Ask HN: What is the best small off-grid solar kit today?

Re:Ask HN: What is the best small off-grid solar kit today? by prmph on Saturday August 04, 2018 @03:58AM (#17685878)

Thanks for this reply. Maybe I'm not understanding something, but 1kWh per day converts to about 42 Watts. Why would I need several 100W panels? Is the power rating of the panels a peak, before efficiency or lack-of-sun losses are taken into account?

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Re:Ask HN: What is the best small off-grid solar kit today? by odonnellryan on Saturday August 04, 2018 @08:43AM (#17686642)

You only get real power out of your solar for a few hours a day, at best. This needs to be enough to supply power to your equipment during those hours while also (hopefully) giving your battery bank a full or near full charge.

Your panels will pretty-much work 24/7 though. I've gotten half an amp from the moon on my 2x 100w panels.

> Is the power rating of the panels a peak, before efficiency or lack-of-sun losses are taken into account?

Yeah. They can actually put out a tiny-bit more, but don't expect them to. Plan for them outputting peak 70% of what they are rated for, actually.

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