[Joe Wicked]

Ron,
According to the paperwork (we all know how accurate that can be) 1 battery with 1 panel is good for 16 complete gate cycles per day on an average winter day. They will charge on a cloudy day, just at a much reduced rate. On the day I installed it, it was cloudy and the just 1 battery, but I was able to open and close at least 20 times that day while I was adjusting everything. That was 2 panels and 1 battery. I am betting that I can go 1 to 2 weeks with how few times I open and close without charging at all.

I am also looking at doing the solar and wind combo for power at my house. A friend of mine is the sales director for the largest and oldest solar company here in Dallas. He said it would be around $20-25,000 for a complete off grid system that would give me power to spare. The neat thing is the financing they offer puts the payment right at what my electric bill is anyway, so if I do it, my budget won't really be that impacted as the payment for electric goes away and that money goes here. After 5-6 years, I own my own power generation. That includes solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, inverters and charge controllers.