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What Size Solar Panel do I need to run my Fridge?
The following are some examples of a quick way to determine the solar power required to MAINTAIN A BATTERY running a 40L Engel fridge in varying circumstances.
The formula we will use is:
| WATTS ÷ VOLTS = AMPS |
| AMPS - 10% = USEABLE AMPS |
| USEABLE AMPS X SUNLIGHT TIME = TOTAL AMPS SUPPLY IN A GIVEN TIME |
Example 1
If we take a typical situation of approx 6 hours of useable sunlight during the day (remember, direct sunlight - no cloud cover), a 50 watt solar panel and a 40L Engel fridge (that uses 2.2 Amps per hour):
| 50 WATTS ÷ 12 VOLTS = 4.1 AMPS |
| 4.1 AMPS - 10% = 3.6 USEABLE AMPS |
| 3.6 AMPS X 6 HOURS = 21.6 AMPS in 24 HOURS |
This means the fridge could run for 10 hours using a total of 22 Amps.
Example 2
If we take a typical situation of approx 10 hours of useable sunlight during the day, a 60 watt solar panel and a 40L Engel fridge (that uses 2.2 Amps per hour):
| 60 WATTS ÷ 12 VOLTS = 5 AMPS |
| 5 AMPS - 10% = 4.5 USEABLE AMPS |
| 4.5 AMPS X 10 HOURS = 45 AMPS in 24 HOURS |
This means the fridge could run for 20 hours using a total of 44 Amps.
