Trying to lower electric bill by adapting solar energy to individual A.C units.
2 thoughts on “What do I need to have to run a standard 110 A.C window unit using solar energy?”
MLR
Honestly It would take too many expensive panels to be affordable. I really wished that Solar was THAT powerful.
You have to take the Watts used by the AC at 110 Volts AC and multiple by roughly 10. (from my memory)
So a 500W@110V Window unit would need 5000W@12V worth of Solar panels.
Solar panels cost about $5/W @ 12V.
You also would need batteries (dangerous Hydrogen emitted from many) and a convertor.
These are all rough estimates but the cost would be tremendous (thousands of dollars).
You are better off insulating your way out of the problem than Air conditioning.
I have played with minimal solar electricity to run some computers only. The upfront cost is HUGE and alway more than I imagined.
I am not saying it would be a bad idea, if possible, just that an AC unit would be the worst thing to try to power with solar. An attic fan (like in 1950s) houses would be a better solar solution.
If you own your own home you can:
1) Add Insulation (and lots of it)
2) Get more efficient double pane windows
3) Install Sun shade screens on windows
4) Install a radiant barrier in attic
5) Seal every crack and hole between living area and non-living area.
Solar power really is cool, but its applications don’t allow for "quick fixes" right now. Powering emergency light or charging laptops is about as much as most people can afford.
Hannah's Grandpa
you need a solar panel large enough to power a A.C. unit.
There should be a small metal plate on the side of your unit that says how many watts that the unit requires.
This site will give you an idea of the cost of solar panels.
Honestly It would take too many expensive panels to be affordable. I really wished that Solar was THAT powerful.
You have to take the Watts used by the AC at 110 Volts AC and multiple by roughly 10. (from my memory)
So a 500W@110V Window unit would need 5000W@12V worth of Solar panels.
Solar panels cost about $5/W @ 12V.
You also would need batteries (dangerous Hydrogen emitted from many) and a convertor.
These are all rough estimates but the cost would be tremendous (thousands of dollars).
You are better off insulating your way out of the problem than Air conditioning.
I have played with minimal solar electricity to run some computers only. The upfront cost is HUGE and alway more than I imagined.
I am not saying it would be a bad idea, if possible, just that an AC unit would be the worst thing to try to power with solar. An attic fan (like in 1950s) houses would be a better solar solution.
If you own your own home you can:
1) Add Insulation (and lots of it)
2) Get more efficient double pane windows
3) Install Sun shade screens on windows
4) Install a radiant barrier in attic
5) Seal every crack and hole between living area and non-living area.
Solar power really is cool, but its applications don’t allow for "quick fixes" right now. Powering emergency light or charging laptops is about as much as most people can afford.
you need a solar panel large enough to power a A.C. unit.
There should be a small metal plate on the side of your unit that says how many watts that the unit requires.
This site will give you an idea of the cost of solar panels.
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?catPath=All%2BProducts%252F%252F%252F%252FUserSearch%253Dsolar%2Bpanel¤tPage=2&lastPage=3&isNext=false&isPrevious=false&category=&attributeValue=&attributeName=&requestedPage=1&resultsPerPage=10&resultsPerPageBottom=0