Solar 240vFridge

[robdoug]

I have a dream....
I have just acquired a trailer and would like to run a fridge as where we camp we have about a 3 hour drive to the nearest supermarket. With hot temperatures that means no keeping fruit and veges cold with coolers. I am looking at mounting a solar panel to the roof and then connecting to a battery bank and a 2000w inverter. Is this possible? what size panel will i need to run a bar fridge?
Any ideas and help are appreciated as this is my first time dealing with solar energy

[Bala]

A bar fridge is not your best option due to high power consumption and losses from inverter.

You would be better off with a fridge such as Engel, it can run in DC so no inverter and will require less panels and battery, and it will travel better without damage.

Amount of panel and battery requires depends on location, night time and daytime temps will be a factor.

[robdoug]

Thanks for that. Daytime temp is approx 30*c and sunset is approx 10pm

[Logan005]

you are asking for so much trouble. get yourself a proper DC powered unit. SunFrost. Norcold, Many units run from DC and use 1/10 of the electrical power. An AC powered setup will eat you up.

[Sunking]

Might just have to be a dream once you figure out what it will take in cost, size, and weight. Unless this is a full time camp or used once a week, you are much bettery off just using a quality ice chest and buying ice.

1 Kwh/day is a reasonable number for a fridge if not open/closed repeatable like kids will do and stare at what is inside. Depending on location and shade issue you are talking a 400 to 750 watt panel system with a 300 pound $1000 battery that will only last a few years if that long left unattended. About $1600 to $2000 today, and $1000+ when you replace the batteries in a few short years. Plus the cost of a fridge.

Some wil say buy something more efficient like a Dan Frost or other refrigerator that only uses 300 wh a day. Wonderful idea? It brings the total cost of solar and battery equipment down $600 to $1000 off the top, but you have to buy a $2000 refrigerator to get it. That would be a Wet Dream

Lastly if you leave this stuff at camp, and if those shiny panels catch my or any of my friends attention, we will relieve you of everything and take it all home with us turning your dream into a nightmare.

[DanKegel]

Lastly if you leave this stuff at camp, and if those shiny panels catch my or any of my friends attention, we will relieve you of everything and take it all home with us turning your dream into a nightmare.

That was a bit creepy.

[Sunking]

It is only creepy if you are a Creep. Leave valuable stuff laying around a cabin or camp site is almost a guarantee it will be stolen. Even higher chance with nice shiny panels sparkling in the sun catching anyone's eyes from miles away and space.

[solar pete]

Attention Dan and Sunking, stop it, behave nicely. The rest of the forum get you dont agree on anything, and we dont care, enough is enough, both of you.

[DanKegel]

Thanks, Pete, will do!

[asdex]

Hi, I have a Gram fridge which come from Denmark. The smallest is 135 liters and uses 65 watts when running.or 0.56 kW per day at 32degC ambient. They are 230V but expect they may make a 110v. We have the 288 liter one.The reason I went for an AC fridge is if it fails I can get another one locally (not a Gram) to get us up and running again. Same as the chest freezer. DC fridges and freezers are expensive and harder to get in a hurry.

[john95]

I have a dream....
I have just acquired a trailer and would like to run a fridge as where we camp we have about a 3 hour drive to the nearest supermarket. With hot temperatures that means no keeping fruit and veges cold with coolers. I am looking at mounting a solar panel to the roof and then connecting to a battery bank and a 2000w inverter. Is this possible? what size panel will i need to run a bar fridge?
Any ideas and help are appreciated as this is my first time dealing with solar energy

I'd would just get a Coleman PowerChill Thermoelectric Hot/Cold Cooler, 12 volt that can run out of your 12 volt car outlet. This mini fridge uses 48 watts. For a couple of beers, 2 mangos, a dozen of eggs, cheese and butter, is more than enough.
As for solar panels perhaps I'd get:

3x 100 watts 12 volt panels
2x TROJAN T105 6 VOLT 225 AH (2.7 kWh Storage)
1x HQST 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller

[Mike90250]

just a note - the thermoelectric coolers are Hugely inefficient and consume a lot of power and only hold the contents 40F cooler than ambient

[PNPmacnab]

I have a camp I live at for several months. I use a 7CF chest freezer operated as a fridge with an external temperature controller. Fridge operates off a 2KW MSW inverter with fans removed for lower power consumption. A car battery, removed from a vehicle I don't take with me, provides the starting power.

Sounds pretty conventional, but here is where it differs. The fridge runs only during the sunlight hours. A large amount of water and/or drinks are the storage medium keeping it cool at night. In the daylight hours the fridge temp is set at around 33-34F. By morning the temp will have risen to 38-39F which is perfectly acceptable. The control system is a UNO micro that is totally powered by solar so it is totally off at night and not drawing power. The micro monitors battery power and will only operate the fridge when the battery is almost fully charged (13.8V). In the morning the system will start up within a half hour of daybreak because the battery is charged. Of course because it is so tightly controlled in temperature it must have a hot start timer to prevent the fridge from restarting till pressure bleeds down. Haven't heard of others doing it this way, but it reliably works. Not dead yet from bacteria growth. Had to buy a couple extra panels to insure it would work on even cloudy rainy days. That excess PV power goes to heating water for showers on good days. T%hat is plenty as I only can't get a shower 2 days in a four month period. A freezer and inverter only run about $200, a lot less than a solar ready fridge.