I thought this story was interesting. Might be some useful info for who are thinking of living off the grid. Bangladesh Renewable Energy Pioneer Grameen Shakti Presents Rural-Based Solar Home System Model at WIREC Mar 6, 2008 WASHINGTON, March 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Grameen Shakti (http://www.gshakti.org), one of the most successful rural-based renewable energy companies in the world, sent its founder and managing director, Dipal Barua (http://www.gshakti.org/cv.html), here this week to explain the companys model to World Bank officials and to representatives of developing countries attending the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC). The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invited Barua to WIREC to share Grameen Shaktis strategy for improving the lives of more than one million people in Bangladesh through solar energy systems, biogas digesters and improved cook stoves. USAID grants and World Bank funds have enabled Grameen Shakti to provide less expensive services and reach more poor people. Since the Grameen Bank (http://www.grameen-info.org) launched the non-profit Grameen Shakti (shakti means energy in Bengali) in 1996, the pioneering organization has installed more than 130,000 solar energy systems in Bangladesh. It installs nearly 5,000 more systems every month. The solar home systems typically consist of small photovoltaic panels connected to a battery for storage. Nearly 70 percent of Bangladeshi households are not connected to the national grid and rely on kerosene for lighting. For the price they would normally pay for kerosene, Grameen Shakti clients are buying clean, solar electric lighting systems and using the energy to operate small appliances and charge their mobile phones, Barua said. Grameen Shakti offers customers unique programs to ensure their satisfaction, including warranties, maintenance contracts, and buy-back methods. Grameen Technology Centers train women technicians in rural areas who make a living marketing and installing solar home systems. A link that might be useful: www.cnbc.com/id/23505074

you can consider using 12V LED lightbulbs or 12V florescent light bulbs. 12V LED light bulb would not be as bright as 12V florescent bulbs, but take much less power. you can power it with a 12v battery and have some panels charge the battery. im also thinking of doing that.

thanks, SolarJohn. I have another 12 v, 5 ah "regulated valve" (whatever that means?) battery from a backup power supply for a computer. If I can use it, too, then I can always have a charged battery/light combo hooked up and ready to go inside the house while the other battery is charging outside. So, guys, if you have a moment, could you help me through the next part?? The solar panel was part of a "emergency solar power kit" that came with the connector cable, battery, and an DC/AC inverter. The solar panel power outputs are embedded in 1" square white tab plug-in on the panel edge. The panel-to-battery connector cable is a single white wire with a similar square tab plug-in connector on the panel end and a single barrel connector on the battery end. The matching barrel connector on the battery is soldered to the negative terminal. A two inch wire terminated by a black rubber nut looking thing also comes out of this connector, but it is not connected to anything. I don't know if this barrel connector contraption is supposed to be soldered to the BOTH connectors and broke off in shipping, or if it is just supposed to hang out there in space, but that's probably NOT important since I don't want to use it. If I leave the square tab on the panel end but strip that barrel connector off the battery what are my odds of finding marked black and red wires inside the white wrapping that I can match to the +/- poles of the charge controller? BUT if they aren't marked, what do I have to do to figure out which is which? Thanks again. I think this may be the last of the dumb questions, but I won't guarantee it. J.

Every time I read the topic of this thread, I immediately think... Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto??? Eris...