Solor panels for Greenhouses????

Hi could anyone tell me how to make solor panels for a GH. I have a nice GH but the heat I have is ele. and very expensive. I"m sitting here looking out at 3 feet of snow and want to be in my GH. I need to know if they would work on a GH?? How many I would need (sm. GH)???
What type of material to use???Ladybug

This is a very good question. We inTexas have not had a very cold winter but the greenhouse heating bills have been OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! Jerry

I have looked into this and found it not to be feasible. Problem is that heat is not a problem when the sun is out. You would have to have a very large storage area. Probably the best solution is to build a bench on the north wall with 55 gallon steel drums filled and painted black. I do use a photovoltaic cell to run my fans. Works great because as the sun pases behind clouds the fans slow modulating the temp.

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I looked at all the forums and was sure that if it would work on a small GH I would see it there. I don't have enough room for the barrels. Thanks again. Ladybug

I am looking for someone that has other means of heating their greenhouse. I am currently using propane and my bills are out of this world in the winter and I only live in NC and the winters are not real cold. Has anyone ever used a heat pump system?

A heat pump requires electricity just as much as an air conditioner and that would be more expensive that propane. I would concentrate on insulating as it is the most cost effective. I use a solar pool cover on mine and insulate the north wall with foam board. The north view sees no useful sunlight. I also use a small oscillating fan in the peak to keep the air mixed up as hot air rises and stratifies. I live in the central Arizona area and can only imagine the cost of heating when the temps drop. I need mine to be 55 or so as I grow houseplants but others may only need to be above freezing. I use a t-stat controlled propane heater in my 10 by 12.

I just put a wood burnign furnace in for my greenhouse. It works great, warm heat but not drying. It was expensive but I am glad I did it. I fill it with wood 2 times a day and the water is circulated through a heat exchanger. I would highly recommend this as an alternative source of heat and I use the propane as a backup, but not using much thankfully.

We are thinking of a heated cement floor for the permanent greenhouse......our temporary greenhouse (6x10) we purchased a free standing gas heater for the cold nights in March as we are in zone 3b, will be putting an electrical fan near the heater to circulate the warm air. Wanda

This message was edited Jan 19, 2009 8:46 AM

Put the fan near the top of the house as warm air rises and it will keep things more evenly warmed.
I have a small oscillating fan in the peak of mine and it saves on my heat bill as well as keeping damp moldy places to a minimum.

Ron

Berrybusy, do you have a link to your source? I'm interested in looking into something like that...

fourks, could you share more information on "I do use a photovoltaic cell to run my fans". Thanks, C4

I've posted info about my greenhouse elsewhere but can't remember where exactly -- mostly that my greenhouse is very small, and I use solar panels & batteries to run a 12Vdc automotive blanket to cover my plants with when the temps are to fall below 20 or so. The blanket uses very little electricity and so far has worked well. I don't use a controller or an inverter with it, just charge up the batts during sun hours and use the electricity at night. Probably not a good thing long term, I'll be improving it later, when the weather is warmer. I need another blanket because I have planted lots more since I got the first one. I also use gallon milk cartons full of water, which also helps. My batteries are old 6V golf cart batteries, hooked up for 12V. The solar panels are also old but still work fine.