I'm not exactly a "prepper", but I do have a thing for using resources available to all of us in non-typical ways. In this set up, I have 200 amp / hours of deep cycle batteries hooked to a single circuit powering all of the lights. Included in the circuit is a light sensor which assumes maybe 1/10th of an amp, and 5 10 watt led flood lights, making around 1000 lumen of light each. My Georgia math says that at 10 watts, each light pulls around .8 amps, for a total of about of about 4 amps. The whole circuit is monitored by a 5 amp fuse. With 200 amp / hours in batteries, these lights would run 20 hours before depleting the bank. I have 2 100 watt panels on the shed to recharge the batteries, and when the charge controller says the bank is full, the power generated from the panels is diverted to the house via a tie-in inverter. The panels have not reversed the power meter on the house, but they can bring it to a stand still, reducing my power bill to around $45.
The whole system, when not connected to the grid tie in, is 12V. While the lights are physically attached to the house, no part of the 12V shenanigans touch commercial power, keeping it completely off the grid.
This video was uploaded from an Android phone.
