• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ransom
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Jay Angler
stewards:
  • Timothy Norton
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Tereza Okava
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • M Ljin
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Matt McSpadden
  • thomas rubino

Has anyone used a solar kit to power a greenhouse?

 
Posts: 12
1
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I want to put up a 16' x 16' x 9.6' Solexx Conservatory (quonset style) greenhouse and power it off grid.  I figure my wattage requirement will be 400 watts---running 2-4 18 w heat mats, 2 48 w LED grow lights, a 33 w submersible air pump for a 600 gallon fish tank, and 200w for a fan.  Besides season extension, my use for the greenhouse is plant starts.  I have symphylans in the garden that eat roothairs.  If I transplant from a 4" pot when the plant is more mature, the soil has also warmed up enough that the symphylans have gone deeper.  
Does anyone have experience/advice to share?
I'm in SW Oregon, zone 8 if that's important.
 
pollinator
Posts: 872
223
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You shouldn't have any problem meeting those power needs off grid. How frequently everything needs to run would help you determine how large of a system you really need but I would guess that you could easily provide for those needs for 2000$ or so. I would go talk to a solar dealer/installer if you have one in your area. If not, there is a place called six rivers solar in Eureka, CA that specializes in off grid agricultural projects and they are super down to help folks on a budget stitch something minimal together.
 
gardener
Posts: 5576
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
1202
forest garden trees urban
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
If you are going to use grow lights, you could conserve your heat and building cost dramatically by choosing an insulated shed instead of a greenhouse.
Glazing is more expensive than insulation and siding, while losing more heat to the environment.
 
Police line, do not cross. Well, this tiny ad can go through:
Looking for cold-climate growers to join a GOOF livestream panel (Missoula)
https://permies.com/t/369111/cold-climate-growers-join-GOOF
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic