Solar powered reptile setups?

[therecordingart]

I'm starting to research what it'd take to set up a battery powered/solar recharge system to power my heating and lighting for my reptile cages. Before I dig too deep has anyone else looked in to this? I did the math on what it costs per year to heat/light my few cages and it's ridiculous!

[Oroborous]

I've wondered about that myself. Solar panels are exspensive! But monthly power bills would be reduced considerably. IMO solar power is the future, along with other sustainable energy means. But the government needs to invest more in that tecnology so it is more readily available.
Though, I don't see how you could manage only to use solar power for your cages...lol, maybe you could mini panels on your cage to heat it. that would be neat.

[therecordingart]

I've wondered about that myself. Solar panels are exspensive! But monthly power bills would be reduced considerably. IMO solar power is the future, along with other sustainable energy means. But the government needs to invest more in that tecnology so it is more readily available.
Though, I don't see how you could manage only to use solar power for your cages...lol, maybe you could mini panels on your cage to heat it. that would be neat.

The large panels are very expensive. What I need to figure out is how fast my lights/heating would drain the battery vs. what size panel I need to re-charge it.

[SGExotics]

If you invested into solar power to run your house (the people with it on their roof), wouldnt that be kinda like powering your cages too....

[therecordingart]

If you invested into solar power to run your house (the people with it on their roof), wouldnt that be kinda like powering your cages too....

Yes, but I'm not doing that. I live in a townhouse which is part of an association that doesn't allow that. I'm talking about a small scale "off the grid" setup.

[PrioBull]

I have small solar panels that i use to power my laptop and camera. Here the site where i got the panels from, I don't know if this is what you are looking for but hey at least I helped,

http://www.brunton.com/catalog2.php?subcat=500

Good luck!

[PrioBull]

You got me thinking, You could get those computer backup batteries and hook it up to the solar panels. Batteries can run during the night and the day the solar panels take over and recharge the batteries. Just a idea...

[Lucas339]

there are ways to do it. you just have to get a smaller single pannel and a battery bank. fosters and smith sells a thing you plug into your setups (usually for aquairums but it would work for this) and it will tell you how many kilowatts you are using. once you know that, then you can check with solar companies.

DBD it is around 40k to get a house on solar and for many of us, thats not an option.

the worst part of all of this, is that 90% of all solar products made in america are shipped over seas. america doesn't want to change and its sad!!

[OhhWatALoser]

go on ebay and search for "broken solor cells" you can get them much cheaper if you feel like doing a little soldering. but still expensive.

[Lucas339]

you know you can get really crazy and use the heat of you snake room to generate power. some public gardens do that. they modify the roof into a funnel like shape and then put a small wind turbine in the funnel. the heat rises, spins the turbine, power generated.