What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

recycling light, solar panels INSIDE the grow room?

C

CosmicGiggle

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
….was wondering if say you had an array of portable 100 Watts, 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panels inside the room, would the light from your MH/HPS/LED bulbs be strong enough/suitable for those panels to produce electricity for another, separate grow?:tiphat:
 
C

CosmicGiggle

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
:tiphat: thanks for the fast response, I've been thinking abt this for a couple of years but figured there was a reason no one had asked yet!:biggrin:
 
Ibechillin

Ibechillin

Masochist Educator
The absorption range for silicon photo cells is near the same as the human eye and PAR range plants use. I dont know about powering another grow light/space entirely simply, but probably doable for low power like fans without much thought required. If you know how many lumens the solar panel requires to output its advertised wattage you should be able to easily find optimal spots to place them around the grow space with a lux meter. :alien:

https://sciencing.com/kind-light-solar-cell-need-21539.html
 
AgentPothead

AgentPothead

Just this guy, ya know?
I used a small solar cell in my grow tent to collect energy for an arduino running a hygrometer and a small webcam. It put out something like 700-800 milliamps at 3 volts I think. Not enough to run much of anything, lightwise.
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Can't we just put the panels outside... and run the wires into the grow room? It's sooo much brighter out there. :) Seriously though, reflective panels would increase the efficiency of the existing light.
 
C

CosmicGiggle

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
.... this might be doable sometime in the future, was reading on sciencedaily recently about advances in solar tech

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190514081554.htm

Breakthrough in new material to harness solar power

Date:
May 14, 2019
Source:
University of Toledo
Summary:
Physicists are pushing the performance of solar cells to levels never before reached. They have made a significant breakthrough in the chemical formula and process to make a new material. The ultra-high efficiency material called a tandem perovskite solar cell is being developed to help solve the world energy crisis.

My interest in recycling grow-room lighting is not being driven by any altruistic desire to conserve but rather fear of the possibility of a future threat caused by legalization and a clamp-down on indoor homegrowers and the need to 'launder' electricity.;)

Maybe I'm a crackpot or just forward thinking, time will tell!:tiphat:
 
Fixer

Fixer

Active member
Interesting article. I think the money would be better spent om LEDs until the invent white solar panels.
 
xxPeacePipexx

xxPeacePipexx

Member
I have used those inline booster fans powered by solar panels that were under the boosters inline with the hoods and even then, the amount of energy was pretty useless and it moved maybe 40 cfm at best..
 
C

CosmicGiggle

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
Thanks Fixer, I'm good for now, got the 1000 watt LEDs and a CMH, no Smartmeter and I can wait for the solar tech to catch up, no rush.

But I don't have a lot of faith in the future for the personal indoor grower (5yrs. from now) when pot has been legalized in all of the states or at the national level.

With climate change becoming such a big political issue, why should it be legal for peeps to squander electricity when they can legally buy pot at a dispensary?

..... so, I want to stay under the radar for now (I am) and explore ways to maximize the electricity I already use without leaving any tracks.

I don't ever want to be in a position where I can't grow indoors.:tiphat:
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Deregulation of cannabis is not going to make indoor growing illegal. If anything, it's going to cut down on the number of indoor growers simply due to cost differences. Million acre farms will make cannabis extremely inexpensive.

It's people who prefer quality cannabis who'll always be growing indoor. ;)

As for the advances in solar panel tech, again there's a **massive** difference in energy between the sun and a grow light. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top