Need Advice - Solar Setup To Run 12V Cooler

[prambo]

In a "grid-down" situation, Mrs. prambo's insulin will need to remained refrigerated.

I'm thinking of getting a 12V travel fridge...like this one -

https://www.amazon.com/BougeRV-Port...&rnid=2661617011&sprefix=,aps,405&sr=8-1&th=1

I'm totally clueless on anything electrical, or solar.

Is there a way to buy an assembled solar system that would power the above cooler.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MothMan]

need link

 

[prambo]

Added

 

[MothMan]

a lot to chew on 1st what temp ranges for meds is required

 

[Different Drummer]

Well, you could run the entire gamut on this one. How simple? How much you willing to spend etc. etc.
On the Fridge don't cheap out. Gt a compressor type by ARB, Engle or Dometic.
Here is a simple solution. Dometic Fridge. ( there are many models ), They will run on 120-240 / and 12-24 V Dometic power pack ( PLB 40 ). It can be charged by solar, 120V or 12 V. Very compact and everything is built into the chassis. Easily portable and not overly heavy as it is a LiFePO4 battery. And a solar charge controller is not necessary when it is hooked to solar. A 100 Watt. solar panel should be plenty. The PLB 40 will power the fridge for several days without a recharge. If all you need the fridge for is the insulin get a small one and the battery power will last even longer without a charge. And the LiFePO4 battery is designed for the cycling it will undergo.
There are many ways to do it, that is just one suggestion to try and make it simple with the fewest components involved.

 

[Acer-m14]

just tossing another idea out in case the sun isnt shining ..

a small propane refrig from a camper and a dedicated tank only for the frige ...

 

[Saltwater60]

This may help explain it and size your solar panels. It says it’s 118 kWh usage per year and this breaks it down by how many kWh you’ll need daily to size your system. I would at least double it and remember you’ll need panels strong enough to charge a 12v battery or two because the sun doesn’t shine all night long. Also you’ll need enough batteries to get you through the night.

How to Convert KWh a Year to KW

The kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy equal to 3,600,000 joules. It is the energy that a circuit running at a kilowatt of power transfers when it runs continuously for an hour. Your electric bill describes your electric consumption in kilowatt-hours, and your appliances state their power rating...

sciencing.com

 

[Acer-m14]

 

[Acer-m14]

if i remember i think @Dr. Evil got some solar generator ..

 

[spat]

Basic 12V solar is easy enough to piece together.

just need a battery, a panel or panels, and a charge controller.

You could even just go with a harbor freight kit.

100 Watt Solar Panel Kit

Amazing deals on this 100 Watt Solar Panel Kit at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

You just need to remember you need enough panels to gather 24 hours worth of power in however many hours of daylight you're going to see in a day, and enough batteries to last through as much shitty weather as you expect to see in one stretch.

I would suggest going heavy on the panels and batteries for your setup, especially in NY where sunlight is not as reliable as it is here.

I just need batteries to get through the night out here in AZ. I'm pretty much guaranteed to get a good days sun the next day. You might need them to go a week of shitty weather, and then panels capable of catching back up on only a few hours of decent sun.

It's also a question of your risk tolerance.


Based on the specs for your cooler ", it consumes far less than 1kwh/day" I would say 2 of those harbor freight kits running in parallel would be the minimum. Add one or 2 more for capacity.

Of course, by the time you've got $800 + batteries into harbor freight gear, you can get some real setup like one of the ones below. Bonus of these is they will supply limited AC for other uses as well. If you don't need the AC, you can save some money by dropping the inverter.

I would probably adjust either of these systems a bit, but they give you a basic idea what you're looking for.

Also a little more capacity to allow for additional load isn't a bad idea either. You don't want to spend the $$$ to be able to run your whole place, but certainly a couple lights at night, and maybe your furnace isn't a bad idea.

Off Grid 300W Residential Solar Power System

This 300 Watt Cabin Kit provides solar panels, inverter, and charge controllee. Mounting and storage options are available.

www.altestore.com

Oh, FWIW, in NY the standard is to assume only 2.6 hours of full sun equivalent per day in the winter when sizing a system. That's basically adding up all the hours prorated based on how much sun you can expect that hour. So here in Arizona, I can actually get a full hour of sun in an hour during the middle of the day. In NY you might only get 100% occasionally in the summer, and never in the winter. But, you add up 8.5 hours of 30% strength, and you'll get that 2.6 hours full strength equivalent.

So, using that rule of thumb the 300 watt system I linked above would produce 300W x 2.6H = 780 WH, or .78 KWH/day on average in the winter. Of course, in the winter your cooler may not need much power at all (or might not even need the cooler at all most days)


In the summer when your cooler will really need the power, you will get more like 4.5 hours full sun equivalent per day, so the 300W system would be adequate.

One big advantage of your situation is that you will need the power the most at the same time the sun is the best. If you have a week of overcast, your cooling load is probably lower too.


If you want some more help we can dig in and figure out what you really want and how to get it most efficiently.

 

[Acer-m14]

were in NY still lol ..

 

[spat]

were in NY still lol ..

View attachment 161325

In NY wind is a good bet. Ideally you probably want a 50/50 mix of wind and solar. They tend to be complimentary.

The wind blows hardest when the sun is weakest, etc...

a 400W panel and a 400W wind turbine would make a great combination for a basic "power the absolute necessities" system.


We get a lot of wind here up on the mountain too, but the sun is just so reliable here in AZ it's not very common.

I will have an available MPPT tracker on my inverters, so I might eventually add a turbine anyway.

 

[GOYABEAN]

I'm sure there's a ton of solar energy companies out there might want to investigate this one

 

[prambo]

@MothMan @spat @Acer-m14 @GOYABEAN @Saltwater60 @Different Drummer

Thanks for all the info.

But, forgot an important detail - we live in an 850 sq. ft. apartment on the 2nd story with the shortest distance to the ground being 30 feet.

Luckily, our largest wall faces directly west and gets blasted by sun all afternoon.

So, permanently mounting something is probably out of the question, since we don't own the building.

Is there something you can hang out a window when needed, like a suitably powerful mobile unit?

Should have thought of this years ago, but who thought the fUSA would be circling the drain so fast after Obola's 3rd Term started - not even me, and I'm a total cynic.

 

[spat]

@MothMan @spat @Acer-m14 @GOYABEAN @Saltwater60 @Different Drummer

Thanks for all the info.

But, forgot an important detail - we live in an 850 sq. ft. apartment on the 2nd story with the shortest distance to the ground being 30 feet.

Luckily, our largest wall faces directly west and gets blasted by sun all afternoon.

So, permanently mounting something is probably out of the question, since we don't own the building.

Is there something you can hang out a window when needed, like a suitably powerful mobile unit?

Should have thought of this years ago, but who thought the fUSA would be circling the drain so fast after Obola's 3rd Term started - not even me, and I'm a total cynic.

You can mount the panels however you want.

Some arrangement that could be hung out a window like a rope ladder should be easy to fabricate.

Secure the panels to a pair of 1/4 cables and lower them out the window like your rapunzel waiting for her prince.

The panels would typically be wired in series and not carry too much current, so 12ga wire would be plenty.

Anchor it to a battery/charge controller inside and you should be good.

Mounting the panels vertically and west facing will mean less than optimal power production, but the easy solution to that is just more panels.

I picked up this charge controller and some panels from Craigslist to play with.

I haven't had it long enough to remark on durability, but it works fine so far.

It's very simple to use though. 2 terminals for the panels +/- and 2 for the battery. You'll want to add a fuse or circuit breaker for each, and another fuse between the batteries and your load. It auto detects the battery voltage and optimizes the charging, and it automatically adjusts the load on the solar to maximize power production.

PowMr MPPT Charge Controller 60... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719PGGBS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


I'd say pick up the charge controller and a deep cycle battery and the largest panel you can fit through the window and see that performance you can get with your unique sun exposure. Add panels as needed. That charge controller will handle 720W with a 12v battery bank. If you add a second battery to make it a 24v system it will go to 1440W which should be more than enough for your needs I would think.

 

[prambo]

@spat - that seems to be doable for my state of knowledge about anything having to do with electricity.

Thanks very much for your help. I'll have Mrs. prambo post something if I electrocute myself or burn the building down -

Actually Mrs. prambo is the font of electrical knowledge in the house - she used to work here - Arcom Digital – Clearly Better - before they went digital. Used to design circuits for analog cable TV boxes. They taught her there.

 

[Deplorable Me]

I'd have plan B and C.
Plan A normal utilities.
Plan B a 1000 to 1200 watt Honda inverter generator or equivalent. Inverter is the operative word not generator. Genarac and Yahama are also good. Big enough to run the house fridge or your auxiliary fridge. Bonus: sump pump. Portable so you can throw it in the trunk. Make sure it has 12 volt battery charging capacity. Some may be 2 stroke or four stroke fuel. The little engineered package units are portable n quiet. Keep a stash of ethanol free gas handy. If it's a 2 stroke some companies make long term sealed storage gas in 1 lieter cans. (Farm stores.) For longer runs make sure extension cords are upsized for ampacity.

Plan B: Then add a 12volt deep cycle marine battey. It stores in your garage and is frost proof if maintained and charged every 60 days. Mine takes about 15 minutes to top off. Get a 12 volt to 120 volt DC to AC solid state inverter of capacity to run your mini fridge. Keep in mind refrigeration equipment only runs 33% to 50% of an hour once the item is closed and cooled. Don't go in/out of the box more than needed. When NOT running cover it with a sleeping bag, extreme fuel conservation. You may have to hardwire the inverter across the car battery and not use the cigarette lighter in the car. Vehicle wiring may be too low a wire gauge.

With this setup you can charge both your batteries as needed or directly run the mini fridge. In a pinch you can forage a random 12 volt battery and drag it home.

Use the solar charger to charge up the 12 volt battery. Charge the batteries for overnight use. Battery could be charged remote and hauled home or charged off the car system. On crappy sun days, generator backup.

 

[Different Drummer]

I like the idea that Acer-m14 suggested. It seems like a viable option to follow. A small gas operated fridge will run an amazing length of time on a 20 pound propane cylinder. I am talking weeks not days. Eight years of running all over the Country in a RV and our's never failed. And consider that it was on demand to run 24 hours a day. And we NEVER plugged in to power. Boon docking exclusively required our fridge to operate on propane 100% of the time. Driving your home down the road can put quite a demand on components that we take for granted in our stationary abodes. A stationary gas fridge at your home would have a much easier life than one traveling around over all sorts of terrain and conditions. Your only limiting factor would be propane supply but that is easily stored for long periods of time. You could get extravagant and purchase a residential propane fridge from someplace like Lehmans. It would allow for much more than the insulin to be kept cool. However, that would involve an investment that may not be in your plans. I think the propane route would have less components needing to be integrated together as well. i.e. solar panels, charge controller, power storage and the cooler itself. Less components to fail. With the propane fridge you have just the fridge itself and the evaporative concept of how they function is pretty simple. You could even keep it plugged in to household current as they will run both ways.
If you are only looking to keep a small amount of stuff cool a smaller RV propane fridge with a homemade well insulated enclosure would work nicely. IMO

 

[prambo]

I like the idea that Acer-m14 suggested. It seems like a viable option to follow. A small gas operated fridge will run an amazing length of time on a 20 pound propane cylinder. I am talking weeks not days. Eight years of running all over the Country in a RV and our's never failed. And consider that it was on demand to run 24 hours a day. And we NEVER plugged in to power. Boon docking exclusively required our fridge to operate on propane 100% of the time. Driving your home down the road can put quite a demand on components that we take for granted in our stationary abodes. A stationary gas fridge at your home would have a much easier life than one traveling around over all sorts of terrain and conditions. Your only limiting factor would be propane supply but that is easily stored for long periods of time. You could get extravagant and purchase a residential propane fridge from someplace like Lehmans. It would allow for much more than the insulin to be kept cool. However, that would involve an investment that may not be in your plans. I think the propane route would have less components needing to be integrated together as well. i.e. solar panels, charge controller, power storage and the cooler itself. Less components to fail. With the propane fridge you have just the fridge itself and the evaporative concept of how they function is pretty simple. You could even keep it plugged in to household current as they will run both ways.
If you are only looking to keep a small amount of stuff cool a smaller RV propane fridge with a homemade well insulated enclosure would work nicely. IMO

I think it's a viable alternative.

But, unfortunately, Mrs. prambo almost died once when a propane fridge at a camp went haywire.

She's made it clear that's not something she wants around -

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

@prambo
You're going to want to look at a decent portable off grid solar generator backup system.

Here are a few popular choices

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Generator-Explorer-SolarSaga-Emergency/dp/B08P2Q83BY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1YCC0XH6KS9BK&keywords=jackery+1000+portable+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795681&sprefix=jackery+1000%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzM1ZTSzlTUVREVDE5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjMxNTY1MlpKOFk2QkhISjkyWSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjE0Njg0MVQ0TUw5U0ZZOVEwUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Generator-High-Power-Appliances/dp/B08X4HZ1FT/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=2AGZX6SD0PN7F&keywords=ecoflow+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795754&sprefix=ecoflow+p%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-10

https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Portable-Station-Generator-Emergency/dp/B08TGNJJ5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=2LS9111HJGV7C&keywords=bluetti+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795793&sprefix=bluetti+%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-12

And a decent thorough review





That should give you an unlimited supply of power to continuously run a small fridge in a grid down event and never worry about having to refill gas cans.

 

[spat]

@prambo
You're going to want to look at a decent portable off grid solar generator backup system.

Here are a few popular choices

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Generator-Explorer-SolarSaga-Emergency/dp/B08P2Q83BY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1YCC0XH6KS9BK&keywords=jackery+1000+portable+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795681&sprefix=jackery+1000%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzM1ZTSzlTUVREVDE5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjMxNTY1MlpKOFk2QkhISjkyWSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjE0Njg0MVQ0TUw5U0ZZOVEwUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Generator-High-Power-Appliances/dp/B08X4HZ1FT/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=2AGZX6SD0PN7F&keywords=ecoflow+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795754&sprefix=ecoflow+p%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-10

https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Portable-Station-Generator-Emergency/dp/B08TGNJJ5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=2LS9111HJGV7C&keywords=bluetti+power+station+with+solar+panels&qid=1654795793&sprefix=bluetti+%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-12

And a decent thorough review





That should give you an unlimited supply of power to continuously run a small fridge in a grid down event and never worry about having to refill gas cans.

With his limits on panel location he's going to need at least a couple dozen square feet of panels to supply enough power.

The laws of physics say nothing with only a couple square feet of actual cells can do it

 

[prambo]

With his limits on panel location he's going to need at least a couple dozen square feet of panels to supply enough power.

The laws of physics say nothing with only a couple square feet of actual cells can do it

Physically, I'm guessing that, at the most, I might be able to use 2 x 200w of the Renogy monocrystalline panels, one hanging below the other.

Anything longer than that and wind damage would be a concern. We get some strong winds, and they're usually out of the NW and will hit the western side of the building.

 

[spat]

Physically, I'm guessing that, at the most, I might be able to use 2 x 200w of the Renogy monocrystalline panels, one hanging below the other.

Anything longer than that and wind damage would be a concern. We get some strong winds, and they're usually out of the NW and will hit the western side of the building.

Going to come down to how much power that cooler really needs, and that probably depends strongly on how hot the ambient temp is.

I would think you'd be OK with 400W but it's hard to say.

If necessary it might help to add extra insulation on the outside of the cooler in the hottest part of the year (wrap it in blankets). Just make sure not to cover the area where it vents the heat.

There is also the factor that if things get that bad a lot of the normal rules might not apply.

In that case you can probably gain roof access and just lay some more panels up there and run a wire down to the window.

By the time someone who matters can complain the emergency will be over.

What sort of roof is it ?

 

[prambo]

In that case you can probably gain roof access and just lay some more panels up there and run a wire down to the window.

By the time someone who matters can complain the emergency will be over.

What sort of roof is it ?

Shingle roof.

I'd have to access it from the from, climb over the peak and slide down the back side (western exposure) to place the panels. The distance to the ground there is about 35 feet.

Having crashed and burned bad in a rock climbing accident in 1988 (almost a year completely in a wheelchair), me and heights do not get along any more.