200 windT

[flir67]

this is a great way to start learning for the future, thanks for the reply,I have learned so much by doing it myself, but it takes time to figure it out. thats great that 2 batteries can recharge off 78 watts very quickly. 2 days of power for lights is great.

[Lanny615]

Well actually i'm up to 132 watts now, i got some more panels since i made the video. I'm Moving up slowly but surely.

[flir67]

very nice set up to begin with, I have the exact same set up but with just 1 battery and only a 150watt inverter as a test set up and it will recharge in 3 days of sunlight once battery is run down. how long can you run that 1000watt inverter just off the batteries?

[Lanny615]

flir67, i have never run down my battries, i run lights in my home every night and charge cell phones and dig. cam. battery every few days, so by midday my battries are full again, except when theres rain. The bigger 1000W inverter uses the same current (maybe slightly more "drain current" tho)as would a 150W, just that i have "up to" 1000W of power available, where as, you only have 150W max. to use. My lights total about 40watts so i dont use much power and could also use a 150W inverter.

[computerizedcobra]

You go boy! Lovely work Lanny... I hope to get my project off the ground by January 2009. My target is to get my home at least 80% 'green' by July 2010 so by then... JPS will be begging me to give them money (lol) Keep up the good work, it makes sense to go solar especially here in Jamaica.

[Lanny615]

@computerizedcobra, have you started a solar project yet? BTW, all the best for 2010.

[Lanny615]

Yes i can, will be happy to help you set up a system.

[heaucribant1991]

What a great eco-budget friendly idea....can you help provide expertise guidance for the rest of us....s.eyre