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Run your window AC with just 2 solar panels when sun shines. Easy DIY project you can do in one day. (www.youtube.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Obviously there's lots to improve here, but for plenty of people this is a great starting point.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is there a text version of this video?

I’m interested, but what I’m wondering is the power requirements. If I’m remembering the rule of thumb correctly, it takes about 1000 watts to drive a 10k btu ac unit, plus a bit of engineering overhead. 10k btu is fairly modest and will cool about 300-400 sq ft. I’m not sure what a 1000 watt solar setup would look like - my quick search looks like people use a 100 watt setup with relatively portable panel arrays, and use them to charge an external battery which then supports a higher draw, but I imagine it wouldn’t be able to run around the clock or even for extended periods without a big array.

Am I wrong in my reasoning? Sorry, I just have a hard time with videos as opposed to reading.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Nope, you're right. AC uses a lot of power, and 1000W of solar panels would take up at least 5 m2. You would need around double that if you're gonna run solely on solar power, too, as well as a big ass battery bank.

The guy in the video is using a 5000 BTU unit to cool a small room, though, and manually switches to grid power during the night. Would definitely save money.

If I had a house with plenty of space, I would definitely make the investment.