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Light Solutions

AdamNew

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Joined
Dec 5, 2020
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4
I work for an outdoors company and we are setting up a shed to be used for an office. There is no power at the shed site, so we'll be installing an 1800 watt Solar Panel system. I am having trouble finding lighting for the inside of the shed. It's easy to find outdoor patio lighting, but not indoor lighting. Would it be better to simply plug lamps into the inverter? Or are there lights that have their own solar panels that are powerful enough to light up the inside of a shipping container?
 
I'll be honest - I HATE the light out of those type of lights. Work - yes. I have them in my garage. if I was going to work in a shed and light it, I would want something without the glare.

I used Christmas lights in my dorm and home office for years. Now I would do rope lights (these are 120V). In your setup, I would try something like these 12V LED rope lights. Bypass the inverter inefficiency. Lots of options out there - just have to look.
 
I love them for shop/work areas. The warm white LEDs are MUCH nicer for living/relaxing spaces. Those rope lights are very effective. In the 5th wheel, we have a mix of the bright 1157-type white for kitchen, entry and bath areas, but warm white for everything else.

I plan to replace the fluorescent tube lights in the motorhome with those warm white strips.
 
I made some 12 volt lights, using landscape/patio bulbs and regular socket/cords with some custom cut whiskey bottles for the bulb covers. I'll see if I can find a photo to post. Don't discount 12 volt and making them yourself. It's not a lot of work to get something custom and very serviceable.
 
Here are a few photos of the whiskey bottle 12 volt lights I made for our yurt. IMG_4338.jpg

IMG_4335.jpgIMG_4334.jpg

You can see that the wall hanging version has a little wooden bracket that I made and the other just hangs off a hook on a roof rafter and a hook on the wire, which actually came with the wire/bulb socket. These are High West whiskey bottles, and have a nice collar around the top of the neck so they fit into a little rabbet cut into the slot of the wall bracket quite nicely. They lock into place but are easily removed to change bulbs or re-purpose elsewhere.

I could make more if you'd like me to build some up for you. :)
 
DC lights would be more efficient.

What DC voltage is your system?
 
I dont hear my inverters at all.....hmmm another factor of turning older?
 
Good quality inverters know when to turn on and off, bad ones run all the time. So yeah, it depends.

Nope. Even cheap stuff knows when to turn off, but the vast majority of applications require some level of power meaning a "low load" situation means something is getting turned off that you actually want on. Even the quality stuff only reduces idle power consumption - not eliminate it.

My Victron pushes 56W all the time because I want it to. :)
 
Regardless, DC lighting will always be more efficient.

Just wanted to get back to the OP before we go down the best inverter rabbit hole :cool:

What voltage is your system @AdamNew ?

Perhaps we could offer some DC lighting options to consider.
 
Regardless, DC lighting will always be more efficient.

Just wanted to get back to the OP before we go down the best inverter rabbit hole :cool:

What voltage is your system @AdamNew ?

Perhaps we could offer some DC lighting options to consider.
Good point @JoeHam, we need to stay on topic. And while the source voltage certainly matters, if you're going DC you're typically going to be doing either 12 or 24 volt lighting, just in terms of the best bulb options. There are even DC bulbs that run the full range from 12 to 24, 36 and 48 volt.

And while we're all here talking around the topic, @AdamNew has checked out.
 
I run different lighting option on battery since more then 20 years, At that time the route for lighting was 12 volts. I choose at that moment to take another way: low wattage inverter (120w) and running everything on 120 volts (low cost wiring, chain switch and battery protection if I forgot a light). For the first 15 years the system run on 64 watt panel and 400 watts windturbine. Migrating from low wattage bulb to compact fluorescent, then Led bulb.

Now the system is running with about 1000 watt panel, 860 ah 12 volts battery bank and 1000 watt inverter. Undergroung cable between shed and Cabin, underground cable (150 feets) between shed and boat house. Full size fridge, water pump, lighting, cellular repeater and low cost cabling always on 120v.

My Lifepo4 are in shipping and will move to 48 system soon . Been in 120 volts cabling installation allow easy migration.

Here in the area (Quebec, Canada) now mostly everybody use the 120 volts route for the same reason (maintly low cost cabling)

So I want to share my experience this may apply to someone too.

Ps: sorry for my english
 
Maybe some COB leds. I have a few setups but they're run on 120v mean well drivers. Depending on your battery bank voltage you may be able to power them directly.
 
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