Another, and probably last update on this set up...

The LED's did arrive, but I found their light output to be too dim. When I asked the folks at www.superbrightleds.com about this I was informed that the light fixtures can range from a 5 to 8 watt equivilent - It certainly appeared that they were much closer to 5 watts than 8 - the output was no where near the 8w incandescents that they were replacing. So I sent them back. I may look at different light fixtures at a later date that could handle larger LED bulbs.

I also spoke to my conact at Pacific Renewables group about the concern of loss due to the legnth of 10 guage wire from the panel to the charge controller (about 90+ feet). While he acknowledged that there is a decent loss at that legnth, their Solec panels are rated for 12v or 24v use and at the peak of the day are kicking out about 19 to 22 volts - so even with the loss I am experiencing with my 10 guage wire, it is not enough to keep from fully charging the battery - given my set up and needs.

We did have our first real storm pass through a week or so ago where we had no direct sun for about 36 hours and mostly cloudy days on both sides of the rainy days. The solar set up worked flawlessly through the whole four to five days. I never saw the battery minder drop below 12.6v, and there were mostly cloudy days where the battery minder was showing a charge coming from the panel (not a 14.4v like I see most sunny days, but 13.6v was sure looking pretty good to me). Our chickens continue to give us eggs every day, and having all that light in the storage shed and pig pen sure makes getting the pigs in at night a much easier task than fumbling around with a flashlight!!!

While I have never used their products before, nor do I work for them, I can't say enough good things about www.super-feed.com who provided the timer for the chiken coop lights and www.pacificrenewablesgroup.com for their solar set up. Both had excellent customer service to match what I am experiencing to be very good products. The folks at www.superbrightleds.com were very helpful too, and have a very good - no hassle return policy. When I look to do more LED's in the future, I will be contacting them first, and find fixtures to meet their lights.

Thanks again for all your input!