Squirrel Net Solar Wifi Network

original concept

I've wanted to do a hands-on solar project for several years and finally got around to it. My original concept was to mount a small panel on an enclosure that also serves as a squirrel or bird house. I built the enclosure and powered it with a small solar panel (25 watts) and a 7 Amp*Hour battery.

With winter weather and sun conditions, the battery and panel were not able to last through a couple of overcast days, so I quadrupled the panel capacity to 100 Watts and jumped to a 100 Amp*Hour battery. The larger panel seems to be a necessity. On a cloudy, snowy day where the sun isn't visible through the clouds, the panel can collect 8-10 Watts.

The Raspberry Pi is only drawing 4-10 Watts, so the system is able to top the battery off every day during peak sun hours.

The concept of attaching the panel and battery to a birdhouse or squirrel house is not practical. The battery weighs too much (70 pounds for a lead acid 100 Ah battery) and the panel is 2 feet x 4 feet, more or less.

current concept

The smaller battery and panel would work for a load that's not running 24/7. However, I wanted to use the Raspberry Pi as a wildlife/security cam system too, which will run 24/7, so the overcapacity is necessary.

From the cost perspective, it probably would make sense to basically have a solar power station back in the woods and power cables running around... but that's also pretty bad aesthetically.

After a trial run of a couple of months with the current design (at right), I'll do another iteration that's back farther in the woods. I think I need four additional hotspots to cover the entire property.