How much solar power

[Starquality]

Any thoughts on how much solar and batteries it will take to run a medium sized refrigerator and star link in a class A motor home?

 

[Rich W.]

If you’re trying to keep the system as small as possible and still do the job, its best to look at solar as just a battery charger. Judge your battery bank size based on the kwh (or amp hours) you’ll use overnight after the sun goes down based on a full state of charge. Then base the solar on how much power its going to take to recharge the bank during the day and also power whatever you’ll be running during that period.

I put as much solar on the roof as I could, eliminating my OTA TV antenna and Winegard stuff and when I replace my batteries I’ll probably at least double the bank capacity because you can’t count on solar. If you plan to supplement the system with your generator factor that in too. Sorry this isn’t more specific but just throwing some numbers out there may or may not answer the question. You have to determine your power needs first and design a system around that.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Look at the energy use guide for the appliances you desire to run. The annual power divided by 365 will give a rough estimate of their daily requirements.

Night time power requirements are low for refrigerators due to non-use. This minimizes battery capacity. However resistance on large banks aren't as great so more is better.

Solar capacity! Figure power in watt hours, and plan getting 1/4 of rated panel output! And you will not have any problems until you place more demand on the system without increasing its size!