Solar Panels. What would you use them for?

[Ananke]

Last year, I was given two solar panels to use on my plot. I've never installed them as I don't really know what I would use them for other than a light for the shed and I'm not sure I want to go to the trouble of getting car batteries and putting panels on the roof for one light.

We've been having glorious sunshine here for ages and it's got me thinking again about what else I could use them for.

Ideas welcome

[bario1]

I'm thinking about putting a wildlife pond on my plot, so i'd use them to power a pump to circulate the water.

[jonny the plant pot]

They could power grow lights in your polytunnel that's what I'm gunna install in mine.

[Ananke]

Thanks guys!

Bario, I don't have a pond but maybe a pump in the water butt, hooked up to some kind of soaker hose in the big greenhouse border. Definitely something I'd think about.

Jonny, I didn't even think about grow lights but I'm wondering how that would work without a heat source of some type. Unless the heat from the lights would be enough?

[AkionTotocha]

I think it would depend on the lightbulbs; energy saving ones don't give off useful heat, but they can be on for longer. Normal bulbs do give off heat but take more energy. Another consideration is would hot bulbs melt the roof of a poly tunnel?

For our water butt we purchased a little water feature pump/rose/solar panel just to stop mosquitoes hatching in it. I think it was £5 or £8 from Amazon or eBay, but it does the job.

Another alternative to consider: selling the panels and using the money to build some raised beds!

[Ananke]

Haha I think OH definitely wants to put them up but I like your selling idea better I wouldn't mind if I could have a heat source from them and raise the greenhouse temperature a wee bit, it would let me get the toms and chillis off my window ledges at home.

Maybe we'll compromise and I'll let him put them up for a while and if we don't use them much then I'll sell them on.

[AkionTotocha]

If the solar panels make electricity why not just get one of those cheap fan heaters and... Plug it in?

I'm not anywhere near knowledgeable on solar panels it's more my dads thing since we got this Edwardian house (ridiculous heating bills) but I know he did plug in a little heater to his car jump starter battery thing (it had one of those cigarette lighter port things)

It was only a small fan heater, designed for use in cars but that worked pretty well...

I toyed with a tea light heater (three tea lights in a triangle, with a terracotta pot supported over them by three terracotta pot feet things - that you put under plant pots so they don't get waterlogged.) after a couple of hours they raised the temp from 3c to 11c, but it wasn't good because they didn't last the night and they were a naked flame so the wind blew them out (I'm not sure if they ran out or the wind blew them out, but either way they didn't last the night...

I guess what I'm saying is even a small amount of heat will raise the temperature overnight to a stable temperature, so a smallish heater will do a good job, depending on the size of your poly/gh/insulation (mine is a 6x4 below away GH)

But you'd need a way to store the energy until night time, since it would only be generated in the day.

[Mr Bones]

You could power a pond aerator and make compost tea.

[Bigmallly]

Here's some light reading for your OH Ananke............

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...use_56181.html

Solar Greenhouse Heat Sink - Solar

[Dalrimple]

what about a beer fridge or a wine cooler ?
atb Dal

[lolie]

Do you know the specifications of the solar panels? If they're older ones, they might not be particularly efficient.

As mentioned, depending on how you want to use them you may need to think about storing the collected energy and that might make it not worthwhile.