Using solar power (battery?) to run heater for water trough?

[Romany]

Can it be done? Is there such a thing?

We might not have power immediately close to the trough this winter, and I usually run the trough heaters (the ones that fit in the plug hole of a Rubbermaid stock tank) from November to April, pretty much. We could use extension cables, but, has anyone tried using solar power?

[Kodidog763]

I’m not a solar expert, so hopefully someone else will weigh in. I wanted to do this last year, and I think I discovered that I couldn’t generate enough solar power to run a tank heater.

[Romany]

I could have answered my own question by googling first, as the first links lead straight back to COTH, lol.

Seems there are some great, some funky, ideas out there (other than the wise experience of COTHers), but the technology isn’t quite there yet. Especially in the further north-east, where there ain’t much sun to start with!

The links I did find included:

http://www.ranchtanks.com/productinfo.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/solar-stock-tank-zmaz10onzraw.aspx#axzz3EuZxdaK0

http://www.hydrogenappliances.com/stocktankheater.html

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#Animals