jim wrote: > 12VDC is appropriate for places that don't have > other electrical supplies. these places include > automobiles and boats as well as remote regions > that use windmills, creekmills, solar panels, > car batteries, and deep discharge gel batteries, > possibly in a mix. typically there's noise and > variant voltage levels above the nominal 12VDC; > any system should be designed to work with spikes, > noise, and higher voltages--most are as a matter > of course. > and, of course, you need 10 times the amperage at 12V... For instance, a 250 watt system that would draw about 2 amps at 120V will be drawing 20 amps at 12V. this means that you need much heavier gauge power wiring, especially for long runs.