How Many Solar Panels To Power Ac Unit

How Large A System Is Required To Run Air Conditioning

This is a complex issue based on home size, AC size, climate and how much you plan to run your solar power air conditioner. A solar AC contractor or experienced sales agent can help you with exact system requirements based on a load calculation for your home.

Not all areas of the country are equally sunny, of course.

This affects the capacity of the panels needed.

As a result, the solar industry has developed something called the Solar Production Ratio of solar panels. It is a number used to determine how many hours of electricity your panels will generate at peak performance.

Your solar power contractor will determine how many kilowatt hours will be needed to run your system. The number is based on the length of the cooling season and the average number of hours per day the AC will run.

This is where Solar Production Ratio comes into play. The number of kwh kilowatt hours you need to run your solar air conditioner is divided by the Ratio to determine the size/panel capacity you need.

For an example, lets take 1,500 kWh per year. Here are system sizes youd need in various regions of the United States.

How Many Solar Panels Do I Need To Run A 4 Ton Ac

A 4-ton air conditioning unit can cool off a space thats 2,100-2,400 square feet . For AC power consumption calculations, it will take 4,000 Watts of electricity to run a 4-ton AC unit.

Dividing 4,000 Watts by 100 Watts or 300 Watts for our solar panels will result in forty 100-Watt solar panels or about fourteen 300-Watt solar panels.

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need To Run A Window Ac

The above figures are based on a solar panel producing only 250 watts of electricity at ideal conditions. As you saw, that size of solar panel requires 4 panels to make sure you have enough energy to run your air conditioner.

The good news is that solar panels come in all sizes and you can get larger wattage-producing panels that will produce more power and cut your need for many panels down to needing only 2 or 3.

The number of panels you will need will depend on how many watts each one produces. It is not wrong to produce more power than your air conditioner needs. You just need your battery system to be capable of storing all the extra energy. You never know when that extra energy will come in handy.

If you go lower than 250-watt solar panels, then you will need quite a few panels to generate enough energy to handle the workload. If you went with 100-watt solar panels, then you are looking at using more than 6 panels at one time.

Your RV or trailer may not have the space on their roofs to handle that many solar panels. That is a factor you will have to consider when you start thinking about switching to solar power.

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Solar Panels Can Go Anywhere

Is your house in the shade? Are you planting trees to give your house some shelter from the sun? If your solar panels are on the roof, they wont work as well in the shade because they need direct sunlight.

However, if you install solar panels elsewhere on your property, you can still produce solar energy and shade your roof with conventional methods.

Dc Powered Solar Air Conditioners

DC solar air conditioners are also called conventional solar powered air conditioners.

Solar panels generate DC current electricity. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros

• DC solar air conditioners can be direct-wired to the panels without converting it.
• Batteries can be added to the system to store excess solar power produced, but only if you have enough panel wattage to run the air conditioner and store energy.
• DIY installation is easier with this type. If you hire a pro, installation cost is less.
• Systems are easy to maintain.
• They are ideal for off-grid use but only if you add the extra equipment described in the cons.
• DC solar ACs are easy to maintain.

Cons

• A DC-powered solar air conditioner needs batteries, an inverter and solar charge controller to work in non-daylight hours so it costs more than an AC unit.
• A vacuum pump is usually needed to charge the system with refrigerant if/when needed.

The bottom line is that if youre off the grid and are OK with no air conditioning after dark, a DC solar air conditioner is a good choice.

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First The Basics Of Rv Solar Power Systems

There is a lot of work behind designing a system to use solar panels as your RV power source. It gets more complicated when you want solar panels to power RV air conditioner units. To help you understand, I will discuss some of the technicalities behind how this works.

Using solar panels as RV power source for an air conditioner is more complex than you may think. There are many steps that the power has to go through before it can run the A/C. The steps from beginning to end look like this:

When the solar panels supply the energy to the batteries, all capabilities of any regular RV powering system are possible. From the batteries, all powering issues are possible. But issues occur when we turn to the problem of sizing.

How Much Does A Solar Powered Air Conditioner Cost To Operate

Anywhere from $0 to a few dollars a month.

Why would it cost anything? In some systems, electricity is needed to run the fan in an indoor unit in a ductless system or similar.

Another way to put it is that you can reduce your energy consumption for air conditioning by 80% to 100% based on your system type.

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Battery Requirements To Run Ac At Night

Solar panels are there to help you run your AC throughout the day but when the sun goes down or on cloudy days when there is not enough sunlight then you are going to face problems if you dont have a battery for electricity storage.

You are going to need batteries to store the solar power and generate electricity to run the air conditioner during the night.

But the thing is, a different wattage of AC requires a different capacity of the battery. It is meaningless to use a high-capacity battery to run a 1 ton AC that doesnt consume enough power.

If you are using an inverter along with the battery, then you wont need a high-capacity battery because the load can be shared by the inverter.

So in conclusion depending upon the duration of your use of AC a 1.5-ton air conditioner requires four batteries of 150Ah to run AC for three to four hours without any problem.

If you want to run your AC for long periods, then you will have to increase the number of batteries.

How Many Watts Is Needed To Run A 5 Ton Air Conditioner

A 5 ton AC requires 17520W. But again, that figure will go down once you factor in its EER. Going with an 8.5 EER:

17520W / 8.5 = 2061W

That is 2061 watts per hour. Multiply by 5 and you have 10305 watts for a 5 hour running time. A 5 ton AC requires six 400W solar panels to run for 5 hours with 5 hours of sunlight.

You can use this same method for any AC size. In fact things are even easier now as most AC units display their watt usage with the EER factored in. Now you can use the figures given to get an idea of how many solar panels are required.

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Solar Panels For A 1500 Square Foot House

The average home in the United States is roughly 1500 square feet. With a home of this size, the typical electric bill comes in around $100 month. In order to cover the electricity for this home, you would need an estimated 15-18 solar panels.

For example, a typical fridge may be rated for 250 watts and runs for 4 hours a day. 250 watts X 4 = 1000W. A 1k watt is equal to 1 kWh of energy in a day.

This, of course, is a general estimate and eclectic usage, sunlight hours, location, and the type of panels can change this amount.

How Many Ac Can Run In 3kw Solar System

A one-ton air conditioner uses 1.3kWh. A normal solar panel system, in comparison, can produce power of 2kW up to 4kW on average. It means that it will consume about half of the total energy generated by the solar panel system.

Since AC units have different sizes, they will also have different energy consumption. An average single room AC will consume around 0.5kW up to 1.5kW while central ACs may consume around 3kW to 5kW. This means that a 3kW solar system may be able to run a single room air conditioner and cover the requirements for the energy of other fixtures and appliances.

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How Much Does A Solar Installation Cost

This can vary depending on the company, but for an average installation, it can run you between $15,000 and $30,000.

Many solar companies offer incentives and financing. There are a ton of other financial benefits that come along with installing your home:

• Electricity rates have risen across the nation and are higher now than they have ever been
• You can save thousands on electricity bills and will only continue to save more over time
• The resale value of your home skyrockets. Many home buyers now are searching for homes that come with a solar system already installed
• The government offers a massive tax credit when it comes to solar systems. Some states also offer a rebate program
• The systems come with a warranty that secures your investment for at least 25 years

Is Solar Air Conditioning Right For You

Everyone wants to keep cool during the summer, which is why most homeowners have air conditioning systems in their homes. But running those AC units can be costly – an estimated 12% of the average homes energy consumption in the United States goes right to air conditioning.

When we run our air conditioners, were not only spending a lot of money, were using a lot of energy. In fact, air conditioning causes 117 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere each year. So, as were trying to keep ourselves cool, were contributing to the very thing that makes each summer hotter- climate change.

Luckily, there is a way to stay cool that allows you to cut down on both your energy costs and your carbon footprint, and that is solar air conditioning. In this blog, well take a look at what solar powered air conditioning options are available, and what kind is right for you.

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How To Run Ac Off Solar The Calculations

When considering d.c. loads its relatively easy to calulate power. Power in watts is found by multiplying volts with amps .

Watts = Volts x Amps

For example, say a DC load is supplied from a 12 volt supply and it pulls a current of 12 amperes, then you would find the power with the formula below:

12V x 12A = 144W

Unfortunately, in AC circuits voltage multiplied by current isnt always the same as power in watts. Lets see why

Watts in solar AC calculations doesnt always equal volts x amps!

Home appliances work on AC power, so watts is calculated in a different way. V and I values are constantly changing, taking the form of a sine wave.

Motors have copper windings which are inductive loads.

In this type of load the current waveform lags behind the voltage waveform and this causes the power calculation not to be strictly valid.

If V and I are maximum at the same point in time, they are said to be in phase. When this occurs V x I does equal power in watts.

If V and I are not in phase, then the equation doesnt hold true. The result is that more solar power is required to supply extra watts.

How Many Solar Panels To Run Central Aircon

The number of solar panels you will need to run your central air conditioner will depend on the specific wattage of your unit. However, generally speaking, you will need 1 to 5 panels for 100 watts. This is the most common system for power distribution for measuring the power of solar panels for an AC unit. If you are using a panel with 250 watts, then, one solar panel is already enough for running your air conditioner.

The Bottom Line

All in all, powering your air conditioning system using solar panels may be a smart idea to help you save money in the long run. While the upfront cost may be a bit significant, through a careful thought process, you can establish a good solar energy plan that will let you spend the least amount possible for powering your daily household appliances such as your air conditioner.

Are you a fan of Lennox ac? If yes, please read our previous lennox solar ac review.

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How Many Solar Panels Doesit Take To Power A Small Ac Unit

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How Much Power Does A Window Ac Unit Use

The first step in figuring out how many solar panels you will need to power a window AC unit is to determine how much power it uses in watts/hour. The manufacturer will normally state this figure, and in most cases, there will be a sticker or stamp on the air conditioning unit itself with the power rating.

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Some Advantages To Rv Solar Energy:

• Its a renewable energy source. Solar energy is 100% renewable. As long as the sun is present, solar energy is possible and can be used throughout all parts of the world.
• Reduces the cost of electricity. Energy needs are taken care of with solar energy and therefore, you are not required to pay for electricity.
• Diverse applications. Solar energy can be used for a variety of things. It is possible to use it for any electric purpose. It is also capable of heating.
• Low costs for maintenance. Solar panels do not require you to maintain them very much. If you clean them off a couple of times a year, you will be set.

Air Conditioner Surge Current

When an a.c. motor starts it pulls several times more current than when it runs continuously.

This running current will be dependent on the load, but the surge or inrush current is the highest amps the motor pulls, unless the motor is locked solid and cant move at all

The size of the wiring is based on maximum current when running plus 10%. Surge currents only last for a few seconds normally and the heating effect in the wiring isnt significant.

However, breakers and fuses need to be sized accordingly, so that they can accomodate this surge without tripping out.

This also has important implications for any solar panel system designed to run air conditioning.

If running during the day without a battery bank used as an energy reservoir, the solar panels wattage rating needs to be big enough to supply this motor surge current.

Solar panel systems designed to run home appliances make use of a device called an inverter to change d.c. voltage produced by solar panels into the a.c. power for domestic use.

Solar panels can only run air conditioning using an inverter

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