Getting off the grid

Since hydroponics run on power for the water pump, and the air pump, if you want to go further close to the real deal, you could grow your food without consuming more power than a natural setup would do.
Many grower around the world have Solar Panels setup to run their pumps and control units. And being near Shenzhen where a lot of things are manufactured, gave me the opportunity to get some panels.

But we got a balcony,  not a garden or a terrace. And worse, the exposition is not full South, but more West. So I have to get the maximum yield of that sun exposure. So I selected custom made flexible panels (flexible and easy to install). After communicating with an "manufacturer"/integrator, they could provide 4 custom made panels of 15cm x 92cm. So 3 of them would fit the big length, and one the short return. Why the flexible Sunpower cells ? Because they are made for RV or Boat rooftops. So they "like" not to be oriented or angled to south or 90° angle sun rays.

 You can order these panels with front or back power connection. They are all equipped with MC4 connectors, so it's easy to daisy chain.

 4 panels will give 17.4 V. Perfect voltage for my MPPT solar charger.

Why hydroponics ?

We live in Hong Kong, Kowloon side... on the 38th Floor of a tower, and we're lucky to have a balcony. So I thought we could plant some vegetables and herbs for cooking and fun too... but then I realised that I would have to bring soil (heavy), build a structure like these raised growing beds to bring the plants to get some sun, and water them quite often... and this balcony doesn't have water, not electricity...
So, I looked for an alternative where the amount of water would be limited, more or less a closed circuit and also a system that work in a hot and humid environment...

Hydroponics !

But, I can't build a weed grow chamber on my balcony ;) ... so it has to be light, easy to build and easy to disassemble if needed. Then I found the Eliooo book. It describes techniques and setups that can be done using IKEA articles. As IKEA is available in Hong Kong, and pretty cheap, let's give a try.... and if it doesn't work, then my kid can store his toys in the Trofast buckets :)

 It looked simple enough to be build with a limited number of power tools and some free time. For sure, I'll have to adapt to the local IKEA inventory, but these Trofast series are really cheap.

Here is the shopping list:

1. Trofast Storage box (the water tank) black as the algae will develop in the clear version. IKEA# 902.525.74 Qty: 1
2. Trofast Storage box (grow beds), green, because it is opaque. IKEA# 201.416.69 Qty: 3
3. Trofast Lids. IKEA# 701.362.03 Qty: 4 (at least)
4. Aquarium Water pump (got one with 3m elevation, 430gph) & 16mm tube
5. Aquarium Air pump & 5mm tube & Air Stone
6. Net pots

First I bought the bigger version of the tank (501.362.04) but being clear, I got too much light in it, and then algae developed rapidly.
In the book, they also use clear aquarium tubes, which is good for air distribution, but not for water...

The wood plank and shelves are not available in Hong Kong, and I was worried of the wind we can get in Hong Kong during Typhoons, especially on the 38th Floor. So a big wood plank flying on my balcony didn't inspired me much... so I changed my design to a lighter structure made of PVC, as many Hydroponic DIY project.