Here you can find out why and when such a system makes sense. What is important for a garden house or a tiny house. How expensive such a system is, where you can buy it and how to find out how big this solar system has to be.
1. What is the electricity used for in the garden house?
Anyone who spends their free time in nature does not want to do without comfort. Water and electricity connections are also required in the garden and in the summer house. After all, garden owners don’t want to live like they did in the Middle Ages. Electrical devices such as refrigerators, lamps, radios or televisions are now part of a modern garden. Appropriate connections also belong in the garden shed. But what to do if the power connection requires a disproportionate amount of effort? There is a solution for that too.
Actually all garden owners who do not want to indulge in minimalism need a power connection. The electricity consumers then include: lamps / outdoor lighting, refrigerator, pond pumps, garden watering, Garden tools such as chainsaws, lawn mowers or orbital sanders.
When building a garden house and tool shed, sufficient connections should be planned in the garden house and in the entire garden.
2. Why the summer house with a solar system makes sense
Wherever a power connection is not possible without costly work, solar generators are the perfect alternative. The modules can also be installed on garden houses without much effort. Here they provide electricity and hot water. With so-called island systems, garden houses in remote areas can be supplied with electricity.
Since garden houses are used in the sunny season, a solar system definitely makes sense!
In many areas, the power connection for the garden house is too complex or a connection to the public grid is too expensive or perhaps not even feasible. So that electrical devices and lamps can still be used, alternative solutions must be found, such as a solar system.
Depending on the roof, garden houses can also offer a large area for solar systems that are used to save electricity. Many garden owners can look forward to reduced electricity prices and still have sufficient electricity, hot water and heating.
And even the alarm system can be operated with the individual power generation.
By the way, did you know that hydroponic irrigation can automate the growth of plants in your garden? Plants are planted in containers or tubes, horizontally or vertically, in which there is no soil but simply nutrient-enriched water. nourishes the roots. The roots reach into the liquid and feed directly from the water. Watering or filling up the water tank, which supplies the plants, is sometimes completely omitted here or is only necessary at rare intervals. Many of these systems use small pumps to create a flow of water. These pumps can then be operated via your DIY solar power system.
2.1. Tips for the perfect garden shed for solar energy
In order to obtain the largest possible and most effective area for the solar system, garden owners should choose the right summerhouse. Garden sheds with a pent roof are particularly well suited for the construction of the solar elements.
The sloping roof shape, which does not get its name by accident, but really resembles a lectern, offers an optimal surface and, with a slight incline, the ideal angle for the best possible use of solar radiation. It is good to take the solar system into account when planning the garden house. In this way, the garden house can be aligned to the south.
The correct positioning of the garden house determines the performance of the solar system. The garden shed should not be positioned in such a way that shadows are created by trees. Neighboring properties should also be taken into account. The modules must be installed as optimally as possible on the roof. Good rear ventilation ensures a high yield.
Retrofitting onto a garden shed is of course also possible. Garden owners should definitely seek advice here and observe the criteria that are necessary for building a garden house.
3. How expensive is such a PV system in the garden?
The cost of a solar system for the garden depends on many factors.
The size of the roof area of the garden house that is to be covered with modules is just as important as the devices that are to be operated with the system. The required components are also decisive for the costs. If you do without a battery, you keep costs down, but you also cannot operate electrical devices if there is no sun – this solution is nonsensical in most cases. Since the prices for solar battery have fallen sharply in recent years, a solar set consisting of modules and battery is the optimal solution.
3.1. Where can I buy a solar system for the garden house?
Unfortunately, it is the case that full-time solar installers usually have little interest in planning such “small” garden house systems.
The positive thing, however, is that, as mentioned, there is a large selection of solar sets on the market, which offer a solution for every electricity requirement. Visit our shop page below – there you can get an overview or order the right system directly. 400 Watt 12 Volt off-grid solar kit.
4. How big does a photovoltaic system for the garden house have to be?
First of all – the system needs these components:
Solar cable
Solar power storage (accumulator, battery)
Charge controller (sends power to devices or battery, whichever is better)
inverter (makes usable alternating current from the direct current of the solar modules)
How big does the solar system have to be?
Example:
let’s take 12 volt modules with a power of 75 watts. Such a system generates so much electricity that you could operate lighting & e.g. a radio or a pond pump.
Make a list of all electricity consumers in the garden and garden shed.
Write down the power consumption from the manufacturer in the list.
Then you add up the electricity consumption and get the total and thus the total consumption of electricity that you want to cover! Of course, if you use the solar power calculator you will quickly calculate how many solar panels your home needs to install.
This total consumption is the minimum and should be rounded up generously, e.g. to bridge cloudy days.
Make the battery about 1/3 larger than the total energy requirement.
Economical devices only buy LEDs for lighting, for example
5. Does the information on PV systems also apply to a tiny house?
Basically yes. So when it comes to dimensioning the size and consumers, you can use the information as a guide when planning a photovoltaic system for your tiny house.
However, it is important to clarify the following questions in advance:
Does your tiny house have an additional power supply via the grid?
Do you have to remain self-sufficient even in winter when there is little sun?
Have you planned all devices so that they require as little electricity as possible?
Do you have another power generator for emergencies, e.g. a small petrol generator?
If the photovoltaic system is to be the only power supply for the tiny pants, the tip above applies all the more.
This results in the sum of the daily required power (Wh) and the electrical charge (Ah).
In addition, you need to know how many days you want to be autonomous or how many days you want to bridge bad weather without sun.
For e.g. 4 days, calculate required Ah x 4 (days).
Important: Pay attention to the discharge depth of the batteries. A complete so-called deep discharge damages the solar battery. Manufacturers therefore specify a depth of discharge (usually 50% to 90% of the stored amount of electricity). Lithium iron phosphate batteries do not have to be charged to 100%. With a state of charge of 20-80%, the service life is even better. And you can charge them with any charging current (current up to 50% of the capacity) – without any disadvantages on the service life.
With approx. 22.65 Ah per day and three days of self-sufficiency, you get 67.95 Ah, which the system has to supply per day in order to charge the batteries.
The modules should supply enough power in one day to fully charge the batteries.
The important information for comparing the modules are:
The maximum power Pmax in watts.
The voltage in volts.
The maximum current in amperes.
The charge controller must match the battery. Maximum power and maximum current are important for the charge controller.
Depending on the current supplied by the modules, the controller must be designed for this: e.g. 4 modules 100W Pmax with 5.7 A … 4×5.7 = 22.8 amps and 400 watts of module power.
