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Ask HN: Off-Grid Small/Personal Solar Solutions
I need an off-grid solar kit that can generate enough energy on average each day to power: a Macbook for at least 5 hours, a router for at least 8 hours, and a single desk lamp overnight.
Any recommendations?
- bitxbitxbitcoin 8y agoCalculate power draw: A Macbook is 85W of power max, a router likely ~20W, and a single desk lamp is maybe 60W if you're a barbarian (seriously get a better bulb than that, though). 85W x 5 hours + 20W x 8 hours + 60W x 8 hours = 1065Wh Obviously your Macbook doesn't draw 85 at all times, nor does your router but it's always good to have the leeway. Now assuming a Lithium battery (which the newer AIO kits generally have), you'll be able to get 95% use of the battery in your solar kit. So say you get a 100Ah battery... 12V x 100Ah x .95 = 1140Wh So that battery would be fine. For charging, if you had a 100W solar panel, which gets say 60% for 6 hours a day efficiency since we don't know where in the world you are, you'd be able to charge... 100W x .6 x 6 hours = 360Wh, or 30Ah of your 100Ah battery per day. Use a kill-a-watt to use real numbers to find out if 100W of solar is enough for you and up that part of the kit if it isn't. Something like this should do you fine - https://www.goalzero.com/shop/kits/goal-zero-yeti-1000-lithium-power-station-boulder-100-solar-kit/ https://www.goalzero.com/shop/kits/goal-zero-yeti-1000-lithi... Assemble yourself and it'd be a bit cheaper.