How Many Solar Panels To Run a Fridge/Freezer?

[@cleversolarpower]

🎁 Free Diagrams: cleversolarpower.com/free-diagrams/ 📖 My Best-Selling book on Amazon: cleversolarpower.com/off-grid-solar-power-simplified

[@conanmarcfortunato6581]

hi, can you share the energy meter that you use to measure the fridge power consumption

[@ashyslashy5818]

YOU SUCK AT MATH

[@hawk1481]

You can wire a relay into the thermostat on the refrigerator to start up the inverter to run the refrigerator

[@Tab7.6.Tab7.6]

​@@conanmarcfortunato6581All you need to check your refrigerator's energy consumption is a Tuya/Smart Life WiFi smart plug with energy metering.

[@nazariiboichyshyn4300]

DISLIKE! you should use LFP batteries with 4000 cycles to 80% of capacity not LiIon with 800 cycles!!!

[@metamud8686]

So in the end, you still don't show how MANY solar panels are needed. I know that depends on how much the panels are rated for, but you're the one that comes up with the title. Then you gotta show.

[@PeterSedesse]

?? Because anyone who followed the math so far can easily do that final math problem based on the panels they buy. If you need 1200w of solar panels and you can't calculate how many 200w panels you need, you should probably just hire someone because you definitely won't get the solar controller or inverter right.

[@perfectomprg]

You need 3

[@jimjasper9851]

I’m sure he said 1,100 watts, therefore given a standard solar panel normally generates 250w, so you will need 5+

[@bustersbashers2280]

And this is why most people are not subscribed…!.!.!

[@BaldAndCurious]

He already did the heavy lifting, you can do the last computation yourself depending on what panel system you're buying.

[@tobiaswedel7245]

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]

Thanks for sharing Tobias!

[@johnbeton4058]

​@@cleversolarpower You sound like someone from Belgium.

[@smardigitalvideo]

What kind of inverter.o share the list of material solar panel converter inverter batteries thamks

[@tobiaswedel7245]

Inverter is a ECTIVE SSI10. 2x Canadian Solar 400w panel's. Battery is a LiTime 24v LiFe 200ah

[@cleversolarpower]

@johnbeton4058 That's because I am

[@masonwestling6406]

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.

[@rgruenhaus]

I was thinking it was going to be a system with a battery being used while another battery was charging!

[@cs7th]

He is calculating the panels to charge 3 days of power in One Day of the worse charging month. Re-run the last section to clarify this info.

[@Rpol_404]

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]

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

[@zweed69]

yes when its just cloudy you can a bit of charge but when its dark and very poor weather you will get close to zero even with a large array

[@nothingpromised2569]

i have 990w of solar on my van and run a full size 120v fridge full time and with 300ah of 12v i can also run a microwave or air frier

[@cactusflowerbeekeeping97]

I have an old VW camper frig in my Vw van, I started with 100watts and 1 battery, ended up with 200watts and 3 batteries, works great (and a 20 amp charge controller).

[@trentvlak]

You should look at the 12V frig like Euhomy.

[@TechMa-iv8bm]

Amazing video, though there were some mistakes: 1. 0:05 - It shows that the fridge is using 4288 kWh, not Wh 2. 0:59 - 4288 divided by 7 is ~612.6W, so it is not exactly spot on (1:30) 3. 3:37 - No, you need to multiply it by 1.25 (100 / 80 = 1.25) The calculations are close enough, so in this case the battery capacity has just over 5% deficit.

[@beesknees6970]

I'm not getting that... 75 watts times 24 hrs in a day times 7 days is 12,600 watts or 12.6 KW a week. What am I missing?

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

You do realize that there's a coma between the 4 and the 288 in those kw/h numbers right? You do know what that means, right?

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

​@@beesknees6970you are missing that the fridge isn't constantly on. Sometimes it is idling. He explained it around 1:30.

[@beesknees6970]

@@TheAllMightyGodofCod Oh OK I see it now. I'm new to solar and trying to figure it all out. I'm wondering lately why doesn't everyone use 400-500 watt panels instead of 100 watt panels like I see alot of people saying they use.. They are out there, and wouldn't the higher watt panel charge your batteries faster? I'm needing a fast charge system as I have trees around me. I need to run a window ac that uses about 400 watts. I live in high heat and will need an ac when power goes out.

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

@@beesknees6970 well, I don't know the answer for that but my guess would be that it might cost them less to have 4X100w than a single 400w one... Either that or they live in places where the weather might damage the panel and that way, even if one gets damaged, they still have some ones going on... But that is just my guess, absolutely no facts/evidence to support my guess...

[@henkmeiring01]

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.

[@JebusHypocristosX]

One system to run everything including the heat pump. Why power each appliance individually?

[@patodeweloperka]

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]

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

[@a675432100]

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

[@ehsandhaka]

Perhaps you did not take consideration of initial current required each time compressor starts. That amout is significant. You may need more power in reality , worth trying practical demo.

[@cleversolarpower]

I share my recorded power consumption at 0:05 please take another look.

[@ksenyxths]

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]

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]

😢😊😅😅​@@cleversolarpower

[@ihunnawisdom2376]

​@@cleversolarpowerdo you have video for this ?

[@liveuk]

Use a 12 or 24 volt free and leave out the inverter. These are available for campers and trucks.

[@walkertongdee]

Misleading this is a tiny fridge hardly enough for one person

[@ide858]

Why still using inverter while every device use dc currant or at least every device has ac to dc converter

[@LuisMorales-ds4on]

I am still waiting to see how many panels I need……🤨

[@cleversolarpower]

Wait a little bit longer until you are at 4:22

[@outbackeddie]

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).

[@plinble]

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]

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]

Batteries. You must store everything you can get.

[@junkerzn7312]

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]

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]

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

[@utubeape]

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]

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

[@patrickstarnes2355]

Put your fridge outside in December when it's cold outside 🤔

[@willgarrod9907]

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

[@katebygrave]

Excellent video, well thought through and presented.

[@cleversolarpower]

Thank you!

[@shagsheep8832]

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").

[@funnycatvideos5490]

Direct drive compressors from inverter refrigerators do not last Long.

[@danpoczynek]

It’s nothing to do with Solar panels…..it’s all about the storage battery size. Yes you will need solar panels and a decent mppt and a pure sign wave inverter

[@cleversolarpower]

In order to put the energy in the battery, you need solar panels. So i don't understand your statement.

[@clemarkstheone.]

Well explained and illustrated. Thanks.

[@sheryldelacruz5619]

just to let you know the suscribe button does not show on your channel for some reason.

[@mweembamalundu619]

I just subscribed

[@stevejagger8602]

Now tell me how KZbin knew I was thinking of this concept? I live in the tropics with an unreliable national power provider.

[@cleversolarpower]

Check my video about load shedding. It might be useful for unreliable grids.

[@lucio788]

why not use Kwh?

[@vincentrobinette1507]

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

[@cleversolarpower]

Exactly.

[@JanHeisterberg-Andersen]

What happened to the consumption while charging ? You must charge the battery and run the appliance - for 24 hours - to get a valid sizing. You must define your initial condition and reach the same condition again to have valid sizing.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Good point!

[@0x0404]

Makes it sound like there should be better inverters if the inverter is almost as hungry as the fridge.

[@drakekoefoed1642]

so this would be like $2k to power just a reefer? that looks like a waste of money. i would like to do solar but i don't have thousands to spend to save $10 a month.

[@cleversolarpower]

This is for an off-grid property in the worst case without a generator.

[@kevinholland4156]

Viewers: Please subscribe and hit the thumbs-up button! Let us support the great content of Clever Solar. His book has become the bible of solar energy

[@cleversolarpower]

Thanks for your kind words.

[@TeutonicNordwind]

So silly when people approach things with "How many "panels" do I need for...?" As if a 100w panel and a 250 or 300w are the same result. This kind of title just perpetuates the ignorance

[@cleversolarpower]

We all know we will get a watt figure at the end. This is a question which is frequently asked. I'm sorry I offended you 😄

[@TeutonicNordwind]

@@cleversolarpower LOL not offended. I just find it silly. Like when someone asks "Will a solar panel run a refrigerator?"

[@johnhanley2431]

Your video is very nice but has several problems. 1) In the slide at 0:41 seconds, the "Energy Usage" shows 4,288 kWh. It should show 4,288 Wh. 2) You are not taking into account DC-DC losses (solar panels -> solar charger-> battery) which are 10% to 20%. 3) You are not including DC-AC losses (battery -> interverter -> AC) which are 10% to 20% but can be much higher for low power loads such as 75W. 4) You recommend three days of battery storage (good) but then recommend recharging the battery (3 days of charge) each day which is oversizing the solar panel array. 5) I do not recommend using the worst month of the year which results in higher cost and wasted solar production for most of the year. Instead, use a low-cost inverter generator to recharge the batteries on poor solar production days.

[@cleversolarpower]

Thanks for your comment John. It's using European decimal placements. I figured the people will figure it out. If I take every loss in account then nobody would end the video 😄. I'm displaying a still simplified calculation for the viewers who are new to solar. I made a video about how long a fridge will last. It talks about losses more in depth. It would be great if you could share your findings on that video as well. Thanks

[@johnhanley2431]

@@cleversolarpowerI did not mean to criticize your video as it is very good at covering the major factors to consider. I have watched some of your other videos and you have a good set of videos that share information.

[@maineman152]

It's not the number of solar panels your have, it's the number of batteries you have in your bank which you draw power on !

[@boogieknee3781]

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]

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

[@boogieknee3781]

@@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

[@postiemania]

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.

[@lalyanasimkin5398]

There is somethi g you have'nt talken about. The compressor consumption at the starting. It can amount 5 to 10 times the normal consumption. And if the inverter and the battery are not enough powerful, the refrigerator do'nt start!

[@cleversolarpower]

This has been calculated in the consumption. The inverter has to be sized to 6x the normal power rating of the fridge. So my 75W fridge needs at least 450W. There are many caveats, but it would be too much to include it in a 5min video.

[@lalyanasimkin5398]

@@cleversolarpower OK

[@larryperry2094]

I run my ancient half size fridge on 6 HF solar panels and 2 100ah li-time batteries. I have my system wired in a 24 volt configuration and a rich solar 40 amp charge controller. I have had to run the generator a couple times but it has been very minimal. When you have a smaller system and are off grid or just don't want to use wall power or a generator it pays to watch the weather and learn your own personal equipment. Also going to a 24volt system is the best,easiest and cheapest way to go. 24 volt also has a little bit better conversion efficiency. I started with 12volt and can definitely vouch for the efficiency factor of going to 24volt.

[@TURK_182]

Can you show how much solar would be required to charge a Tesla?

[@cleversolarpower]

I might make a video about this in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@justicator]

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.

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...

[@thesecond5588]

After 37 years as a carpenter having installed rolled roofing, shingles, shakes and tin roofing, I've never subscribed to adding more holes in the roof to attach solar panels.

[@brianrhodebeck6465]

2 3 hundred and twenty watt panels 4. 1 hundred amp lithium batteries 1 Twelve hundred watt Phoenix inverter 30amp charge controller work great

[@anthonympakakota8189]

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]

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.

[@Lardzor]

Clearly a solar system to run just a refrigerator is a hard sell considering the average refrigerator in the U.S. only costs about $100 per year to operate, and a solar system designed to accommodate only that will cost thousands of dollars. That would mean a return on investment of at least 20 years.

[@williamwiese9963]

10,500 watt hrs on my 24 volt system. Should be fine.

[@luzi29]

Well you have to consider you are basically powering it with photons… the amount of photons is not very high… and don’t forget if the sun had more energy you would basically fry when you go out 😂 so let’s all be happy that solar energy output is so low.

[@annwang5530]

Get 1500w solar panels (500w x3units) for a 75w fridge (around 500€ inverter and 48v batt included)

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

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

[@cleversolarpower]

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

[@OzzPhysicist]

Solar panels are now cheaper than ever. I recently bought a 460W panel for just 72 Euros! Good quality as well. So no reason to save too much on panels.

[@Reaktanzkreis]

too much panels are never enough, they are chea nowadays. The limiting factor are the square to fit them.

[@cleversolarpower]

I agree. Second hand is even cheaper.

[@luimackjohnson302]

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

[@cleversolarpower]

Thanks!

[@cameronbrucefraser]

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

[@cleversolarpower]

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

[@cameronbrucefraser]

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

[@majoroz4876]

Do NOT make it more difficult than it is. Just provide 75 watts............cells in daytime, batteries at night. What a waste...........

[@Ozzy3333333]

By swapping the fridge ac motor to a DC motor that can run straight off the battery would save big time. This would eliminating the inverter cost/efficiency, and the battery size of almost double, and the double the size of the required solar panels. Reworded, using the inverter you need a 80% larger (1080/600=1.8) output, now the three day deal makes that 3 times worse for the battery and panels..Now the ~100W DC motor would cost about 50~100 usd, compare that to increased size of the overall system. Someone do the math to show how much lower cost going this route. Without the inverter cost, plus 60% less cost on battery size and panels needed, I would say it's a win win.

[@thomasgreene8612]

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

[@kaptein1247]

Wh

[@cleversolarpower]

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

[@dandupaysdegex]

I'm not sure that winter offers the worst conditions for a fridge. If it's 3 degrees outside, well then the battery won't have to discharge at all.

[@cleversolarpower]

Do you put your fridge outside?

[@emariaenterprises]

​@@cleversolarpoweri would.

[@Nobody-gm3bb]

good job my brother just subbed you going to run my caravan off gird tell me please are flexible panels any good ? i had normal ones on a van i converted . one 70w on the top and 2 x 70w that could take i and out when i needed . i would like to keep weight down . but if the flxible ones dont last or theres a next problem please tell me because you know your shit my G

[@alexclifford2485]

The inverter is wasting 40% of the electricity. Instead of these small cycles and being always on. Why not turn it and the fridge off overnight on a timer when its typically colder anyway, its not open. Then let it recool in the morning, reducing your idle power consumption a lot. Plus you will have power running the fridge when its sunny, directly. You could just connect it more directly, no? It seems crazy to spend thousands on such a huge system just to power a fridge.

[@alkiou3613]

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

[@falknnn]

On slide 3 you multiply by 1.2 to get battery capacity when only using 80%, Thats incorrevt. You need to mutliply by 1.25, or divide by 0.8. 1080 Wh / 0.8 * 3 days = 4050 Wh

[@IOANCHRIST-GODSTEF]

1 His Fridge Consumes 75Wats/Hour, 1 Panel Top Output 100 Wats At Top Sun 🌞, So At Around 3 Panels You Should Have Enough To Run Through The Rest Of The Day, Yet Not Over The Night! 2 More Panels, So 5 In Total Would Compensate For Storage For Night Time!

[@StofStuiver]

Sounds about right. If you want to go cheap and efficient, you can go for a minimal option with regard to everything. It then does require you to monitor battery status closely and unplug your freezer units and hook em up to the normal grid when your input power is low. So basically have 2 separate systems. Also helps a lot if you lay down a strict policy on yourself for opening the fridge/freezer door, when power is low. Saves a lot of energy. Also keep your fridge/freezer well organised, so it doesnt have to be open long. And provide them with enough room (depends on which model) to cool itself. etc

[@peterdalton4370]

I have two domestic inverter fridge with freezer, one a Samsung, the energy rating sticker shows 365 kWh/year while the other fridge is a Westinghouse it's energy rating sticker shows 440 kWh/year. How come your fridge uses 4288 kWh/per ???

[@mikespangler98]

3.5 kw-hr per day for my refrigerator. In the summer there are 14 hours a daylight so one 300 W solar panel would do it assuming 90% efficiency from the inverter. In the winter 8 hours of sun light and the sun is lower in the sky so the panel only supplies 80% of the summer output. So I need three panels. But it's also true that the heavy overcast typical of winter cuts the panel's output to 7% of nameplate, or 1/14th. So 3 times 14 is 42. That number again... Summer is easy, winter not so much unless I move the refrigerator outside.

[@marusholilac]

My Kenmore 21 cu. ft. upright freezer uses 135W when running, and 1.4kWh/day, including a defrost cycle. The defrost cycle can be defeated by selecting Sabbath Mode, to reduce the power consumption. All unused space is filled with 1/2 gallon jugs of ice. Thus, in an emergency I could run it on solar and battery plus I would have at least 2 days before thawing would begin. My Samsung 21 cu. ft. uses 2.4kWh per day and the defrost cycle cannot be turned off, I also have a 4 cu ft dorm fridge which uses the same 1.4kWh per day as the big freezer. I have yet another freezer in the garage which holds only foods that don't need refrigeration - cooking oil, bread, sweets, nuts, etc. In an emergency it will not be powered; and all the ice jugs in it can be used in the power-hungry Samsung fridge.. - -

[@plymouth5714]

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!

[@perfectomartinez3526]

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

[@notconnected3815]

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?

[@news2383]

Your numbers say KWH and then you to WH. One of those is wrong because a KWH is 1000 WH's. And for 80% capacity you don't multiply by 1.2. you multiply by 1.25. 1/0.8= 1.25.

[@bruce-le-smith]

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

[@ihabahmed1132]

Very good analysis and guidelines, i will be happy i you do a video to How Many Solar Panels To Run a 1.0/1.5 ton Air conditioner.

[@cleversolarpower]

This one is in the making ✌Appreciate your sub!

[@Kizito-pn8on]

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

[@svetlinkaradzhov5841]

Sorry, but from what I understand you calculate the PV size in order to recharge the batteries fully in one day, after they were discharged after 3 days of autonomy. Maybe I didn't understand correctly. But if I did I would argue that in reality you need much smaller (dare I say half) of the PV energy production. Please let me know what you think and if you have run some tests with smaller PV size 🙏

[@doesntmatter3068]

What actually makes MORE sense, is to figure out how long it would take to break even on your electric bill vs installing a bunch of ugly boards on your roof. (I already know, It NOT worth it)

[@Curtis-i6o]

Didn't say how many panels were needed.

[@shane_ohara51]

Just subscribed! Wow, best channel I’ve found for solar info! Thanks for the videos

[@cleversolarpower]

Thanks for your comment Shane!

[@daviddiaz3829]

Thank you very much for your videos.. I really appreciate it!!!

[@funnycatvideos5490]

Inverter technology has not caught up Yet, nor has battery technology, nor has solar panel technology with At most 10% efficiency.

[@koborkutya7338]

The number in that table is kWh/square meter / day. Dividing the total energy by that number results in the square meter of solar required assuming 100% efficiency. Then you have to assume efficiency of solar Then tilt and orientation. Then round-trip efficiency of charging/discharging. This is a very misleading video.

[@VarHar-x1k]

Remember: Sometimes you may not have enough powerfull Sunshine to recharge cells for few days. Around December or January, you may have only few hours of Sunshine per day to be enough productive and no electriciy for next few days. So calculate the size of batteries and solar pannels based on maximum usage and minimum energy producing. .

[@mikesahle1193]

Thank you 🙏 for cleared educational facts words ☝️👏👏👏and great 🎥👍👋☮️

[@edfx]

You should use 80W inverter instead. 0.8W idle power consumption instead of 20W.

[@WhoStoleMyAlias]

Haha! I guess you must live way down south, still seeing 55% of max output in December. I get just 7.6%.

[@charliepearce8767]

4,45 batteries, not a battery needed. And when you think you got it worked out , double the capacity. Otherwise, divorce will be on the horizon. Many people comment about this subject but have never done it. I have. My family lived off grid in the Australian bush for over 11 years. Gas fridge converted to take different fuels, gas, kerosene, motor oil is the safest cheapest and most reliable way to go. And iv yar going off grid in the Australian desert, refrigerator, or better still, a freezer is a must..

[@AlexLepore-xi8qn]

Hi Clever Solar Power, I am the Sales Director of Fortress Power, would you be interested in reviewing and testing our differentiated whole home energy solutions that have built in load shedding and EV charger integration?

[@AjayAjay-gz3oz]

Even on cloudy days one gets >25% Output of Solar Panels that charge the Batteries too. So.. 3 days of Battery Storage is too Conservative..

[@anthonynicoli]

So, how many panels is left unanswered. I guess it’s like the number of licks needed to get to the center of a tootsie pop; the world may never know. ;-)

[@Domingorparedes]

Mines fluctuates 165w-135w. 24h compsumption around 1.8Kw.

[@cleversolarpower]

Thanks for sharing your numbers Domingor!

[@UbuteyAustralia]

I have a samsung 253 litre invertor fridge runs off 2 350 watt solar panels uses 34 amphours over night as its in my motorhome but i still have give it a charge up because theres not enough sun in the afternoon to fully charge it i run a 1000 watt inverter with a victron system management in summer we get plenty of sun but its usually that hot the panels dont perform as good as they should because of the heat and when we go away i have a 3.6!onan generator for extra power and red arc system to transform the power from the 80amp altonator 😳🤔👍

[@dandaniels851]

Sorry, did i miss something? How many solar panels does it take to run your fridge???

[@cleversolarpower]

Did you watch the whole video? 😄

[@dandaniels851]

@@cleversolarpower Twice..

[@IqbalPeerbhay-pz3jt]

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.

[@22balogh22]

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]

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.

[@iampennochio]

I do a bit of camping here in Australia and i have learnt to cheat the system. I use a 12v system 65ltr fridge/freezer but it will work on any system. The trick is to run your fridge/freezer colder than it needs to during the day when you get the most sun. So i run mine at -5c. Then about 8 o clock at night after i have opened the unit for the last time i switch it off. So between say 8pm and 6am its turned off. So it sits for 10hrs overnight switched off. When i switch it on in the morning its at about -0c so it's warmed 5 degrees overnight but it doesn't matter. So my overall run time is 14 hrs not 24.

[@cleversolarpower]

When you run it at -5°C, then the food will freeze and thaw, which is not desirable. You will also consume more power when you set the fridge to freezing. I have a video coming up showing this. Even a small battery (12V 50Ah) will save your unnecessary energy expenditure and the need to set the temp of your fridge everyday, 2 times.

[@RobinHarding-ep1ud]

None sense , in Spain 12 panels runs a modern house with 2 large fringes , bed room air con at night , lounge air con during day , washing machine , dish washer , lighting . Our electric bill is generally 5 to 10 euros a month . Feed in tarif no battery needed .

[@robwesterly5785]

A typical yacht sailing yo Tahiti with the same refrigeration capacity uses 1 × 200 watt panel! Because of efficiency ratio is increased due design ie lots of insulation drawers or chest type instead doors. An energy efficient domestic would have drawers and the compressor on top to disperse heat away, rather than at the bottom where the extra heat effects the operating system. Basically domestic fridges are the only things holding a vast majority of households from being seamlessly grid free... These fridges are cheap rubbish and none of the appliance companies have found this market potential!

[@iandodds5448]

I have just looked online for the biggest side by side fridge freezer I can find in my country. Total useful volume (l): 547 Useful volume of the refrigerator part (l): 355 Useful volume of the freezer part (l): 192 Consumption (kWh/year): 318 How the hell are you buying a fridge freezer with 13 times the power useage?

[@cleversolarpower]

My consumption will be 220kwh per year. Note the decimal is a comma in Europe. And I don't believe the numbers you are saying here. 318 for fridge freezer combo is not possible in that size.

[@tentimesful]

I know this guy who has 6 panels it was paid by collecting solar energy for 7 years now he gets money from it, not paying the energy company a penny and gets energy company cash back yearly deals from 100 to 250 euros different every year..

[@itt2055]

The city I live in has a population of around 2 million people and residential rooftop solar systems produce more than 3 times the electricity consumption of the entire state. Currently, my local government is giving no interest loans for anyone who wants to install solar panels on their home because of the money it generates for the state. We are selling the extra electricity to other states. Currently there is still one active coal power station that was kept operating because of the fear that environmentally friendly renewable alternatives to fossil fuels were not reliable but it has now been over 8 years without any problems using 100% renewable energy.

[@aleksoctop]

You didn't answer the question in the title or in the beginning of the video. Great way to make sure nobody subscribes to your half-hearted content.

[@BadXPiggyGaming]

PVWatts doesn't look very accurate as it doesn't take into account PV angle. Use PVGIS which takes average weather results from across the world, and allows you to set the PV angle and orientation. The calculation shows only 900W of solar panels to run 24/7, with a panel tilt of 45 degrees using PVGIS

[@cleversolarpower]

You can adjust the pv angle, azimuth and tracker options in PVwatts. But thanks for the suggestion.

[@marks6663]

you wrote 4,288 kWH. But to most English speaking people, that is over four million watt hours. In Europe, you guys use a comma, where we in North America and Australia use a period. And vice versa. Just pointing this out so that if you make a video in English, you should keep this in mind by switching out your commas and periods for each other.

[@cleversolarpower]

True, I got many comments about it. You are the first one to recognize the difference between them 😉

[@moetocafe]

Your fridge is definitely not very efficient. Mine is a big one, with both fridge and freezer compartments, it even comes with 2 compressors - 1 per each compartment, and the unit is like ~20 yrs old and the avg consumption in 24 hrs is 0.93 kWh, while yours is double than that : 1.8 kWh. Maybe, consider replacing your unit for a newer one, with better energy efficiency, esp. if you're going to run it on solar power.

[@moetocafe]

sorry, I was looking at the wrong numbers in the video - your actual fridge consumes 0.6 kWh per day, which is very good, 30% less than mine. Now it makes sense :)