Solar power and an air conditioning unit?

[Kixwy2]

So the weather has been hot. And I'm thinking about getting an air conditioner for my apartment; something to keep the dogs relatively cool. (and me)

Since they use a lot of electricity, I'm wondering if I can adapt it to use solar power. My thought was to get some solar panels, hook them up to a battery, which would then power an inverter. I'm not looking to have the a/c unit run all day, just intermittantly. Obviously everything depends on the BTU's of the unit, the capacity of the inverter, and the size of the panels, but is this even feasible?

I saw some units for sale online, but I'm thinking more of a DIY type option since I have a lot of the components available to me fairly cheaply.

Thanks in advance for thoughts and ideas!

[madjack]

...it could be if you have enough battery and solar panels...keep in mind, that 5k window shaker, will pull 5 to 7+amps with upto triple that on startup...with the 10fold differential between 12vdc and 120vac, you will need to have 50 to 150 amps available for running and starting the unit...doable but not all that feasible...where do you live, if in a less humid area a swamp type cooler might be better suited...........
madjack

[Miriam C.]

In an apartment??????? Where will you put your panels and not get them stolen.

The new (not cheappys) window units are pretty efficient when it comes down to it. I use one to keep my big unit from coming when cooking. Really drops the bills down.

[Kixwy2]

Hmm. I still thinking theory at this point... Since the apt is more like a duplex and I have a little yard that gets sun 3/4 of the day I'm not worried about anything being stolen.

The unit would be a window unit - a friend is moving and wants to get rid of his for little to no money. (about 3 years old) I have an 800w inverter already, which claims to run 20A for up to 45 minutes on 12VDC. I own two 12V batteries.

One of those is hooked up to said inverter, and I use it to power 2 4ft fluorescent work lights in a storage unit when I offload gear late at night. The battery currently charges via a 110 outlet, and I just unplug it, throw it in the back of the truck, and go. i.e, I've had no troubles with this setup so far.

If I modified the setup to use some 60w panels to charge the battery, would this work? I'd like to try to be green, especially when it comes to such a big electrical drain.

[mikeschn]

You'd be better off using the solar power and batteries to run your lights at night, and use the apartment electricity if you need to run the air conditioner.

Mike...

[dreadcptflint]

Aunti M is right. Unless you want to replace thos panels then you best figure out a good way to secure your panels. It is not unheard that solar panels can unexpectly grow legs and walk away. I have been pricing panels for a while and I know that I would be upset if I had panels walk away from my trailer.

Matt

[jeep_bluetj]

You'll need about 1Kw of solar to power one little windowshaker solely off of solar, using SWAG guesses at panel and inverter efficiiency and duty cycle.

You'll also need ~2KW inverter so that it can handle the surge to start the windowshaker (YMMV, depending on the inverter and AC).

All in all, you're talking around $5K + to "greenly" power a $80 airconditioner.

Sure, over 10-15 years, you'll come out possibly even $$$$ wise. But it just isn't all that much worth it. Solar power has a real energy density problem in most parts of the world. Couple that with significant costs for the equipment, and it's not that great of a choice as one may initially expect. Great for trailers/motorhomes/etc though.

Wanna go green? Open a window. Wanna be cool? Send $10 a month to your local utility and run that windowshaker.

[dreadcptflint]

Jeff,
I think that a person can cool their camper cheaper than $5000 and be off the grid. My best guess would be going with a swamp cooler (I know that there has got to be a decent cheap one out there) and pairing it with either a solar panel or small wind generator. Given that it won't work in parts of the country however us desert dwellers would be very happy.

Matt

[madjack]

You'll need about 1Kw of solar to power one little windowshaker solely off of solar, using SWAG guesses at panel and inverter efficiiency and duty cycle.

You'll also need ~2KW inverter so that it can handle the surge to start the windowshaker (YMMV, depending on the inverter and AC).

All in all, you're talking around $5K + to "greenly" power a $80 airconditioner.

Sure, over 10-15 years, you'll come out possibly even $$$$ wise. But it just isn't all that much worth it. Solar power has a real energy density problem in most parts of the world. Couple that with significant costs for the equipment, and it's not that great of a choice as one may initially expect. Great for trailers/motorhomes/etc though.

Wanna go green? Open a window. Wanna be cool? Send $10 a month to your local utility and run that windowshaker.

...my point EXACTLY...doable yes...practical no...it's your money, spend it as you wish....................