Can I run my Pond off a Solar Panel?

[shanezam203]

I'm more curious than looking to save money from running the Pumps, but can I build or find any solar panels and run my Pond setup off a Solar rechargeable system?

 

[slakker]

If you size it properly, I don't see why not. But it'll take a bit of work with batteries, controllers, etc.

 

[sissy]

I know harbor freight sells the solar panels and inverters .I know I looked into solar for my house panels have gotten cheaper and you can even buy them on e -bay .The only thing is snow has to be removed from them and they do have to be cleaned to get the most from them .They cloud over you loose some of the power .I have a few neighbors that have the on grid systems .Meaning during the day the use mostly solar and at night system switches itself back to the grid .I have been watching how successful there systems are before i dive into the solar idea .Don't want to waste money on an idea that does not save me enough money .I don't want the hassle of battery storage and upkeep .Plus the batteries are not cheap

 

[Carolyn22]

I like the idea myself. Let us know what you do and how you go about doing it.

Sissy - let us know how your neighbors do with the SP. I would love to switch over my house.

Interesting thing - I read an article a bit ago, where eventually we will be able to buy solar panels at Walmart.

 

[Waterbug]

Running the pump directly from the panel would mean it only runs when the sun is out. If the pump is only needed for aesthetic reasons this can work.

If the pump is needed to keep fish healthy and/or alive you'd need batteries so the pump can never go off. The fish need the pump the most art night when O2 levels drop without movement. That type of setup can cost more than 20 years worth of electric. So if you're doing this to save money it might not be a great choice and worth doing the calculations for your area. Even house type systems, which have resale valve, can earn money by selling electric back to the power company, etc., are not considered by most reasonable people to be cost effective at this time for on-grid homes.

 

[slakker]

My friend put a 4.5 kWh system in, by his estimations with present cost of hydroelectricity, it'll take over 25 years to break even. Even if the price doubles in the next year, it'll be many years assuming no maintenance charges.

To do it at this point, itll mostly be for interest or a philosophy of environmentalism.

 

[Waterbug]

That's pretty wild. Install a PV system to be green, replacing hydro which is greener than PV. LOL! I think they call that Greenwashing.

 

[Dave 54]

I personally dont think it will work depending on the wattage generated as to the wattage used by your pond , yes they have panels now that only need daylight to run but can you store enough power in the batteries to take the pump throuh the wee small hours .
Another thing is the size of the pannel used how many will it take to do the job .
These pannels dont exactly come cheap now do they, you'll have to weigh up the cost of electric against the cost of the panels plus the specialist cleaning of them etc .
you wont be the first to think about this and you definately wont be the last ti either.


rgrds


Dave

 

[shanezam203]

I personally dont think it will work depending on the wattage generated as to the wattage used by your pond , yes they have panels now that only need daylight to run but can you store enough power in the batteries to take the pump throuh the wee small hours .
Another thing is the size of the pannel used how many will it take to do the job .
These pannels dont exactly come cheap now do they, you'll have to weigh up the cost of electric against the cost of the panels plus the specialist cleaning of them etc .
you wont be the first to think about this and you definately wont be the last ti either.


rgrds


Dave

Right, that's my fear and what I am researching now... I don't think my current pumps and lights cost much to run as often as I am now... so it's more of a curiosity than cost savings.
+ I don't want to SEE too much of the solar packs behind my waterfalls/ legs of the pond. So I will keep researching, curious if anyone else has done anything similar and can share info and pics.

 

[slakker]

Other option is to have the system switch to the grid when the battery run low, it can augmented that way. For me, I think it would be a fun engineering problem to play with, it wouldn't be for cost savings or green... I don't think it'll have payback for years and the "green" part is arguable as the by-products of manufacturing solar panels are a sludge of toxic wastes that aren't well managed (especially if it's made in other less regulated countries).

 

[Waterbug]

I researched solar for my house a few years back. Wasn't cost effective. Solar heating of water was doable especially if DIY and especially in AZ.

 

[sissy]

I just look into solar and wind turbines and it has gotten cheaper and uncle sam does give you some back .For my house no batteries on grid it was 7 thousand dollars .But guy said being that I use such a small amount of electric that I could go with less panels ,but with more panels I could sell unused back to them .I am not interested on them paying me .It is almost always windy here and I could also use the solair system wind and sun combo .

 

[airxsteel]

If nothing more than the lights around the pond, that would be neat. I am looking at doing this for lighting around the pond. Good luck and let us know how it goes.