Is It Possible to Run an Air Conditioner and 12v Fridge Solely on Solar and Battery Power

Published 05/18/2022

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4,500-Watt Portable RV Generator - 3,600 Running Watts - Propane or Gas - Electric Start

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$643.68

Go Power Solar Extreme Charging System - 600 Watt Solar Panels - 3,000 Watt Inverter Charger

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$3407.99

Question:

Can I run a 12v fridge and air conditioning with solar/battery power? I have a 1977 Argosy, do the newer AC units use less power?

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Running your A/C solely off of solar and battery power is not recommended. Due to the amount of power drawn by the A/C, it is near impossible to run with just solar and battery power and the new A/C's are no exception to this. At minimum we recommend a battery bank with at least 700 amp hours. You'll need a solar panel kit like the Go Power Solar AE-6 All Electric System with 3 MPPT Solar Controllers # 342-75011 or larger to recharge your batteries. You'll also need an inverter like the Go Power Industrial Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger # 34275013. Even with this large of a set-up (if you have the roof space for all of the panels) the system would still most likely fall short of keeping up with the A/C. You would also be looking at $15k-$20k in initial cost.

A more effective option would be to use a smaller solar set-up like the Go Power Solar Extreme Charging System # 34282185 (includes Inverter Charger) with a battery bank between 250-300 amp hours to run the fridge and other items like lights. You can then use a generator like the 4,500-Watt Portable RV Generator # 333-0005 to run the A/C.

expert reply by: Scott S