Running the auqarium on solar

[bradam]

A bit of brainstorming for the day..

Anyone ever setup there tank to run competely off solar panels and some marine batteries?

I was toying with the idea but figured step one would be figuring out how much juice my tank burns each day. The apex I have tells me amps used but I haven't a clue how to convert that to any kind of usable number.

Also I'm not sure if it would be more efficent to run all dc devices or go with a power invertor?

 

[SilverGTS]

You would probably get more out of making your home more energy efficient (i.e LED bulbs) to offset any costs that your tank would add. Solar wouldn't make much of a dent for the upfront costs. In the past i have looked at wind turbines that hook into your home grid to recoup costs. I found it's only worth it if I was to do my dream tank of +1000 gallons.

-Chris

 

[polleke]

Solar panels always help in your energy reduction.
So if you are doing it for the environment it is always ok (even if you can only do half the aquarium energy).
If you do it for the money savings then you would have to calculate the cost saving vs the cost to place the panels.

There is a small device available to measure the power usage of anything connected to the wall outlet it is connected to. Don't know the name in English (kill-a-watt?), here they are very cheap, about 10 euros.

 

[MNewman]

I would run roof solar light tubes also to cut down on your electric.

 

[alton]

Running solar panels and batteries are not cost efficient. Like someone mentioned install solar tubes for lighting if you want to save money and conserve energy. Look on the Large reef Tanks for a tank that doing this.

 

[Preston7]

I looked into this years ago and found that the economics didn't work. The payback period was far too long for it to be considered; AND, I didn't even include any repair/replacement parts during the payback period!

Rather, I chose to make my house more efficient. I upgraded my A/C from the builder grade to high efficiency; all bulbs to cfl; blinds; tinted windows; etc. This has actually helped considerably. I even run a 2 HP chiller and my electric bill is not bad at all; even in he middle of 110 degree summers.

 

[MNewman]

To make a larger system mostly run on direct sun light would cost an arm and leg for equipment setup. You wouldn't recoup your money back with maintenance costs of keeping it up. With the new efficient LED's out and skimmer pumps that pull more air than older, double in size pumps do. Theres alot you can cut back on without sacrificing your system.

 

[schudini]

To the original poster: Take the number of amps and multiply by 120 (volts) for a quick watts calculation.

Simple calculation...

Power (watts) = Voltage X current (amps)