Question

I live in a two bedroom apartment with two TVs, one refrigerator, one chest freezer, 4 fans and eight light bulbs. Note only the chest freezer will be connected to the solar. What capacity of inverter, panels and battery should I buy?

Answer 1

To determine the capacity of the inverter, solar panels, and battery you need, we'll have to calculate the total power consumption of the appliances you want to run on solar power. Let's break down the power requirements of each appliance:

1. TVs: Assuming modern LED/LCD TVs, they typically consume around 50-100 watts each, depending on the size and usage. Let's take an average of 75 watts each.

2. Refrigerator: A typical refrigerator consumes around 100-800 watts, depending on its size, age, and efficiency. Let's assume it uses 150 watts.

3. Chest Freezer: This will be connected to the solar system, so we'll need the exact power rating. Let's assume it consumes 100 watts.

4. Fans: Assuming regular ceiling fans, they consume around 50-75 watts each, depending on their speed. Let's take an average of 60 watts each.

5. Light bulbs: Assuming standard LED light bulbs, they usually consume around 7-10 watts each. Let's take an average of 8 watts each.

Now, let's calculate the total power consumption:

Total power consumption = (2 TVs * 75 watts/TV) + 150 watts (Refrigerator) + 100 watts (Chest Freezer) + (4 fans * 60 watts/fan) + (8 light bulbs * 8 watts/bulb) Total power consumption = 150 + 150 + 100 + 240 + 64 = 704 watts

To be on the safe side and account for possible power spikes or fluctuations, let's add a 20% safety margin:

Total power consumption with safety margin = 704 watts * 1.2 ≈ 845 watts

Now, let's move on to the inverter, solar panels, and battery:

1. Inverter: You should choose an inverter with a capacity greater than the total power consumption with the safety margin. A 1000-watt inverter should be sufficient in this case.

2. Solar Panels: To determine the number of solar panels required, you'll need to consider the average daily sunlight hours in your location and the efficiency of the solar panels. Let's assume an average of 5 hours of usable sunlight per day and consider standard 300-watt solar panels.

Total energy needed per day = 845 watts (total power consumption with safety margin) Total energy from solar panels per day = 845 watts / 5 hours ≈ 169 watts