150 Sq. Ft. Cabin Build. Help with solar ideas.

[CoachEarl]

We are converting a 10x15 shed into a hunting cabin at the ranch. I live in South Texas, so cooling will be a must and I'm assuming I will have to run a window unit from the generator. Any ideas on a inexpensive solar system to run some LED light and a couple of plugs to charge phones over night? I also want to find a way to be able to add battery charge while using the generator if that is possible. Solar experts, help me out!

 

[Diggin It]

HF has a 'cheap' 100W system with 4 25W panels, a couple of lights and a controller. You'll need batteries which they sell for another $70 each for a 35Ah SLA.

I've seen other systems available on the various marketplace sites that use 100W panels and include a controller and cables. Panels can be linked together for more capability, but they're larger and will take up more roof or ground space. Again batteries are separate and can get very expensive for the deep cycle type needed for solar systems

If you only want to run a couple of small lights, you may only need to use 2 or 3 batteries to hold the charge to get through the night. You will NOT be able to run anything on AC utility type power without an inverter and that gets into a lot more money and the need for more or larger batteries.

One other thing to look at is a wind turbine in you're in an area with sufficient wind. You'll still need the other components such as controller, inverter, batteries, etc.

 

[CoachEarl]

I have a lot to figure out and learn to make this happen. Thank you for the information. Going to be a fun project.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

That will be a fun project to watch you build, so please keep us posted. I'm very interested in solar, but from what I've read it takes a pretty large system to run A/C. You could run fans though. I have read about some innovative cooling systems:

Cooling Device Made from 2 Liter Bottles Uses Zero Energy

Also, in a hot, dry climate, you can use an evaporative cooling system (they don't work in humid conditions). You can buy evap cooling units, but people have made them too.

I take it there's no way to get electric to the shed?

 

[EddieWalker]

You need to do the math starting with what you will be using. If it's four lights, and they all use 5 watts each, for a total of 20 watts, you need to size the system to handle that amount of energy. If you add more things to it, you have to increase the size of your cellls and batteries.

Or you could just go RV on it and look at what some of the RV or boating companies have out there. They sell everything for 12 volts, which makes using automotive batteries practical. Figure on buying a couple of batteries and a solar panel to keep them charged during the day. You can get a 12 volt coffee pot once it's installed.

Or you could just buy a small Honda generator and use that to power everything while you are there. They sip gas, run forever and they are super quiet. Keep it simple and in the long run, it will be cheaper.

 

[Diggin It]

OP implied using a generator for the air conditioner, so I really didn't go into that too much. I don't know how much cooling would be needed after dark or if they use it year round when cooling may not be needed.

 

[CoachEarl]

South Texas. It has been over 100 for some time here now. It will not actually cool off until November, so when out there will use it a lot.

 

[Diggin It]

If you're going out and back by vehicle daily, it may be just as easy and cost effective to carry a 5 gallon gas can and a small generator. Only problem I see there is the noise chasing critters off. Since it's a hunting cabin, that may not be what you want to do.

If you're staying overnight and only need limited lighting and no cooling, then Solar or Wind may be worth the cost.

 

[rockminer]

Look up Backwoods Solar on the net. You can get a small charge controller to connect both solar panels and generator. Batteries will charge on whichever source is available and will protect the batteries from overcharging. Regarding A/C, I built a swamp cooler out of a 5 gal bucket using a 12 volt fan. Works good for my 5th Wheel as long as the humidity is low. I'm afraid South Texas will not work. Look up Burning Man and air conditioning for ideas.

 

[Snobdds]

We have a cabin and looked into every possible angle to power it. Solar is nice, but it's high maintence and almost requires a full time occupant to make sure everything is working ok. To have a decent system, your looking at around $15K.

We went with a diesel generator. It can run 24/7 and you can build an enclosure to store fuel and deal with noise. I can put 5 gallons in it and it will run all my needs for a weekend.

Until they harness fusion power, fossil fuels are still your best way to generate power. Plain and simple.

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