Solar panel and fridge
Okay here goes. I have a 12v-120v fridge. It is a Norcold DE 704D model. What I want to know is how much solar do I need to run this fridge. Ask any question you want about the fridge and I will try t...
Forum Discussion
pianotuna wrote:
Reflex439,
There are numbers of folks who now have the ability to run their roof air conditioner from solar panels. Running a fridge like yours would be a snap.
It is a snap. I do it on a single 100w panel easily.
But ask those that run their ACs off solar and battery power how long they can do so. You won't find them parked in the sun running their ACs all day. I've had many people talk about how their latest lithium powered solar rig could run their air conditioner. But then the caveats start piling up. They can only run it for a portion of the day, and then it takes a couple days to put back all the energy they sucked out if only relying on their solar system. If they drove every day for a couple hours, or ran their generators, they could top off the batteries sooner. So they were still reliant on external power sources, such as generators, alternator charging, or shore power if they wanted to run their AC for more than one day.
It reminds me of a Tesla. You can get 300 or so miles on a full charge, but then you are sitting in a parking lot for 4-6 hours in order to fill your tank, or 3 hours at a high speed home station. Sure, they can run their car down the highway at 70mph, but terrible for long term traveling. So yea, you can run your AC off solar and batteries, but you will be spending a few days of limiting your electrical usage trying to recover your lost energy if all you have is your solar. God forbid it turns partially cloudy, or worse overcast.
