Solar Powered Chicken Tractor

[Mike90250]

Morningstar is a major producer of quality solar products. Their gear is well built, and solid. I think the right controller with integrated timer will give you good results. Remember, in the late fall and winter, the daylight hours change, and you will be resetting a simple timer every other week.

The catch to watch out for, is the power rating of the LOAD terminals that is controlled by the timer. Don't exceed it's current rating.

[Sunking]

Fudge Factor-
FF = Wh (1.3) <-- I used 1.3 instead of 1.5 since there is no inverter in this setup. I think that's ok?
FF = (145)(1.3) FF = 189

No it is not OK because you are using a PWM controller vs a MPPT Controller required to get a 1.5 adjustment factor. With PWM use 2.

Here is the part that gets you in trouble.

CC = Panel Size/Voltage CC = 100/12 CC = 8.5 (i used 100 here because on Amazon, 2 30W panels was going to be basically the same price as 1 100W)

That equation is for a MPPT controller. With a PWM controller Output Current = Input Current. A typical 12 volt battery panel rated at 100 watts produces only about 5.5 amps vs 8.3 from a MPPT controller. In other words with a PWM controller the current = the panel current. When you use a PWM controller you turn your 100 watt panel into a 66 watt panel.

At best a PWM controller is only 66% efficient vs 95% to 98% of MPPT. Now add on wiring, connector and 80% charge efficiency of a battery, and overall efficiency of a PWM system is only 50% at very best case. . Gotcha!

[FloridaSun]

Panel - 100 watt Renogy monocrystalline on Amazon ($180)
Charge Controller - HQRP 10 Amp on Amazon ($26)
Battery - Deep cycle marine from Advanced Auto 100 Amp hours(I've had really good experiences with their warranty program)($95)
DC timer unit - draws 4.4VA on eBay ($20)
Light - 12V 40W Incandescent equivalent LED, draws 6.5 Watts ($25)

The morningstar is worth the extra.
Only other thing I might suggest is a $40 cheapo MPPT that has timer function also. Look for them on fleabay, aluminum case, sealed waterproof, digital readout. I've had good luck with those before switching to morningstar.
1.80@ watt is a might expensive for a 12v solar panel. Iffin you're into investing a bit more for an extra panel for future project you might want to look into dmsolar's price of two 12v/145w panels for $230, about $325 delivered.

[SunEagle]

The morningstar is worth the extra.
Only other thing I might suggest is a $40 cheapo MPPT that has timer function also. Look for them on fleabay, aluminum case, sealed waterproof, digital readout. I've had good luck with those before switching to morningstar.
1.80@ watt is a might expensive for a 12v solar panel. Iffin you're into investing a bit more for an extra panel for future project you might want to look into dmsolar's price of two 12v/145w panels for $230, about $325 delivered.

But are those $40 cc really MPPT or just say so? Somehow I don't trust them to be at such a cheap price.

[FloridaSun]

But are those $40 cc really MPPT or just say so? Somehow I don't trust them to be at such a cheap price.

these perticalar ones are definitely MPPT from my testing/records. They're so cheap they don't even have a brand name but they are stocked in the US, $40 for 10amp, $44 for 15a, free delivery. ..one caution! No equalize mode, RTS, or setting for any other than FLA battery. Haven't checked recently but maybe they're still available. I bought mine last year, stacked two @ 15a mppts for my 580w of 12v panels and they worked fine, putting out a mite over 20Ap for my 200Ah, 24v system at mid day in winter and much greater overall wattage daily than pwm.
My next system improvement was a Tristar 45A PWM for $168, with RTS and meter a whopping $270 delivered. hahaha, working great and nice to have equalization mode but next winter I may upgrade to TS-MPPT.
You're right in suspecting claims of off brand controllers but I do a lot of research in pricing and read manuals closely before any buy. For $44, IP rating, 12 or 24 volt, digital readout, I thought they were worth a try. I'm not in big biz to set up cost efficient systems but enjoy the hobby and testing different systems over the past year. I started with a 12v system, quickly upgraded to 24v and maybe will play with a 48v system in time. Have a good sunny spot in the 'back 40' here for panel arrays, don't have to worry about confined roof space.... or county inspectors tho I do follow NEC for safety.

[SunEagle]

these perticalar ones are definitely MPPT from my testing/records. They're so cheap they don't even have a brand name but they are stocked in the US, $40 for 10amp, $44 for 15a, free delivery. ..one caution! No equalize mode, RTS, or setting for any other than FLA battery. Haven't checked recently but maybe they're still available. I bought mine last year, stacked two @ 15a mppts for my 580w of 12v panels and they worked fine, putting out a mite over 20Ap for my 200Ah, 24v system at mid day in winter and much greater overall wattage daily than pwm.
My next system improvement was a Tristar 45A PWM for $168, with RTS and meter a whopping $270 delivered. hahaha, working great and nice to have equalization mode but next winter I may upgrade to TS-MPPT.
You're right in suspecting claims of off brand controllers but I do a lot of research in pricing and read manuals closely before any buy. For $44, IP rating, 12 or 24 volt, digital readout, I thought they were worth a try. I'm not in big biz to set up cost efficient systems but enjoy the hobby and testing different systems over the past year. I started with a 12v system, quickly upgraded to 24v and maybe will play with a 48v system in time. Have a good sunny spot in the 'back 40' here for panel arrays, don't have to worry about confined roof space.... or county inspectors tho I do follow NEC for safety.

I currently have two PWM types. One (as a spare) is a no name black in color rated 30a with some idiot lights and a single digit alarm condition output that I got for $25. The other is a 30a Sunforce with a digital display which I picked up for $75. Both are inexpensive but will handle the 30amps. I would like to get a 30 amp MPPT type but do not want to spend the going price of more than $200. I would rather put that toward a Morningstar Tristar 60A but do not need one that big anytime soon.

I just know that I have to use more than 400watts of panels to get the output I need to charge my 400ah battery system with the PWM cc. I have the extra panels but don't want to use them.

How did you stack the 2 15amp MPPT chargers?

[FloridaSun]

I currently have two PWM types. One (as a spare) is a no name black in color rated 30a with some idiot lights and a single digit alarm condition output that I got for $25. The other is a 30a Sunforce with a digital display which I picked up for $75. Both are inexpensive but will handle the 30amps. I would like to get a 30 amp MPPT type but do not want to spend the going price of more than $200. I would rather put that toward a Morningstar Tristar 60A but do not need one that big anytime soon.

I just know that I have to use more than 400watts of panels to get the output I need to charge my 400ah battery system with the PWM cc. I have the extra panels but don't want to use them.

How did you stack the 2 15amp MPPT chargers?

Parallel connection. The seller states it is fine and they had stacked up to 16 units with success. ha! I wouldn't bother with that many but buy a decent MPPT instead but... it does work. One thing I noticed was one CC read a .4v difference than the other always but there could have been several reasons for that, first off probably the cheapness, lack of quality control, ...another could be I did drop one right out of the box controller off a 3 ft bench onto concrete floor... ummm... guess they're shock proof too. The dropped one read the higher voltage. All my tests were done after CC with the Turnigy power analyzer.

[SunEagle]

Parallel connection. The seller states it is fine and they had stacked up to 16 units with success. ha! I wouldn't bother with that many but buy a decent MPPT instead but... it does work. One thing I noticed was one CC read a .4v difference than the other always but there could have been several reasons for that, first off probably the cheapness, lack of quality control, ...another could be I did drop one right out of the box controller off a 3 ft bench onto concrete floor... ummm... guess they're shock proof too. The dropped one read the higher voltage. All my tests were done after CC with the Turnigy power analyzer.

I have one of those Turnigy analyzers and it is pretty accurate.

As for the drop test. I would say it would have either failed or worked just fine but not caused the outputs to be different. That is probably due to how good (or bad) the manufacturer's QC department follows their standards.

Ok. So maybe I will try out 2 x 15amp to get my 30amp total instead of looking for an inexpensive 30a mppt type.

[FloridaSun]

I have one of those Turnigy analyzers and it is pretty accurate.

As for the drop test. I would say it would have either failed or worked just fine but not caused the outputs to be different. That is probably due to how good (or bad) the manufacturer's QC department follows their standards.

Ok. So maybe I will try out 2 x 15amp to get my 30amp total instead of looking for an inexpensive 30a mppt type.

Yup, just checked fleabay, they're still available for 'buy it now' $43.99, free delivery. I only ran 145w thru mine, will be interesting to see how yours last at the max, 200w. Good luck.

15A MPPT Solar Battery Charge Controller 12V 24V Waterproof Timer IP68 200W/400W

[cmcruiser]

So, it looks like I need to either up the whole system to stay PWM or switch to MPPT. If I were to stay PWM and use the morningstar, do I need a larger amperage charge controller, larger panels, or both? If I were to go with a 145 Watt panel like the ones FloridaSun suggested would that be enough wattage to stay with PWM? If I go back and recalculate my Fudge Factor with a 2 instead of 1.3, I come out needing an 85 watt array using the same formulas. And if using PWM you are running at 66%, then (2/3)(145) = 96, which is greater than 85. So does that put me in the clear? Where I'm really getting lost is the Charge Controller formula for PWM.



As far as MPPT goes, I'm not sure that I understand the timer function of the MPPT on ebay. In your experience with the unit, Floridasun, will it allow me to do the 3 hours after dusk, 3 before dawn that I'm shooting for? The details on the timer function seem a little vague. If it will, then that seems like the way to go, pricewise.

Also, thanks for being so patient with me. This has all been incredibly helpful. You guys really go the extra mile.

[FloridaSun]

So, it looks like I need to either up the whole system to stay PWM or switch to MPPT. If I were to stay PWM and use the morningstar, do I need a larger amperage charge controller, larger panels, or both? If I were to go with a 145 Watt panel like the ones FloridaSun suggested would that be enough wattage to stay with PWM? If I go back and recalculate my Fudge Factor with a 2 instead of 1.3, I come out needing an 85 watt array using the same formulas. And if using PWM you are running at 66%, then (2/3)(145) = 96, which is greater than 85. So does that put me in the clear? Where I'm really getting lost is the Charge Controller formula for PWM.



As far as MPPT goes, I'm not sure that I understand the timer function of the MPPT on ebay. In your experience with the unit, Floridasun, will it allow me to do the 3 hours after dusk, 3 before dawn that I'm shooting for? The details on the timer function seem a little vague. If it will, then that seems like the way to go, pricewise.

Also, thanks for being so patient with me. This has all been incredibly helpful. You guys really go the extra mile.

That's one of the hassles of cheapchina products, trying to make sense of the 'manual' which is usually one sheet and some laughable translation. I've never played with the load function on those CCs and the instructions say there is ' light control, lighting +timing' but reading the sheet here.... it seems there is only ..on at dusk and timed 1-15 hours. Is extra morning light needed tho? Couldn't it all be added at the end of the day? Not sure if you're going all layers or will have a rooster in the mix. Consider the noise effect of waking a rooster much earlier than you would like.
Great project you have here and good way to learn about solar with a small load. I've much more patience with someone like you who is after a sensible goal instead of others who want to run their toaster, elect range, etc etc etc off a 12 volt battery and 50watt panel.
One thing you might consider is the effect of a portable panel and sun direction. You might want to consider designing a simple rack allowing easy panel angle change. If a fixed mount panel you might want to overbuild with extra watts so's you don't have to point your portable pen panel south every time. Not really sure about the size of your project, whether it could be moved by hand, like a wheelbarrow, or need a tractor to wheel about.

[cmcruiser]

I suppose all the light could be added in one block. I was trying to go for a more natural feel to it by splitting it up so they would have no light when it's darkest outside. Apparently not enough darkness is a problem. I think the cheapo china controller might get the job done though. And going MPPT will let me keep the size of the panel down. I don't know that the roof on this thing will be able to handle a 145W without some significant overhang.

To give you an idea of the project, the foot print is 4'x7'. The plan is to have the lower level as a 4'x7'x3' enclosure with hardware cloth sides and an open bottom to allow for foraging. The upper level will have a 2'x4' planter, a 4'x4' coop, and a 4'x1'6" nesting unit. The nesting unit will have 2 nesting boxes and bay for the solar equipment. Planning on 4 hens, no roosters. So far I've only got the frame built. Just started on that yesterday afternoon. The way the roof is planned, i should end up with a roofing panel that is just over 4 feet (say 50-51 inches) by 2'8" which should accommodate most 100w panels. The way my yard is oriented, I think it should be pretty easy to keep the panels facing south as it makes the circuit around the yard. I was thinking of mounting the top of the panel on hinges (near the ridge of roof) and having the bottom part where I can just swap out different lengths of 2x2 or conduit to adjust the angle depending on the time of year. There's probably a much better way to mount though. I haven't really looked into that yet.

I'll try to post some pics as the project comes along.

For those of you that might be interested in getting some chickens, the math works out like this.

I estimate that the 4 laying hens will lay 5 eggs per bird per week. So 20 eggs per week. I'll give them 2 weeks off in the deepest part of winter to build up calcium levels. So at 50 weeks, that's 1000 eggs per year (83 dz). At $4/dz (for organic free range eggs) that's about $330. Coincidentally, I think this tractor is going to run about 330 in materials (not including the solar aspect) Figure in the cost of supplemental feed, and replacing birds every 4 or 5 years, and another 300 minimum to take this thing off the grid, and these chickens should pay for themselves in about.... never. It's a hobby that breaks even on it's best year. Of course your mileage may vary depending on how much scrap lumber you have and your design. This project is going to be pretty aesthetic per the wife's request (read order) so that definitely ups the cost.

[SunEagle]

I suppose all the light could be added in one block. I was trying to go for a more natural feel to it by splitting it up so they would have no light when it's darkest outside. Apparently not enough darkness is a problem. I think the cheapo china controller might get the job done though. And going MPPT will let me keep the size of the panel down. I don't know that the roof on this thing will be able to handle a 145W without some significant overhang.

To give you an idea of the project, the foot print is 4'x7'. The plan is to have the lower level as a 4'x7'x3' enclosure with hardware cloth sides and an open bottom to allow for foraging. The upper level will have a 2'x4' planter, a 4'x4' coop, and a 4'x1'6" nesting unit. The nesting unit will have 2 nesting boxes and bay for the solar equipment. Planning on 4 hens, no roosters. So far I've only got the frame built. Just started on that yesterday afternoon. The way the roof is planned, i should end up with a roofing panel that is just over 4 feet (say 50-51 inches) by 2'8" which should accommodate most 100w panels. The way my yard is oriented, I think it should be pretty easy to keep the panels facing south as it makes the circuit around the yard. I was thinking of mounting the top of the panel on hinges (near the ridge of roof) and having the bottom part where I can just swap out different lengths of 2x2 or conduit to adjust the angle depending on the time of year. There's probably a much better way to mount though. I haven't really looked into that yet.

I'll try to post some pics as the project comes along.

For those of you that might be interested in getting some chickens, the math works out like this.

I estimate that the 4 laying hens will lay 5 eggs per bird per week. So 20 eggs per week. I'll give them 2 weeks off in the deepest part of winter to build up calcium levels. So at 50 weeks, that's 1000 eggs per year (83 dz). At $4/dz (for organic free range eggs) that's about $330. Coincidentally, I think this tractor is going to run about 330 in materials (not including the solar aspect) Figure in the cost of supplemental feed, and replacing birds every 4 or 5 years, and another 300 minimum to take this thing off the grid, and these chickens should pay for themselves in about.... never. It's a hobby that breaks even on it's best year. Of course your mileage may vary depending on how much scrap lumber you have and your design. This project is going to be pretty aesthetic per the wife's request (read order) so that definitely ups the cost.

I really like the idea of your solar project to help the hens produce. As FloridaSun stated it is reasonable and doable. I hope you get close to the amount of eggs in your estimate.

My Brother in law has had 4 to 8 hens over the last year and sad to say he never got anywhere near the 5 eggs per bird per week. Maybe 2 - 3 but not 5. Maybe it is the type of food or environment his birds are in.

[Mike90250]

... And going MPPT will let me keep the size of the panel down.

Panels, size for size, give about the same watts. The cheap Grid tie high voltage panels cost less because of mass production, nobody really makes a 200w 12V panel.

I estimate that the 4 laying hens will lay 5 eggs per bird per week. So 20 eggs per week. I'll give them 2 weeks off in the deepest part of winter to build up calcium levels. So at 50 weeks, that's 1000 eggs per year (83 dz). ...

In winter, even with supplemental lighting, you may only get 3 eggs/bird/week. Big lay operations have much larger lighting budgets.

[FloridaSun]

And going MPPT will let me keep the size of the panel down. I don't know that the roof on this thing will be able to handle a 145W without some significant overhang.

To give you an idea of the project, the foot print is 4'x7'. The plan is to have the lower level as a 4'x7'x3' enclosure with hardware cloth sides and an open bottom to allow for foraging. The upper level will have a 2'x4' planter, a 4'x4' coop, and a 4'x1'6" nesting unit. The nesting unit will have 2 nesting boxes and bay for the solar equipment. Planning on 4 hens, no roosters. So far I've only got the frame built. Just started on that yesterday afternoon. The way the roof is planned, i should end up with a roofing panel that is just over 4 feet (say 50-51 inches) by 2'8" which should accommodate most 100w panels. The way my yard is oriented, I think it should be pretty easy to keep the panels facing south as it makes the circuit around the yard. I was thinking of mounting the top of the panel on hinges (near the ridge of roof) and having the bottom part where I can just swap out different lengths of 2x2 or conduit to adjust the angle depending on the time of year. There's probably a much better way to mount though. I haven't really looked into that yet.

It's a hobby that breaks even on it's best year. Of course your mileage may vary depending on ...

My 145w poly panels are about 58x26.5". If the project is 3ft high then... that leave drops from 8ft boards of 5 ft.... which could be the width of pen. Just sayin... I usually plan with as little waste as possible. If you use new pressure treated lumber for the base at least it should last for many years. Having the light at night will attract lotsa bugs too, organic bug zapper, help reduce need for extra feed tho a lil sprinkle of food daily will help the birds get to know you and be more tame. haha, was just thinking... if the bulb is low you might want to put a wire screen around it so a bug attacking bird doesn't damage it.
Remember to give space for air flow under the panel when mounting.
The IP68 rating on that cheap MPPT is rain proof so's need not have it well protected from the elements, more important to keep it cool as can, use weatherpruff connections. Would be important to keep the battery clean and secure from chickie**** tho, keep it out of the way when hosing clean the coop area.
At the recommended 4sq ft a bird (coop area)you have room for another hen or two if 5ft width. Planter?? haha, as long as it's on the wheel end and you need not lift the extra weight. Sounds like another wifey 'request'.
calcium levels... just feed them back their crushed eggshells and they'll be fine. Giving the overworked critters a break is fine but usually best after the holidays when so many eggs are not needed for the extra baking projects, eggnog, etc.
Your hobby will give you many years of fresh wholesome eggs with only a major investment and the responsibility of keeping the birds watered, fed, healthy, which will tie you down considerably. hahahaha, works fine for those who like to stay at home. Works better if you have a good neighbor who can share the eggs and watch over the birds when you're away. The light will be a great help to watch the skunks, coons, etc when they surround the pen at night too. If ya wanna see wildlife... get some chickens.