Wind up power

[captainzep]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

It's a nice idea in theory - but in practice batteries need to be kept in a fully charged state to have any hope of them lasting...especially lead acid/gel/AGM. As soon as they start losing charge, the plates sulphate and the battery eventually dies.

All you need is a small solar panel on the roof (3-10 watts is ideal and no charge controller required as long as it's under 500mA charge) a 12v led strip light and a small sealed 12v 4.5 Ah battery.

Take on board what you're saying about need for a charge controller, I'm electrics illiterate to be honest.

But the 12v batteries I use are ones which have failed to start the car and would be thrown away normally. They seem last fine for keeping the shed lit when I need it. I like the individual MR16 LED bulbs too because you can put them where you want them, i.e. over a workbench or more central etc.