The refrigerator is, without a doubt, the most important appliance in your home. You might assume it’s the TV or the laptop, but it’s the food in the refrigerator that saves your life during a power outage. As a result, it’s normal that you’re on the lookout for solar generators.

When it comes to using a solar generator to power a refrigerator, there are a few things to consider. To begin, figure out how much power your refrigerator requires.

Second, make sure your solar generator can meet your refrigerator’s wattage requirements. As a general rule, you should leave yourself some wiggle room.

For example, if your refrigerator uses 800 watts, choose a generator that can handle 1,000 watts so that your generator isn’t always working at full capacity. This can put a lot of strain on your generator, causing it to fail sooner than expected. Finally, think about how long you want your refrigerator to run.

Most generator companies will give you an estimate of how long it will take to charge typical equipment. This will give you a better idea of how long your refrigerator will run when you use your solar generator.

Find a generator that will operate your refrigerator for the time frame you require, depending on what you’ll be using this for (tailgating, emergency use, camping, etc.).

Solar generators of today’s generation, on the other hand, can certainly power a house refrigerator. In general, a 100-watt solar panel can only run a refrigerator for a limited period of time and will require a battery. Solar panels with a power output of 100 watts can provide 400 watt-hours of electricity each day on average. A refrigerator with a freezer requires 2000 watt-hours per day.

How Much Wattage Does a Refrigerator Require?

Refrigerators come in a variety of sizes and designs, ranging from a little mini-fridge for a dorm room to a huge refrigerator that can carry enough food for a large family. Of course, a larger refrigerator necessitates a higher electricity consumption. When it comes to using a solar power generator to power a refrigerator, a smaller fridge will get more use than a much larger fridge.

If you plan to use a solar generator to power a fridge throughout a power outage, we recommend transferring your perishable items to a mini-fridge (if you have one) and running it off your solar generator. You’ll have more charging time and your meal will stay cooler for longer. This will help you get the most out of a single charge by maximizing the use of your solar generator.

You can estimate power usage on popular refrigerators using the following averages as a guide:

  • 228 kWh for a 1.7 cu. ft mini fridge
  • 228 kWh for a 4.4 cu. ft mini fridge
  • 709 kWh for a 25.5 cu. ft. side-by-side refrigerator

These figures are based on a typical refrigerator and should only be used as a rough reference. To find your exact power requirements, examine your refrigerator’s manual. Below is the summary of how much wattage a refrigerator requires. 

  • A 100-watt solar panel could power a refrigerator for a short time, but it would require a battery. In general, a 100-watt solar panel will not be able to provide enough power on a daily basis to keep your food cold.
  • A tiny fridge can be powered by a 300-watt solar panel. In coupled with a 120Ah lithium iron phosphate battery and a 500-watt pure sinusoidal inverter, 300 watts is probably the minimal size needed to run a small to a medium fridge.
  • A 200-watt solar panel can power a refrigerator. It cannot, however, power all refrigerators. It is dependent on the size and power consumption of the refrigerator. A 200W solar panel might generate anywhere from 0.8 to 1.1 kWh per day.

To run a refrigerator, how many solar panels would be required?

‘How many panels would it take to run a refrigerator for 24 hours?’ should be changed to ‘How many panels would it take to run a refrigerator for 24 hours?’

For example, 200 watts of solar power could power the refrigerator during peak hours in the afternoon, but what about in the morning and evening?

Because there is no sunlight at night, you’ll need a mechanism to store the energy that the solar panels generate. You should also consider power in the form of kilowatt-hours (kwh). A 300W single solar panel would be preferable. On a daily basis, the fridge consumes 2.184-kilowatt hours. Assuming four hours of sunlight each day, a 100-watt solar panel will produce 400 watt-hours. When you divide 2184 Wh by 400 Wh, you get 5.46 solar panels, which means you’d need 600 watts of solar panels to run the refrigerator continually.