Off Grid / Emergency Lighting Ideas?

[westfork]

Hello all - I'm posting this question here to try to gather ideas for a project I'm working on for my garage that can be adapted for use as emergency/off-grid/SHTF lighting...

I have a garage that is not currently wired for AC power. I love to tinker and want to experiment with solar power for my garage. I can do all the math and wiring to come up with the solar panel, battery, charge controller and inverter (if necessary).

The real question at hand is this: what type of lighting should I use to produce good usable light for a couple hours a day?

I'm looking for opinions on the various options out there such as running regular old store-bought fluourescent fixtures and/or incandescent lighting vs. experimenting with 12v lighting such as 12v fluorescent fixtures, 12v incandescent fixtures, or even 12v LED setups.

Oviously there will be different power/wattage requirements for each.

Has anyone here messed with LED lighting enough to suggest a product that will provide adequate lighting around the workbench and general garage interior lighting? LED would likely have the least current requirments as far as the batteries go and will not require an inverter if I can go the 12v route.

Anybody have experience with this or maybe have a suggestion I have overlooked? I would love to go straight up 12v for the whole thing and skip the need for the inverter as I plan to wire AC later on for the table saw and things that take more current.

 

[E5RANGER375]

i like the LED christmas lights. seriously.

 

[tyler34]

LED's are going to use the least amount of energy followed by fluorescent lighting. I'm not a wiring guy so IDK anything about that, but I do know lights.

 

[tyler34]

have you though about a skylight also? thats free lighting.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

i like the LED christmas lights. seriously.

This falls under "why didn't I think of that?" Excellent idea.

 

[tyler34]

i like the LED christmas lights. seriously.

just because santa touched that one time.........

 

[eldirector]

I've been tinkering with a solar-powered irrigation system for my garden. All of the equipment is in and on my shed. Small solar panel, deep cycle battery, etc.... As a side benefit, I'm going to run some 12V LED lighting in the shed. A work light over the bench, and an outdoor light. I may wire in an inverter I can switch on when I need 110V for a short time.

I'm sticking to 12V because I haven't had good luck with power inverters. Besides, they drain power just sitting there, and aren't very efficient.

I haven't wired anything up yet (still goofing with my water pump project). I'll either use automotive LED flood lights or something from an RV catalog.

My favorite source:
Super Bright LEDs – LED Lights, Bulbs, and Accessories

 

[IndianasFinest]

I am in the process of installing a 90 watt panel for my detatched garage. I have decided on using an inverter, and LED AC bulbs with a few outlets incase I want to run something other then just lighting. If all your wanting to do is run lights, and nothing else check into the kit that Harbor Freight sells which comes with three 15 watt panels, charge controller, and two 12v lights. All you would need then is a couple batteries, and some wiring. I personally thought that if I was spending the money, I wanted a system that was a little more capable for my buck.

 

[westfork]

have you though about a skylight also? thats free lighting.

daytime lighting in the garage is more or less a non-issue as i have two bay doors and windows facing south that allow plenty of light on most days.

the big problem right now is by the time i get home from work it is dark out and if i need to do something in the garage after work during the winter i'm out there stumbling around with a flashlight cussing. good idea though...

 

[LawDog76]

i like the LED christmas lights. seriously.

I wonder if those could be ran off a 12 volt battery with out an inverter. When I was a kid, I used to take the spare bulbs from my parents christmas lights and attach them to a 9v battery and they would work. Might have to buy a cheap strand of LED lights and give it a try.

 

[CorvetteTom]

I found this:
LED light fixtures for in and outdoors. Lighting cabinets and counters with LEDs is cost effective and adds to the ambience.

 

[Bubbajms]

I have some deep cycle batteries if anybody is interested..

 

[yotewacker]

An inverter will loose about 10% of its power due to the transfer of energy. Not counting the high energy usage because of the conversion.
As an example, if it pulls 1amp on 120v, then it will pull 10 amps on 12v. would take lots of deep cycle batteries to give you any longevity.

 

[westfork]

thanks for all the input so far - lots of good ideas.

i think i'm going to experiment with some common 12v 'led driving lights' available in the automotive section of most stores. also may add a couple strings of led christmas lights. a quick google search turned up a wide variety of these available for 12v applications or you can even chop up a set of AC christmas lights to use on 12 volts.

so that just leaves the battery, charging, and switch setup.

i'll be back later on with a write up on making your own 12v emergency power source in an ammo can after i get that put together. it's going to be something i can run my ham radio on, run a small inverter on for AC power, pack up and take with me to the garage, and charge with both solar and wall power...

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Go with 12v LED. There is really nothing special that needs to be done. The best and likely cheapest place I can think of to buy them is at a truck stop. They are avail. in yellow, red and white and maybe blue, and are already good to go for 12v.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Don't try to tie multiple uses (tinkering, SHTF) to the same solution. You'll get a compromise solution you'll be unhappy with in every situation.

For tinkering, I'd get a florescent light or two and string an extension cord from your house when you need it. Wind it up when you don't. Pretty? No. Works? Yes, unless your garage is 400 feet from your house. The added advantage is that you have power if you actually want to do some tinkering. Just having lights and no power to run tools, a radio, space heater, or anything seems kinda Amish to me. Upgrading to Mennonite doesn't seem terribly valuable. YMMV.

I'm not a huge proponent of duplicating electricity in a SHTF situation (unless of course it's a short one). I'm more about learning to function without it. I thought the skylight idea was good. I would look at lanterns as an option. Rechargable LED or fuel based. The issue with fuel is what happens when you run out. You can recharge batteries with a hand crank generator. In any event it's not easy. That's why I prefer to go sans light.

 

[Dr Falken]

Aladdin lamps work real nice and can provide heat. Of course in a garage with gas fumes, maybe not the best idea. I saw som LED panels w/recargable batteries and solar panel for sale at Tractor Supply for $17. That looked like a nice idea...

 

[Archbishop]

I have a shipping container that I use as work room. I only run a few lights and a radio so I installed solar power. I have a combination of florecent and LED lighting.
I found under the counter LED lighting at Menards on clearance. I prefer these over christmas lighting because the lighting is directed and makes more a spotlight type lighting with less power than christmas lighting. If you prefer to go with christimas lighting just do a quick google search on converting standard LED Christmas lighting to 12vdc.
I like the florecent lighting because it gives me more overall lighting for the room. But of course this uses more power so I manage my power usage pretty closely.
Hope this helps.

 

[malern28us]

After recently installing LED lighting myself over my reloading bench, I offer up this tidbit. Maker sure that you get a LED light like the one you have been looking at or thinking about and wire it up first. While the LED lights do provide lighting, it may nor be the amount that you are thinking it would be.
I installed 2 LED Light fixtures over my workbench (21 inch sylvania) and found that they helped but were not enough to take away all of the shadows and allow for intricate work. I ended up installing 2 fluorescent lights in addition to the LEd's and am more than happy with the lighting.
The LED were good enough for finding my supplies and seeing the general area but are NOT suffiecient tio light any area that you need to see for long term work.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

After recently installing LED lighting myself over my reloading bench, I offer up this tidbit. Maker sure that you get a LED light like the one you have been looking at or thinking about and wire it up first. While the LED lights do provide lighting, it may nor be the amount that you are thinking it would be.
I installed 2 LED Light fixtures over my workbench (21 inch sylvania) and found that they helped but were not enough to take away all of the shadows and allow for intricate work. I ended up installing 2 fluorescent lights in addition to the LEd's and am more than happy with the lighting.
The LED were good enough for finding my supplies and seeing the general area but are NOT suffiecient tio light any area that you need to see for long term work.

Try aiming the lights UP towards a curved reflector. Mylar (solar blankets, potato chip bags, balloons) is avail. in rolls and is one of the cheapest and most reflective materials.