How Many Solar Panels To Run a Fridge/Freezer?

День тому

Link to my book: cleversolarpower.com/off-grid...
Link to my recommended battery: cleversolarpower.com/go/EG4
Best place for solar panels: cleversolarpower.com/buy-sola...
Free solar diagrams: cleversolarpower.com/free-dia...
PV Watts: pvwatts.nrel.gov/
In this video, I'm answering a question many of you have asked: How many solar panels are needed to run a refrigerator and freezer? Or how many panels are needed for a solar powered refrigerator. If you've ever wondered about the specifics, such as how many solar panels to run a fridge or can a 300 watt solar panel run a refrigerator, you're in the right place.
From my own testing, I show the power consumption of a fridge and its freezer section, guiding you through the process of calculating the daily and idle consumption-details often overlooked but crucial for an efficient off-grid setup.
Through this video, you'll gain insights into:
The exact energy usage of a refrigerator, including a breakdown of my fridge's consumption, rated at 75 Watts, with a freezer, to understand how much solar for fridge setups is actually necessary.
The inverter's idle draw, a key factor in calculating total energy requirements and determining how many solar panels for fridge setups are optimal.
Detailed steps on sizing the battery for your system, ensuring that you're prepared even when the sun isn't shining, answering the critical question of how many solar panels to run a freezer and fridge 24/7.
We'll also delve into the math behind choosing the right number of solar panels to keep your fridge running smoothly, considering variables like days of autonomy and the type of batteries that offer the best long-term value. Whether you're curious if a 300-watt solar panel can run a refrigerator or you're planning a comprehensive off-grid system, this video has you covered.
By the end of this video, you'll clearly understand how many solar panels to run a refrigerator. Ensuring you're well-equipped to make informed decisions for your off-grid solar power system.

КОМЕНТАРІ: 439

@henkmeiring01 Місяць тому

Very straightforward informative explanation.Everyone that runs household should watch this video.Very difficult to get correct size solar system for appliances that cycles on and off.

@Kizito-pn8on 2 дні тому

Thanks for this opportunity to everybody, because not all of us have this knowledge. You give straight away all your answers, wonderful channel

@postiemania Місяць тому

Very informative video, I appreciate your attention to detail. I have a UPS system of 6200 watts and 5100 watt hours of battery (4 X 102Ah) @12.5v so it is a 50 volt system. Inverter uses 50 watts an hour idle current. I will add more battery power next. Thanks for the video.

@EscapeTheMatrix...... Місяць тому

EXCELLENT Video! - Anyone who cant understand this straight forward guide, are not in a position to be living off grid or desigjing their own system without someone helping/doing it for them.. Just subscribed! Ps. In England only need about 40,000watts solar and about 20 batteries for the 1/2 day of sun every 2 weeks!😅🤦 Cheers from London 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks for the sub! England is not great for solar, but it can work great with net metering (grid tied).

@EscapeTheMatrix...... Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower no worries. Yeah tbh trouble is that the grid tied is a con over here. Personally I think unless you can go fully independent of the grid it's bit of a waste of time tbh from the people I know.who did it and then had them removed after a couple of years as either wasn't saving money or was costing them more than before by the time they paid for the solar set up. It's always one of these "schemes" and it's a scam in UK. I would do it independently but you need a large array and big battery bank so need a lot of room, no good for a smaller house or small gardens which often the case in England in more built up areas.

@hebrew984 22 дні тому

Agreed

@fibber2u 7 днів тому

Lucky fellow obviously you live on the sunny side of the city.🤔😎

@bruce-le-smith Місяць тому

very helpful, thank you. I liked the walk through of the calaculations, that made it easy for me to understand

@outbackeddie Місяць тому

Great video. I calculated the power needs of my freezer a few months ago after using a Kill-a-Watt for a week, but I totally missed the idle power draw factor. Due to my far north location, there's no way I can economically power my freezer with solar power year-round, but if I can manage to power it during the summer months that will be a big help. I don't worry about the winter months since I can just put the freezer food outside where it is almost always well below freezing (often subzero temps).

@reltech Місяць тому

You can make up a 12V thermostat with relay to switch on the inverter. If you know what you're doing you may be able to wire it into the fridge sensor. Downside is that you might not be getting the fridge light.

@tobbleboii5988 Місяць тому

this might not be an option for you at all, but moving your fridge outside might save some power if the temperature difference between the fridge and the surrounding air is cut in half, the power consumption should be (slightly higher than) half of what it used to be but i do realize might not be something you can just do that easily

@richardwebb6267 Місяць тому

Batteries. You must store everything you can get.

@junkerzn7312 Місяць тому

Note that the 2000W inverter shown in the video is probably massively overkill just to run a fridge. It does depend on the fridge's surge load, but I can run my home fridge with an 800VA Victron Phoenix inverter and that one has an idle consumption of around 10W. That's in "normal" operation mode, not "eco" mode. You basically want the smallest inverter that is still able to deal with the startup surge of the equipment. -Matt

@stuartgray5877 Місяць тому

I always thought it would be "cool" to have a fridge that could sample the outside air and use IT to cool the fridge when it is cold enough outside, instead of electricity.

@808pathfinder 9 днів тому

I like your style, am hooked. KEEP-ON KEEPIN-ON

@Rpol_404 Місяць тому

Very good analysis and guidelines. One thing that is missing is a decent set of panels will still provide some power - even on a cloudy day. I’ve read anywhere from 10% to 20% (100-200wh for a 1k system). So you might not need the 3 day buffer, but I still like his recommended headroom.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

You are right, i did not include this in the calculation to make it easier to digest.

@utubeape 10 днів тому

Great work. i can see it really makes sense to keep a fridge in a cold place, so that it requires less power in the winter when solar is a problen. I imagine opening the fridge door less in colder weather too

@fibber2u 9 днів тому

Surely you just keep the air-conditioning on full blast!🤔 That'll keep it cool in summer.

@mountainmarauder2575 Місяць тому

Excellent!! I live off grid and my solar and wind run a 5000W (surge to 10,000W) modified sine wave inverter from a bank of surplus aircraft NiCad 12V batteries. We use propane for the fridge and that allows us to just turn off the inverter at bedtime. One of the problems we have run into is the startup load for the electric freezer on another portable system. We were using a 1000/2000W modified sine wave and had to go up to a 2000/4000W just to handle the start load. When it's running the load meter shows only about 45 watts. Also there are some appliances like blankets and heating pads that will not work on a modified sine wave inverter. I don't recall if he said the inverter was a pure sine wave or not.

@user-ob8qt3ty5j 24 дні тому

Does inverter have its capacity

@mountainmarauder2575 21 день тому

@@user-ob8qt3ty5j Yes the 5K/10K is way more than we need for daily operations.

@justicator Місяць тому

I've been slowly working on my offgrid system and one of the challenges for me is location and number of panels. My local government requires a lot to mount panels on my home DIY, so I have free-standing, movable panels, but this is not ideal as it takes up more usable space on my already limited size lawn, and is an eyesore to my spouse and neighbors. I currently only have 400 watts of panels, and might reasonably be able to increase that to 600 or 800 maximum. I have way more space in my basement where the storage batteries are, so my strategy is going to be to increase my battery capacity and potentially remotely charge some additional batteries from another location or from my car alternator if needed to top up or extend my runtime in the instances where my panels will not be able to keep up with the demand over a longer period of time.

@PascaAlexandru Місяць тому

My _beloved_ local government doesn't give a shit where I put panels on my property but after cleaning the panels on the roof a few times and those on the ground level... I will be getting those buggers off the roof very soon. The occasional brooming is way, way easier at less than 2m above ground. And they cool better. Just a thought...

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

One word about inverter sizing: I recommend buying one with the same rating as a standard wall socket. That gives you the opportunity to plug in any household appliance in the future without having to buy another inverter. I use a 2000 wh inverter for every appliance I have.

@vincentrobinette1507 Місяць тому

Be sure and get a true sine wave inverter, NOT a modified sine wave inverter!

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

@@vincentrobinette1507 I am using a modified sine wave inverter and have not had any problems except for my clocks do not keep time correctly. But I do agree with you that a person is better off with a true sine wave inverter.

@notconnected3815 Місяць тому

I tried a 300W inverter on my 75W fridge. It turns out, that the compressor needs higher currents during start up. So my inverter always went into overload. A 800W inverter works now, but it also gets very noisy in that moment. So more than 1000W would be recommended.

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

@notconnected3815 Refrigerators that have the new-style rotary inverter compressor do not have a high start up surge. The conventional style refrigerator does.

@notconnected3815 Місяць тому

@@Matthew_Loutner Oh, i didn't know that. So someone who is planning to build such a system should measure the peak current of that particular fridge before choosing an inverter. Thanks for the tip!

@clemarkstheone. Місяць тому

Well explained and illustrated. Thanks.

@tobiaswedel7245 Місяць тому

We got a similar type of fridge with freezer. The power consumption is between 17 and 19 kWh per month. I got 2x 400watt panels and a 25.6v (24v) 200ah lithium battery. Here in the middle of Germany we can run the fridge independent of the power grid from the end of February till the beginning of November. Greetings

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks for sharing Tobias!

@johnbeton4058 Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower You sound like someone from Belgium.

@katebygrave Місяць тому

Excellent video, well thought through and presented.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thank you!

@anthonympakakota8189 Місяць тому

Thank you for your clear and concise explanations. Just a comment regarding this video. I noted you presented here that your total measured fridge energy consumption for Feb was 4,288 Wh, and it is displayed in the video diagrams as 4,288 kWh. The presentation displayed the unit at 4,288 kWh. My question: Should it be 4,288Wh, 4,288 kWh or 4.288kWh? appreciate your clarification.. thanks.. Great video BTW... enjoying watch them.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks. I'm in Europe so that's how we put our commas and decimal signs. I will adjust in the future to fit us standards because most of my viewers are from there.

@DGQ1Q2 27 днів тому

so well explained.

@willgarrod9907 Місяць тому

We got 4 (100watts) facing east and 1(100watt) facing west. It runs out big fridge freezer and outside lights for 10months in a year. In December and Jan we charge out AGM battery bank at midnight during the cheap rate. The whole thing saves us about £70/yr

@GaryArbaugh Місяць тому

Thank you so much for these informative videos! We are slowly building our system with the hopes of one day being off grid. Currently we have 1800W solar panels at 24volts, 3 each 24volt gel batteries and a 3500W inverter... but we are still wanting to learn more about the capacity and what we can run continually on what we have. Thank you again!

@plingboy6223 Місяць тому

look up, lithium phosphate batteries. wth good bms they cant last more than 15 years.

@sdrc92126 Місяць тому

In a solar system, everything is powered by batteries and an inverter, not directly from the solar panels. Look up PVWatts online solar calculator. I have been offgrid for 10+ years and found it accurate.

@shagsheep8832 Місяць тому

Something that was missed is the defrost cycles with upright freezers. Newer upright fridge/freezers aren't so bad compared to older models. But the most efficient combo could be an inverter fridge and a basic chest freezer (no defrost cycle").

@luimackjohnson302 Місяць тому

Thank you for sharing this informative video! Greetings from Madang, Papua New Guinea!

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks!

@RiDankulous 24 дні тому

This is a wonderful video! I see some campers and RVs have typical home refrigerators and they pay for it, of course. If using shore power mostly, that can make sense, or if they have huge solar / battery systems. I see a lot of vans have about 4 solar panels. That's a far cry from the 11 that would be required. If I was a van guy I'd get something like dometic designed for low power consumption. My biggest expense would be the laptop. I could get away with low power settings. The numbers you give allow me to accurately compute power usage here and see how many panels would be needed. Typically I run 15W according the Battery Info software in Linux. That could be off by some amount, of course. It can get to 30-45W. I can tweet my usage to make it less. Ty for info!

@cleversolarpower 22 дні тому

You can also get a more efficient inverter for the fridge. A 1200W victron phoenix inverter uses about 10W idle. Since phoenix inverters are low frequency, i think you should be able to power a 75W fridge with the 500-800W inverter.

@RiDankulous 22 дні тому

@@cleversolarpower Ok, thanks for the tip.

@sebastian19745 Місяць тому

Actually, a fridge and a freezer are not the most power hungry things around the house. Those that cook and heat water with electricity have it tough. Very good info, thanks. I will sent the video to all my friends that ask me how many panels and battery capacity they need to run theirs house totally off-grid.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Indeed, heating and cooling are the most power-hungry. At least with cooling, you know there is sunshine, too. Thanks, Sebastian!

@sebastian19745 Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower I am really glad I found your channel, you explain all verry well, easy to understand and follow the flow. Thank you.

@JizzoCalrissian Місяць тому

@@sebastian19745 Agreed. And a pleasure to hear things described without the abrasive 'up^speak' of which westerners have grown so fond.

@DC-te1gw Місяць тому

pay attention to the fridge compressor start up wattage needed as that can be 4kw, so you will need a 4.5kw inverter just to get that compressor running. once it is running it will constantly use a much lower wattage.

@plymouth5714 Місяць тому

The only problem is that they would need to be completely off grid - if you are still connected to the mains and you have a power cut the solar generation automatically shuts down - otherwise the electricity workers can't get a totally dead power line to work on! (You'd think they could get a system to auto disconnect from the grid until the power came back on so we could carry on using our own generation!)

@perfectomartinez3526 Місяць тому

What inverters are recommended? Thank you for the video and comments.

@notconnected3815 Місяць тому

Good question. I have an 800W inverter, and it seems to get at it's limits in the moment the compressor starts. Thankfully my inverter has some short term overload capacity. Even if the fridge only consumes 75W in AVERAGE, during compressor start up it need's much more. First i tried it with a 300W inverter and it did not manage to handle the start up currents. It went into overload protection mode. The 800W does work, but it sounds very loud during that moment. I kept the 800W, but i would recommend more than 1000W. Maybe someone else here has tried it with a bigger inverter?

@jacobuszwanenburg1629 Місяць тому

Good luck I’m on a boat in the caribe. The heat loss is amazing and a lot of battery power used for refrigeration. Certainly way more than your % lol without opening it at all

@d-rot Місяць тому

Hardly surprising that a boat fridge isn't as thermally efficient as a household one.

@plymouth5714 Місяць тому

We recently had solar panels fitted, ten in total on an east west facing roof (five each side). Never looked too much in the past as you definitely needed a south facing roof with the older type panels. We have two upright freezers, a fridge-freezer and a fridge. When the sun is shining the panels run all of those plus a 2Kw ceramic radiator. Also had a 8.4Kwh storage battery fitted in the attic, again after a good sunny day the battery will continue powering everything up to about 10pm. On a cloudy day the panels still reduce any mains consumption by around 20p per hour. The first full month after they were fitted our overall consumption dropped by 25Kw. Now all we need is the ruddy SEG agreement to come through!

@briandalrymple9986 Місяць тому

Most inverters have a switch to turn off the stand by function. Utilise this switch into the fridge controller circuit, and when the fridge compressor is not needing to run, disable the standby on the inverter. When the compressor needs to run, just pony an auxiliary contact to turn the inverter to run state. The battery will still charge, but the panels will not need to overcome the standby current while charging on a non-standby state.

@johnhanley2431 Місяць тому

To extend your idea further. Most modern refrigerators will hold temperature for many hours. Put the inverter on a timer that turns off the inverter at 10 PM and back on at 6 AM. Then cycle on and off during the day. That can reduce standby inverter losses by 50% or more.

@covecarpentry Місяць тому

Great job as usual.

@alkiou3613 Місяць тому

That's a great way to calculate your solar system, in a way that's plenty for your essential loads.

@billb945 15 днів тому

My 20 year old 18 cu ft fridge uses 1.8 kwh per day. Matches the online estimate. A new one uses approx 1.2 kwh/day but the payback time is hard to justify replacing a fridge that is working fine. 1.2 kwh would be easier on a solar generator system to run it for several days (or even 24/7) in the Winter in Ma.

@timwhite3030 Місяць тому

Excellent video!! Just wondering if you have a way of calculating the loss from the Solar controller. I also get bogged down in calculating the panel output when converted to the controller output. For example if my panel puts out 100w @18v how many watts does the controller put out at 12.5v? This is important to figure out how many panels I need to charge the battery.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I believe most MPPT's to be 95% efficient. 100W/14.6V=6.84A*0.95=6.5A

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

Your charge MPPT controller is going to output 14.4 volts -- not 12.5 volts.

@EverinMalpica Місяць тому

Great Video! What you will need to no waste the solar power energy ones your battery's are full? What you need to install to use this excess power to decrease the grid usage?

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks! I suggest adding more batteries. But if it's really worth it to add more batteries in a properly sized system? Especially if you are connected to the grid it might not be worth it. Are those few extra kwh a few dozen times a year worth spending $1000's on for additional batteries?

@ksenyxths Місяць тому

Well explained, but I think you missed the part where the fridge runs directly on solar energy during the day. For instance, if the battery is fully charged, the inverter utilizes solar energy to power the fridge. Consequently, the fridge only draws power from the battery during periods of low sunlight. It's feasible to operate the fridge using only half of this system, although it naturally depends on the area where the PV panels are installed.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

You are right. But that would make the calculations unnecessarily complex. This is aimed for people new to solar and would be overwhelming. Thank you for your feedback.

@AliGsa-iw2tq Місяць тому

😢😊😅😅@@cleversolarpower

@laurentnyawakira2607 Місяць тому

I am happy about this video, if someone knows better, he (she) can advise me. I want to move to an off grid area and want to use all the home appliances + 2 freezers. Do you think a 10kw solar set can help? Kindly advise. Thanks

@FunwithCaleb22 12 днів тому

Thank you

@22balogh22 27 днів тому

I found a brand new Liebhr 24 inch full size fridge at the brick (Canada)for a cabin i have,, it was missing some of the front covers and door handles and I got it for $500 , according to its spec sheet it uses 0.789 kwh over a 24 hour period , 288kwh annually , its power specs are 183 watts at 2.3 amps which I think is amazing for a fridge this size,, I have power at the cabin but we arent always there so I am trying to put together a solar backup when the power goes out strictly for the fridge(Shuswap was devastated by a huge fire recently and power was out for weeks)

@cleversolarpower 26 днів тому

Yes, Liebhrr fridges and freezers are efficient. They cost a lot more, but if you are off grid it will save you money in the long term.

@BRBodin Місяць тому

The BMS on the battery bank need to be able to take 1110Wh charge too... on a 12V system that would be roughly 92A.. Also need to calculate loss in the inverter too..

@dirkschneider5879 Місяць тому

Thanks great video but I am still confused with the battery sizes. I have 2x12v 110 AH batteries which I can use in serial or parallel mode having a 12 v or 24 v battery system. But the capacity still stays the same? Right? I need some help, thanks.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I recommend watching my videos about batteries in series and parallel. If you connect your batteries in series you will get 24V 110Ah, if you connect in parallel you will get 12V 220Ah. Mind your inverter, because it will work on either 12V or 24V. I recommend 24V because your whole installation will be cheaper. Check my video about 12V, 24V or 48V systems.

@Ekanselter Місяць тому

Excellent information. Am I correct that 'idle current' would typically be much higher on an unnecessarily oversized inverter for the applied load? Secondly, would 'Efficiency losses' likewise be higher in the same scenario? ie: Running an inverter for extended periods at 10% load?

@notconnected3815 Місяць тому

You need to oversize your inverter. Because 75W is just the average consumption. Every time the compressor motor starts it needs higher currents. In my experience you would need a 1000W inverter (or more) for a big fridge like this.

@markirish7599 Місяць тому

Brilliant video

@diySolarPowerFunWithRay 3 дні тому

What program do you use edit your videos and add those writing animations? Thanks, Great video by the way.

@cleversolarpower 3 дні тому

Hey Ray! Nice to have you on the channel! I use videoscribe for my videos and audacity for my voiceovers.

@ronayling1979 Місяць тому

I did it differently I used a voltage switch connected to a 12v battery charger, feeding a 100 amp hour battery and 5 100w solar panels if the battery volts fell below 11.5 then the charger switched on, when the battery volts rose above 13.8 the charger switched off the solar panels were connected across the battery 24/7 as is the 150w inverter, that way there is no interruption to the supply to the fridge freezer, ie if there is a time when the panels can't fully charge the battery ie some winter days and at night then the charger takes over, its a sort of mains assisted solar supply, that way the number of panels and size of battery is not to critical

@stevenjohn350 Місяць тому

excellent..

@briancase3936 Місяць тому

I followed along and the calc’s for my rig came out to 2300W solar and almost 800ah of lithium batteries! I have 1300w solar and 400 ah of lifpo now. I should probably add 2 more batteries, but I also have a generator if I have too many cloudy days, I just don’t like to run the generator if at all possible.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I have made a video dedicated to sizing your system; go check it out for more information.

@charleskutrufis9612 Місяць тому

Thank You

@richdobbs6595 Місяць тому

Depending on your circumstances, that might be overkill on the number of solar panels. Is it necessary to fully recharge you battery in one day after 3 days of cloudy weather? Maybe in Houston or Baton Rouge, probably not in Denver or Phoenix.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

It depends on your risk tolerance. If need be, you can use a generator to recharge the battery. This is for totally off-grid with 3 days of autonomy. You can repeat the calculations for your specific location.

@isleidyll286 Місяць тому

We have a 522 cubic liter (about 20 cubic feet) refrigerator operating in a room with the temperature between 25 and 30°C. This is in the Philippines without air-conditioning. We used Wattmeter and found a refrigerator power consumption of about 3 kWh per day. On a sunny day we can both run the refrigerator and recharge our batteries from our six 200w panels.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

That is a lot of power! Do you have an old fridge and is the grill at the back of the fridge free of any dust? Check if there is ice inside the fridge and run the defroster if needed. Some fridges get warm because there is ice buildup in the fridge.

@isleidyll286 Місяць тому

This refrigerator seems to have the evaporator built into the sides of the refrigerator, which become hot when the compressor is running. There are no evaporator tubes at the back of the refrigerator.

@llothar68 18 днів тому

Thanks I am in the Philippines too. How much is the heat loss nowadays on the panels. That killed the use of solar 20 years ago in Thailand

@isleidyll286 17 днів тому

@@llothar68 recently, our weather has been exceptionally hot and sunny. the power generation from the solar panels seems excellent. Perhaps it would be somewhat better if it was somewhat cooler, but overall the panels are doing well in the 100°F weather we are having.

@crissgen Місяць тому

Thanks for the video, my fridge consommation is 16W =1.6A , I tried it with my power station (bluetti E55 )then doesn’t work at all

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

1.6A at 110V? That would be 176Wh*8h per day= 1408Wh/day. The bluetti E55 has 550Wh of storage, so yeah, will not work.

@danielking2944 Місяць тому

I’m constantly monitoring my power consumption and am surprised how little power it takes for baseline operation of my home. If the water heater or air conditioner is not running, the typical load is around 750 w. We have two refrigerators and one large upright freezer. I use contactors controlled by timers to run the water heater when the solar can’t keep up. While electric clothes dryer is the biggest load, it doesn’t run as often as the water heater. We try to use it after 8: pm when electricity is free on my contract with Reliant Energy in Texas.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Free electricity after 8pm? Sign me up!

@robertkattner1997 Місяць тому

How about a wall oven in the winter?

@HarukiYamamoto Місяць тому

Can you make a video on inverter sizing to power a 3kw induction motor that has inrush current? I have a 270kg ribbon mixer with a 3kw motor that I want to connect to a solar system but I’m not sure how big of an inverter I should use that will handle the inrush current.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I believe you should measure the inrush current with a meter. I would also opt for a low frequency inverter (the heavy ones). You most likely need an 8kw victron multiplus, but i could be wrong.

@johnhanley2431 Місяць тому

The starting current is typically 5 to 7 times the rated current. Only low-power motor loads are supported by inexpensive inverters. Without more details, the smallest inverter would be 12 KW (with a good surge capacity) and I recommend 15 KW - 18 KW as a realistic minimum. I am assuming a 220/240 volt system.

@patodeweloperka Місяць тому

5:05 Are you sure "Solar Radiation" is a sun hours per day? The title states it's kWh / sqm / day. PV panel doesn't get 100% of solar radiation but efficiency is about 20% then the real power production will be: 3.47 kWh/sqm/day * 20% = 0,70kWh/sqm/day. As one typical panel is about 1,7sqm you need more than 6 PV panels to cover your scenario of 3888Wh. In reality it will be even worst because clear sky in winter without clouds, snow, fog is not common but this PV calc is based pure on globe geometry and angle of sun without taking weather into account.

@waltsailing2009 Місяць тому

Yep! There is flawed analysis in the video. It appears he forgot solar panel efficiency…19-21%…

@a675432100 12 годин тому

He already used the worst sunny month of the year as a basis of calculations, which includes all the risk factors you have named

@clarahchipuru9052 20 днів тому

Thank you Hie to get it

@masonwestling6406 Місяць тому

Your calculations are only enough to recharge the battery- if there is no load. You are also STILL running the refrigerator. That daily power draw also needs to be added to the panel capacity.

@matthewprather7386 Місяць тому

Less sun hours in winter will typically correspond to lower house temperature which will reduce energy usage per day. Thus, your solar sizing seems rather conservative (worst case). Otherwise, solid analysis.

@llothar68 18 днів тому

Only when you use aircon, which is rare in Europe

@forgottentechnology Місяць тому

By having an secondary frig during colds months in a unheated area you can reduce the overall cost of the system! I use this system 5 months of the year!

@BobBob-il2ku Місяць тому

Great video it took me months to figure out these same calculation’s & you just broke it down in 6 minutes.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Glad the video was helpful!

@chriswhinery Місяць тому

There's a couple of tricks they won't tell you when building off-grid solar to maximize power at minimum cost. But, you'll have to think outside of modern convenience. First...set your panels up facing East and West with solar breakers that get flipped at noon. You'll pick up 6 to 8 extra hours of sun per day. Second... only use heavy draw appliances when the sun is out. Turn off the fridge at night and during heavy clouds. It will stay cold a long time. With these strategies, you can run that fridge with two 300w 10a panels each way, and 6 -12v batteries in a 24v pattern.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

That sounds like a big inconvenience. Why flip the breakers on at noon and not just leave them on? Why run the risk of spoiled food when you turn off the fridge?

@chriswhinery Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower Because a refrigerator is insulated and is fine for 12 hours. Why drain your batteries? That seems a lot more inconvenient.

@Razavlogers98 17 днів тому

Thanks for information fridge AC and solar panel system😅❤

@cleversolarpower 17 днів тому

Most welcome 😊

@ralfsxm851 22 дні тому

Living on my boat in the Caribbean I threw the fridge and chose not to have one. With an average temperature of 28 - 30 C° inside the boat the fridge sucked current like crazy and even heated the boat up. I do not need ice cold drinks. Water with the temperature of the environment is okay for me. For the longer turns canned food is a must.

@cleversolarpower 21 день тому

It would be interesting to see how you keep food fresh on a boat. Thanks for sharing your story!

@ralfsxm851 21 день тому

@@cleversolarpower Cruising near the coasts I buy small amounts of fresh food on a daily base like fruit, vegetables, eggs, bred etc.. For longer turns canned food, survival food, pasta, soups etc.. If I we wonna have a party someone brings ice cubes for the cooler box. That's it

@residentboejiden5796 22 дні тому

I have 1400 watts worth of panels and i run my fridge when i can on my circuit but mostly i run only a few lamps and a kerosene heater

@GerbenWulff Місяць тому

I've done some math of my own and realised that it is a lot cheaper to get a small battery that can keep things running overnight and run a generator in case of bad weather. Instead of 4 kWh storage, just get 1 kWh and a generator. It also means you can make do with half the solar.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Yes you can, but you will have to start the generator quite often then.

@BobBob-il2ku Місяць тому

Can we go off the energy star label then divide by 365 to get the daily watt hours used?

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

You can, but I would add some extra because those are recorded in ideal situations. Just like you would never get the mileage out of the advertised values for a car.

@barnowl6807 Місяць тому

My fridge with top freezer uses 210 W during normal running. When the frost free cycle kicks in it requires 900 watts for about 10 minutes. Size your system for peak loading or you may have surprise shut downs.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

That's a huge power draw for the defrost cycle! Never seen it this high.

@henkmeiring01 Місяць тому

900 w is possible for defrost Because elements that heats up evaporator.Maybe possible to install lower wattage elements.But in general far better to use cooling system that fit with solar.Cheaper

@richardpetrovic8941 Місяць тому

Yes this is matematic. But exist also different solution. Run refrigerator when is sun and cool two or three degrees lower. And through night let it run from grid. Some batery you need only for one hour to keep running in cloudy day. Thru night you so and so do not open fridge. Switch between this two power sources can do relay switch and phased with grid we do not nead.

@CharlieMacklin1 Місяць тому

Very good

@dalefmurphy Місяць тому

If I base the power requrements on the least power-production month in winter, this will produce excessive unused power in the most productive month in summer, that will exceed my Inverter's capacity. Is this a problem? How is the excess power generated by the solar panels shedded?

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Producing more power in the summer will make your batteries fully charged during the summer. Charging will stop when the batteries are full. The charge controller will stop this, acting like a switch. The inverter has nothing to do with it as it only takes power from the battery.

@twiddler71 Місяць тому

What size fridge in CU do you have? I know smaller fridge should use less power, and also top freezers I think are more efficient. Plus if it has an ice maker, that will consume more power. Thanks

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

Larger fridge use less power because they have more insulation and high-efficiency compressor. You can get between 10 and 14 and do well.

@twiddler71 Місяць тому

Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks@@Matthew_Loutner

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

6.1cu ft or 174 liters with a 0.5 cu ft or 14l freezer section. Brand is IKEA FÖRKYLD

@twiddler71 Місяць тому

That might be a bit too small for my needs. Thanks@@cleversolarpower

@harryniedecken5321 6 днів тому

The consumption information can also be estimated using the energy consumption label inside of the refrigerator. Roughly 1 kw-hr per day.

@cleversolarpower 6 днів тому

Indeed, if that is available. I would multiply by 1.25 as a safety margin because those tests are run in lab environments.

@AnonJohn143 Місяць тому

In diagram 1 on the left-hand side, red box. Energy usage is not 4288 kWh it is 3 decimals out for a week's consumption. Just a typo. Correct me if wrong. Having said that, i would have guessed 2 solar hours on 4k system. His figure of 4 takes into account factors I didn't know about. Good vid :)

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks! It has to do with the European notation of the comma and decimals 😉

@nutbastard Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpowerSure, but in other parts of the video you use . instead of , for decimals. Pick one, us dumb americans will figure it out but maybe be consistent?

@AnonJohn143 Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower I didn't actually know that. Had assumed decimal notation was universal. As one would if just reading English texts. Tickled me when i then looked it up. Got me thinking about all the times I must have missed it in the past... ;) Brilliant, Thanks again.

@panagdimi Місяць тому

As a general suggestion and based on my own experience, I enjoy the style of your presentations but I have trouble following along with all the information you are providing and ultimately knowledge retention is low. Can you recommend an online primer / tutorial that those of us who are engineeringly challenged can read up in order to increase our understanding of the subject matter? Thanks!

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I recommend going to my website and clicking the 'start here' button on the top navigation bar. cleversolarpower.com

@panagdimi Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower

@panagdimi Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower

@lindabarrett6978 Місяць тому

Great explanation. Thank you.

@pnowikow 12 днів тому

Then take the total spend and divide it by the per kWh of cost in electrical to see break even

@SimpleLivingForever Місяць тому

Wow, this video is so awesome in detail calculation. Thank you so much

@Ozzy3333333 Місяць тому

My friends 6K solar array installed 5 years ago, averages 60% over the year (3600W), he lives in San Diego.

@markdennis6914 Місяць тому

Thanks for the clear analysis, just need to replace the comma with a period, its not 4,288 KWh, it should be 4.288KWh. Am I wrong?

@johnridout6540 Місяць тому

Most countries use a point or a space to separate thousands. Most countries also use a comma as the decimal separator.

@markdennis6914 Місяць тому

Good to know, I stand corrected, I know some people that need the exact info in this youtube, will pass on.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I'm from the EU, so I switch them up. I should do a better job since most of my viewers are from the US. Thanks for pointing this out.

@TheeHamiltons Місяць тому

24h Inverter draw seems ludicrous (80% of total fridge draw!)... isn't there a smart inverter or a timer for the inverter you can sync to sunlight cycles? This would result in an 8-12 hr inverter draw depending on lattitude. Not sure what the dusk to dawn generation actually is... would imagine nextlatitude. If so, could inverter simple be turned off (via timer or on via light sensor)? Great video though, really appreciate the thorough breakdown of everything!

@daviddogsbody Місяць тому

If you turn off the inverter you turn off the battery so no power to the fridge. The inverter takes the DC from the solar panels or the DC from the battery and converts it to AC for the fridge.

@stina646 Місяць тому

I live in southern Norway (59' North) and have an off-grid summer house with a refrigerator without freezer which use little power (was announced as 62kWh /year) , Liebherr TP1720-21 and use a 600W ePever Inverter which have a remote on/off switch. This is connected to an external thermostat to the refrigerator. Then the idle current of the inverter does not influence too much on the total power consumption. Refrigerator is On from Easter to October without any problem running on one 12.8V/100Ah Lithium battery and 550W of solar panels. If can run 4 days of total darkness,but us others have mentioned, som wattage are generated also on clouds days

@jamesrevell6475 Місяць тому

There are several different quality manufacturers of DC refrigerators and freezers. They generally have much more efficient compressors and are double insulated for roughly the same price as a regular AC unit. I have a DC 20cu/ft chest freezer that runs just fine on 200W solar panel with a single 100 amp/hr battery. I'm not talking about the small portable refrigerator and freezer that plug into your 12v car socket. I'm talking about stationary refrigerator and freezers identical to what you would find in any house. They are indistinguishable from regular appliances.

@llothar68 18 днів тому

@@daviddogsbody are there no 12v fridges. The computer world tries to get to 12v DC now to save on power supplies, especially in data centers.

@kenstockton7793 19 днів тому

So you didn't say how many panels needed?😮, you did do a good Job on the presentation, would like to get the info on how many panels would be needed?😊

@cleversolarpower 19 днів тому

Everybody has different solar panels. You can have 100W, 200W, 250W, 300W 400W, 500W, 550W so it depends on the rating of the solar panel. Divide the total power by your solar panels rating.

@JOATMOFA Місяць тому

Rather divide the daily required power by the usable battery power than multiplying it : e.g. You said : 1080Wh x 1.2 x 3 days = 3888Wh (x 120%) Rather : (1080Wh ÷ 0.8) x 3 days = 4050Wh (÷ 80%) Other than that, this is a brilliant video!

@thomasgreene8612 Місяць тому

Thank you! But is it 4288 kWh or 4288Wh (at the 0:47 mark)?

@kaptein1247 Місяць тому

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

It's 4288wh. The comma is European format 😉

@khalidrashad-xu8xe 13 днів тому

We normally switch the fridge off before sleep , never had a problem. It is also better to run the fridge on mains when the sun is not available rather than buying expensive batteries.

@cleversolarpower 12 днів тому

True, but if you are off-grid you don't have the grid available.

@agriasoaks6721 Місяць тому

So, opening and closing the fridge can significantly increase power consumption?

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

I don't believe so, because the air doesn't hold much coolness. It's the items in the fridge that are cool.

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

When you measure the weekly output of your refrigerator, you want to do that at your highest consumption in mid-july. (January in the southern hemispere.)

@hugocnx 5 днів тому

New question. How can a 1000W UPS run on a 12V 7Ah battery and an invertor system needing a 100Ah.

@jamesrevell6475 Місяць тому

The AC to DC conversion consumes more energy than the actual refrigerator. They make DC refrigerators and freezers that consume much less power. I ran my 20cu/ft DC chester freezer on 200 Watts/(1) 100 amp/hr battery with no problems. The freezer was in my garage and I live in FL. I have since upgraded to 600 watts with (3) 100 amp/hr batteries just for piece of mind while I'm out of town.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Indeed, but DC fridges are generally more expensive.

@RickySupriyadi Місяць тому

ahhhh nice

@IqbalPeerbhay-pz3jt 14 днів тому

In a solar system your storage is the most important equipment that's stores power to run your fridge..that's your Escom.Batteries has a depth of discharge meaning once a certain amount of power is utilized the whole system switches off till the next morning when the sun shines and allows the panels to recharge your batteries.All the inventor does is inverts DV voltage to AC voltage.A fridge compressor draws 3 times the rated amperage when it starts up which will drain the battery power.Do proper calculations before investing in a solar system.

@lucio788 Місяць тому

why not use Kwh?

@vincentrobinette1507 Місяць тому

kWh would be more practical with a bigger system intended to run the whole house, not just one appliance.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Exactly.

@chrisbingham3289 Місяць тому

The amount of solar energy generated per square meter depends on various factors such as location, time of day, weather conditions, and angle of the sun's rays. On average, a square meter of solar panel can generate around 200 to 300 watts of energy per day, but this number can fluctuate based on the above factors.

@PascaAlexandru Місяць тому

A while ago I measured mine and came to about 400wh/day. I have a plenty battery and panels but I still think it still draws a lot 😂

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

You are lucky haha

@paulchristopherriley7503 Місяць тому

how much for a room air conditioner?

@iindium49 Місяць тому

I could not afford the pannels so I went with a gas fridge. Its been 2 years and im still happy with the choice I made.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Thanks for sharing your experience. What brand did you go for and how much did it cost you?

@boogieknee3781 Місяць тому

You started from a false premise. You are using a compressor. Use a combination of peltiers arranged in series... They only need a teeny bit of voltage....the less each one gets individually the less hot they actually run. You DON'T need batteries. The energy is stored as a temperature differential inside the fridge. As long as the warmer side of the peltier array can radiate its heat to the external section freely,you should gradually drop the temperature inside. I got my original single chip design to freeze condensation within 6 hours inside an insulated box.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

The problem with peltiers is that it's good for small applications. A compressor is still more efficient than a peltier.

@boogieknee3781 Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower Possibly,but the benefit of having fewer points of failure in a much simpler design might make this an avenue to explore as we see further advances. If however, efficiency is key.... Einstein Fridge. Zero moving parts. Sit a sealed bucket in a larger bucket. Fill the gap with large pebbles.Leave the device in a spot where it is shaded but also ventilated. Fill remaining volume with water.(it evapoorates...absorbing energy from the area) Replenish water when needed. (Easiest way I can think of to keep milk cold but it won't freeze anything) 😸no batteries included

@henkmeiring01 Місяць тому

My defy c300 with A+ rating is suppose to use 254 kwh a year according very ( un)iformative pamflet.I measured power consumption 75 to 83 watts when on.Not accurate meters ;just give idea.Only kwh a year is shown in pamflet.No indication about true wattage usage when on.No graphs what to expect when temperature is 10;25;35;45degrees celcius outside.With say 30 times opening closing door with 10 second long opening.Manufacturers of fridges and freezers go out of their way to give you as less info as possible.They should hire you to communicate with public.Maybe will bump up their sales.Because it is not recommended to use old style refrigerators with solar.Especially hot climates that are regulary above 40.

@cameronbrucefraser Місяць тому

Need to factor in inverter efficiency, the best around 93% but only at optimal power draw, often closer to 86% most brands

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

True, but that would make the video unnecessarily complicated. I already factored it in with the idle consumption.

@cameronbrucefraser Місяць тому

no idle draw was good but its just one more term to add (fridge draw + idle draw) /efficiency*# of days without sun = size of battery@@cleversolarpower

@naujoves Місяць тому

My fridge uses around 150 watts 220v. And it seems working much longer than 8 hours a day. It's a camper fridge. It can use gas, 12v and 220v source.

@cleversolarpower Місяць тому

Seems like a big fridge/freezer or an older type. Do you know the average consumption of the fridge per day in Wh?

@stephenspreckley8219 Місяць тому

Clean the dust and crap off the works underneath, fan, cooling fins etc.. careful use of an air compressor is good. Then they work more efficiently.

@Matthew_Loutner Місяць тому

You might want to invest in a more energy efficient fridge. Mine uses 56 watts. It is a 14 cubic foot Samsung garage-ready refrigerator with an inverter compressor. I got it for $700. Larger refrigerators are more energy efficient because they have twice the insulation factor.

@naujoves Місяць тому

@@cleversolarpower Caravan or motorhome Thetford 3 N80EL, 3 Way Fridge. 240volts/12 Volts/gas. Dimensions: H: 821 mm W: 486 mm D: 543 mm

@donames6941 Місяць тому

The new refrigerators that are made now work better now on less wattage then a refrigerator 10 years old are older i had my old refrigerator hooked to a 2000 watt just to get it to start up then got a new refrigerator and now got power to spare for other things

@josevargas8073 Місяць тому

If you design the solar panels with 25% of the daily energy needed it will work just fine, what you need is to ensure you receive with the solar panels at least the daily power consumption. So in my experience around 400W in solar panels will do fine.

@josevargas8073 Місяць тому

I meant 125%