# Solar Notes for Queenie

## Goals

- "whole home" solar
- under $1000
- eventually 2 power stations and 2 solar panels?
- multi-day work and play power

## Glossary

- Watts (W)
- Amps (A)
- Volts (V)
- watt-hours (Wh)
- amp-hours (Ah)

## Action Items

- [ ] David - look up grow lamps to see if we can get approximate datasheets for them
- [ ] Queenie - measure power draw for grow setup

## Load Estimates

- LED T5 22W shop lights
  - each pulls 22W
  - 6 would need ~1.6kWh of stored energy for a 12 hour grow cycle
  - the battery i left with you has around 1/3 of that on a full charge, but there obviously are larger batteries
  - just gonna throw this out there but perhaps in the event of a prolonged outage, moving the plants outside would be a good option :)
  - re: the above point, i definitely understand the value of grow lamps, just sayin' :-P
- Luminar Everyday grow lights
  - 19W per unit
  - similar numbers to the 22W shop lights
  - you could run 1 for just over 24 hours off the Rockpals station

## Reputable (Enough) Brands

- Anker
  - in particular their solix line is for "whole home" backup, but prices start high and go up from there
  - Solix power stations have a high throughput port for attaching a separate Solix battery, so they are relatively flexible
- Jackery
- Bluetti
- GoalZero
- EcoFlow
  - pretty great price/value from what i've seen
- Renogy

## Possible Configurations

- Anker Solix
  - [Anker SOLIX F2000 Portable Power Station 2400W - Anker SOLIX US](https://www.ankersolix.com/products/f2000?variant=49702419202378)
  - $900 currently on sale, list price $2000
  - stores around 4x the amount of energy as the Rockpals power station
  - can double the power storage with an expansion battery, for a total bundled cost of $1700 on sale

## Things I've Bookmarked for Myself

- $193 - [Amazon.com: ECO-WORTHY 12V 100AH LiFePO4 Lithium Battery with Bluetooth, Max.1280Wh Energy, Low Temperature Protection, Group 24, Built-in 100A BMS, Perfect for Trolling Motor, RV, Boat, Solar Off-Grid : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09L89LW3P/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?smid=A5KU5HDAPDC75&th=1)
- $175 - [Amazon.com: Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter 12V DC to 120V AC Converter for Home, RV, Truck, Off-Grid Solar Power 110V with Built-in 5V/2.1A USB Port, Hardwire Remote Controller : Patio, Lawn & Garden](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JMQ27WJ/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1)






## Addenda

### Some very rough approximations for the RockPals station, sourced from an online calculator 

- **540 Wh (watt-hours)** — The *size of the fuel tank*. This is the total stored energy.
- **Usable capacity** — At 85% depth of discharge (LiFePO4), you get ~**459 Wh**. After accounting for ~10% inverter losses on AC devices, you have roughly **~413 Wh** of real-world usable power for standard plug-in devices.
- **500W continuous / 1000W peak** — You can run appliances up to 500W continuously. The 1000W peak handles brief startup surges (like a fridge compressor kicking on), but nothing that *sustains* over 500W.

---


| Appliance | Typical Draw | Estimated Runtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💡 LED Light Bulb | 10W | **~41 hours** | Great for camping or emergencies |
| 📱 Phone Charging | 15W | **~27 hours** | ~55 full phone charges |
| 💻 Laptop | 65W | **~6.5 hours** | One solid work day |
| 🌀 Box Fan | 50W | **~8 hours** | Overnight on low |
| 📺 32" LED TV | 50W | **~8 hours** | A full movie marathon |
| 🧊 12V Compressor Fridge | ~45W avg | **~10 hours** | DC direct; compressor cycles on/off |
| 😴 CPAP Machine | 40W | **~10 hours** | About 1–2 nights without humidifier |
| 🛏️ Electric Blanket | 100W | **~4 hours** | Medium setting |
| ☕ Coffee Maker | ~800–1,200W | **⚠️ Very limited** | Exceeds 500W continuous limit |
| 🍿 Microwave | ~1,000W | **⚠️ Very limited** | At the peak limit; not sustained |
| 🔥 Space Heater | ~1,320W | **❌ Won't run** | Exceeds 1000W peak limit |

> **💡 Note on the 1000W peak:** This handles motor startup surges (like a fridge clicking on), but any appliance that *continuously* draws over 500W (coffee maker, microwave, hair dryer) will either trip the inverter or only run for a very short burst.

As long as your total draw stays under 500W, you can combine devices:

| Combo | Total Draw | Estimated Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| LED bulb + Phone + Laptop | ~90W | **~4.5 hours** |
| Fan + TV + Phone | ~115W | **~3.5 hours** |
| 12V Fridge + Laptop + LED bulb | ~120W | **~3.5 hours** |
| CPAP + LED bulb + Phone | ~65W | **~6 hours** |
| Fan + LED bulb + Phone charging | ~75W | **~5.5 hours** |

> This is a great **1–2 day camping or emergency unit**, not a whole-home backup. Think: keep your devices charged, run a fan, and keep a small fridge cold for a weekend trip.