With many people looking to reduce their energy bills and go green, solar power is becoming increasingly popular.
But what about using solar power to run everyday appliances and devices such as TVs? Is it really possible to use the sun’s energy to power a television?
The answer is yes. You need at least a 100W solar panel system to power a TV.
However, the amount of energy you need depends on the size of your television and the amount of time you plan to use it.
In this article, I’ll walk you step by step through the process of figuring out how many solar panels you need to power your TV.
Key Takeaways
- The number of solar panels you need to run a TV depends on the size of your TV, the power requirements of the TV, and your usage
- At solar noon, the sun reaches its highest in the sky and produces 1000W/m² per hour – this is known as peak sun hours
- The total peak sun hours in California is around 5.83 hours per day
- The theoretical size of the solar system required to run a 50-inch TV is around 62W
- The solar system experiences many losses due to heat, dust, or shade – these losses can affect the efficiency of the system
- The solar system losses can get up to 14% of the energy produced
- The real size of the solar system required is around 71W to ensure that the losses are taken into account
- You need at least a 100W solar panel to generate enough energy to run a 50-inch TV
- The battery backup is essential to store the energy from the solar panels as well as provide consistent power to the TV
- An inverter is also required to convert the direct current (DC) electricity from the solar panels into an alternating current (AC) suitable for running the TV
How to Calculate the Number of Solar Panels You Need to Run a TV?
1. Calculate Your TV Energy Consumption
Before we start, it’s important to determine how much energy your TV uses.
You can do this by referring to the owner’s manual or searching online for the power consumption of your specific model.
I use a 50-inch LCD TV and it consumes around 60 watts per hour when it’s in use.
If I use it for 6 hours a day, we can calculate the daily energy consumption of my TV as:
Total Daily Consumption = 6 x 60 Watts = 360 Watt-hours (Wh)
We’ll be using this figure in our calculations later.
2. Find out Your Peak Sun Hours
The solar panels’ energy production depends on how long the sun is out and how much direct sunlight it’s receiving.
But the sunlight intensity varies greatly throughout the day and depending on the weather.
Sometimes the solar irradiance can be 300W/m², while at other times, it can as high as 1000W/m².
So to make calculations easier, solar experts use something called “peak sun hours” (PSH).
Peak sun hours refer to the number of hours per day when the solar irradiance is 1000W/m² per hour.
For example, if the peak sun hours for your location is 4.5, it means that your solar panels can generate up to 4,500 Wh of energy per day.
You can use the NREL calculator to find the peak sun hours for your location.
I live in California, so I’ll use 5.83 peak sun hours for this example.
3. Calculate Your Theoretical Solar System Size
We now have all the information we need to calculate the size of our solar system.
Using the formula below, we can figure out how many watts of solar panels we need:
Required Solar System Size (in Watts) = Daily Energy Consumption (Wh) / Peak Sun Hours
So for my 50-inch LCD TV, I’ll need:
Required Solar System Size = 360 Wh / 5.83 hrs = 61.8 Watts
So, to run my LCD TV, I’ll need at least 62 watts of solar power.
But this is just the theoretical size under perfect conditions.
We still need to factor in some losses due to things like shading, dirt accumulation on the panels, and other losses.
4. Factor in Solar System Losses
Any solar system will experience some losses due to factors like shading, inverter efficiency, thermal losses, dirt accumulation, wiring resistance, and other factors.
These factors will affect the actual output of your system, so it’s important to factor them in when calculating the size of your solar system.
The industry standard for losses is around 14%, so we can use this figure to calculate our actual solar panel size:
Actual Solar System Size (in Watts) = Required Solar System Size (Watts) x 1.14
So my actual solar system size will be:
Actual Solar System Size = 61.8 Watts x 1.14 = 70.5 Watts ~ 71 Watts
This means that I’ll need at least 71 watts of solar panels to run my LCD TV.
5. Calculate the Number of Solar Panels
Solar panels are rated by their power output, which is measured in watts.
Most solar panels’ wattage ratings on the market range from 250W to 400W.
This wattage rating refers to the amount of power that the panel can generate under peak sun conditions per hour.
For example, a 100W solar panel will generate 100 watts of power per hour when the sunlight is at 1000W/m².
Say we’re using a 100W solar panel. To calculate the number of panels we need, we’ll use the following formula:
Number of Panels = Actual Solar System Size (Watts) / Rated Power Output of Each Panel (Watts)
So for my 71-watt system, I’ll need at least:
Number of Panels = 71 Watts / 100W = 0.71 ~ 1 Panel
This means that I’ll need at least one 100W solar panel to run an LCD TV.
What Battery Size Would I need to Run a TV?
Solar panels generate DC electricity, but they don’t store it.
This can work if you’re running your appliances during the day, but what happens when it gets dark?
That’s where solar battery systems come in.
A solar battery system stores the excess electricity so you can use it later at night when the panels aren’t producing enough power.
To calculate the size of the battery, you can use the following formula:
Battery Size (Ah) = Solar Panel Daily Output (Wh) / Battery’s Voltage (12/24V) / DoD (0.5/0.75/0.8)
In our example, to calculate the solar panel’s daily output, we can use the following formula:
Solar Panel Daily Output (Wh) = Number of Panels x Rated Power Output per Panel (W) x Peak Sun Hours x (1-0.14)
So, for my LCD TV example, the daily output of the solar panel will be:
Solar Panel Daily Output = 1 panel x 100 Watt x 5.83 hrs x 0.86 = 501.38 Wh
Now, let’s assume I’m using a 12V battery and a Depth of Discharge (DoD) of 50%.
My battery size will be:
Battery Size (Ah) = 501.38Wh / 12V / 0.5 = 83.6 Ah ~ 84 Ah
So, I’ll need a battery of approximately 84 Ah to run my LCD TV.
Do I Need an Inverter to Run a TV on Solar Power?
You need an inverter to run an LCD TV on solar power.
Solar panels produce DC electricity, while most household appliances like TVs run on AC electricity.
Inverters convert DC power from solar panels into AC power so that your TV and other appliances can use it.
The size of the inverter will depend on the type of solar system and your power requirements.
If you’re using a grid-tied solar system, to calculate the size of the inverter, use the following formula:
Inverter Size (Watts) = Rated Power Output of Each Panel (W) x Number of Panels x 1.15
For our example, the size of my inverter will be:
Inverter Size = 100 Watt x 1 panel x 1.15 = 115 Watts
But, if you’re using a small off-grid system, you just need to add up all of your appliances’ power requirements to get the size of inverter you need.
For example, if you have an LCD TV with a power requirement of 200 Watts, a laptop with a power requirement of 30 Watts, and a few other devices that add up to 50 Watts, so then your inverter size will be:
Inverter Size = 200W + 30W + 50W = 280 Watts
So, you’ll need an inverter of approximately 280 watts to run all these appliances.
FAQs
Can I Run a TV on Solar Power?
You can run a TV on solar power.
All you need is an appropriate solar system setup including the right number of solar panels, a compatible battery, and an inverter.
Can a 100W Solar Panel Run a TV?
A 100W solar panel can run a TV.
But the number of panels you need depends on the size of your TV and its power requirements.
Can a 300 Watt Solar Panel Run a TV?
A 300W solar panel can run a TV.
But your usage pattern and the TV power requirements will determine how many panels you need.
Conclusion
As promised, we’ve answered all the questions you might have had about running a TV on solar power.
We’ve discussed how to calculate the size of your solar system, battery, and inverter so that your TV can run smoothly and efficiently on solar energy.
And if you ask me, I’d recommend switching all your household appliances to solar energy.
It’s greener, more reliable, and will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Do you still have any questions? If so, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
