I am wanting to power just a couple household items with a small solar panel. What will I need? I know I need a solar panel, and some kind of AC-DC converter, and a battery perhaps? How would I wire it up?

I do NOT want to spend a fortune doing this, I am only in an apartment, so it needs to be small and self-contained.

Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by redscott77092
You might have trouble doing this in an apartment, since apt managers don’t usually like tenants adding things like that.

Powering any appliance will require a PV panel at least 4 feet wide and you’ll have trouble using that in an apartment. Anything small enough to fit on your balcony or deck will not make much power.

That said, if you use a battery set and charger you can charge with almost any panel and operate any device that runs on the juice available from your batteries. In an apartment you won’t have space for very big batteries.

Recreational vehicles use appliances like TV, coffemaker, refrigerator etc designed to run on 12 or 24 volts and will be easier to run on a low volt system. 120 volts will require a bigger PV panel.

Remember, volts is not the only thing to think about. You must also consider the amperage & watts. A fridge will require more amps & watts than a radio.

There are hundreds of websites that teach how to choose (size) the PV panel to run the appliances that you need. If you were in your own home then you could look at “net metering” and not care about batteries, but not in an apartment.

Add your own answer in the comments!