Inverter/solar/fluorescent light question (non-boaty, sorry)

[Plevier]

Advice appreciated from those who know about 12V/220V inverters and solar panels please.
My wife is renting a field with a couple of stables in. They are already wired up with good quality 6ft fluorescent fittings (I'm assuming conventional not high frequency, haven't checked yet) but no longer have a mains supply.
Is the sort of inverter that's ludicrously cheap on ebay, e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200W-DC-1...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item4165ef8048 going to be OK for running them from a battery or are they fussy? They would typically be 82W each (that's Thorn's figure for a fitting with a 70W tube) so 2 on about 16A if inverter is 85% efficient.
They will only be used for a few minutes a day - say 30 max, normally less - so should use 8Ah or less a day I guess, normally nearer 5Ah, so a truck battery - scrapyard with luck - should cope OK.
I'm proposing to fit a solar panel to keep the battery topped up , again hopefully an ebay cheapo, what sort of rating would I need? Would 25W do it? What sort of regulator would be best?
Thanks.

 

[nimbusgb]

Doubt if the 25w panel will keep up with demand through the winter. 100w at least

Not sure about the cheap inverter to flourescent fitting though, those ballasts use a transformer so your losses will be significant and may damage the ballasts.

May be easier to fit 12v lighting, saves a lot of losses and avoids having to get a sparky involved ( legally speaking that is what with 220v in a public building )

 

[sailorman]

Advice appreciated from those who know about 12V/220V inverters and solar panels please.
My wife is renting a field with a couple of stables in. They are already wired up with good quality 6ft fluorescent fittings (I'm assuming conventional not high frequency, haven't checked yet) but no longer have a mains supply.
Is the sort of inverter that's ludicrously cheap on ebay, e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200W-DC-1...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item4165ef8048 going to be OK for running them from a battery or are they fussy? They would typically be 82W each (that's Thorn's figure for a fitting with a 70W tube) so 2 on about 16A if inverter is 85% efficient.
They will only be used for a few minutes a day - say 30 max, normally less - so should use 8Ah or less a day I guess, normally nearer 5Ah, so a truck battery - scrapyard with luck - should cope OK.
I'm proposing to fit a solar panel to keep the battery topped up , again hopefully an ebay cheapo, what sort of rating would I need? Would 25W do it? What sort of regulator would be best?
Thanks.

An ideal LOUNGE question