Solar panels - arena lights

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moorhillhorses

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Hey guys :) I'm building a new yard exciting ! I thinking of solar panels . Silly question. Do the store the electric so it can be used in lights at night? Or do you need to use it as its made? Are they good? I heard the only save a very small percentage . Also liveries.... Some of them just leave lights on everywhere and can be all night. If there any type of machine you can get that is pay as you go? They put coins into and it turns out after the credit is used?
 
I've got solar panels on my house and they only generate when it is daylight, and you need a roof etc which is more or less south facing. And you won't generate a huge amount in winter which is when you will need your lights most, or in darkness. What makes them economically viable is the Feed in Tariff, a sort of ongoing grant based on the units you produce, whether or not you use them yourself, and that was halved a year or so ago, so you need to look as costs and benefits.
You can store the power in a bank of batteries, but that adds a fair cost - find an electrician who knows the consumption of arena lights would be. It will be a question of outlay vs benefit and the main benefit apart from the Feed in Tariff comes with using free power, which without battery storage is only possible in daylight.
 
You would need to store the electricity in batteries. You'd be better with a system which shuts off the lights automatically after a certain time length I reckon, and include the elec in the livery bill.
 
I've been on a yard where you had to put a £1 in the meter for the arena lights - it was a bit annoying as you had to make sure you always had change on you & I think it only lasted 40mins. Not fun suddenly being plunged into darkness while you're cantering round!
I'm sure you can get a system where lights turn off after a certain amount of time or at a certain time - my OH keeps threatening to put one in the house as I'm rubbish at turning lights off!
 
moorhillhorses said:
Hey guys :) If there any type of machine you can get that is pay as you go? They put coins into and it turns out after the credit is used?
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You could install these type of switches that will automatically turn the lights off after a set time, to install pay as you go metering would cost a considerable amount of money:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Elkay...al_Electrical_Fittings_MJ&hash=item2327de8fb8

As for solar panels, they generate energy however you would have to store the generated energy in a bank of batteries.
 
Hi
The solar panels charge a battery such as a car or leisure battery, that you then use to power your lights or whatever you want to run. I have a 120w solar panel for my caravan and I was surprised by how good it is. So, yes it could probably be done - but to get enough power to run your arena lights your probably going to need HUGE panels and a huge budget. Heres a link to a Renewable power supplier http://www.windandsun.co.uk/products/219/.aspx
You might find it more practice and affordable to run the yard on solar and the arena on mains or a generator.
 
If your stables have no mains electric connection then the power from your solar panels will have to be stored in a battery so that you can use the lights whenever you use them (this is known as an "off-grid" system).

If you have mains electricity and install solar panels they will be connected to the mains and your use of electricity would be no different to normal. These systems are eligible for the Feed In Tariff which can make the a good investment ;-)
 
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