pollenface
Solar Addict
A friend of mine in Pakistan has very unreliable grid power. He charges a battery bank when power is available and most 240v appliances run from an inverter
I would like to see the wording on this. You are not wanting permanent. Just oh shoot coverage.Not permitted by HOA governance laws
A home refrigerator uses roughly 2 kW-hr per day. On a hot day more, or if it runs a defrost cycle.
That is per my own testing, as well as if you look at the energy label at them, this is what it takes (on average )
Most off the shelf power stations on the market have 1 - 2 kW-hr batteries.
An example nominal 12 volt x 100 amp-hr LiFe battery has ~ 1 kW-hr of usable power stored in it.
( not precisely but close enough to show a rough budget of what is involved here ).
If they buy one of the ultra efficient refrigerators like a sun dancer or similar, the power usage drops dramatically. Refrigerators like this are super insulated and optimized for ultra low power use. They also run on 24 volts DC so are easy to back up with battery packs.
Downside - I don't think that they have defrost.
SunDanzer | Household - 12/24V DC Refrigerator and Freezer
SunDanzer's household products offer cheap, reliable, user-friendly 12 and 24 volt DC refrigerators and freezers. designed for off-grid solar homes.sundanzer.com
Buy the panels …..diguise them as art… deceive the landlord…During hurricane season, power is often lost for up to 7 days, sometimes more.
No solar panels are allowed on exterior surface of building by HOA rules.
I recommended they get a Bluetti, EcoFlow, Anker Solix based on a suggestion on a power forum.
For example, this one from Home Depot
They have a small apartment, top floor of building and only want power for refrigerator, LED lights and laptop&modem, total power use typical max in this configuration is less than 5.5 amps and of course refrigerator and laptop are not drawing power continuously.
Anything else I can suggest?
Ducktape the HOA members to the front of 450 watt panels … let ‘em stew on it a bit… most of those losers are the same people who always volunteered to be the hall monitor in high school.Heck...
Most HOA violations have a 15 day grace period...
So...
Unless the power is out a LONG time...
You should be fine with temporary use.
a generator out on the balcony to run once a day for an hour to re-charge the batteries
Yea not with portable panels. You need to over panel. I power my cabin at our property with an Ecoflow but I also run 4ea 340 watt panels. I don't think you would get away with those panels if you are restricted...Those power packs are not going to run a refrigerator for long enough to make that a worthwhile endeavor. The best suggestion I can make is they find somewhere else to stay during a long power outage.
Your example power pack has a 2000wh battery rating. Likely usable amount is closer to 1500wh. That is about the amount 1 refrigerator will consume in a day.
Also:MPP2724 $642 at Maximum solar, same price from Ian at Watts247 & get his help if you need it!
DIY 304Ah 8S battery pack with JK BMS $1200 OR EG4 200Ah 24vDC rack - $1359 (stand it up in the closet)
Hang it in the back of a nearby closet/cabinet (it may all fit in a cabinet above the fridge, and plug into outlet for the fidge)
plug the MPP AC input into 15A 120 volt standard wall outlet.
plug the Fridge into the side of the MPP2724 - this inverter has outlets built into the left side of the AIO case, as well as USB chargers for your devices.
Total plug and play cost, 200Ah capacity $2000, (add a second rack battery for 400Ah capacity for additional $1359).
Likely get rebate on the equipment price from local and federal tax programs.
Take it with you camping, or if you move. Portable folding PV optional for additional cost.