How To Run Space Heater Off A Solar Panel

Picking out a solar space heater.

How to run space heater off a solar panel.

Let s say you could achieve an overall solar array conversion efficiency of 20 and you want to generate 1 2kw of power to run a space heater. It s a question that comes up often for those looking into smaller scale solar installations. Over the course of a sunny day this system can heat a room at zero cost. Note that this produced heat all day and kept the house comfortable but also used no electricity.

Solar panels cannot dire. Solar power and electric heat do not mix well. And it is really great that you re thinking of using solar. A passive solar heating system will be substantially more efficient and far cheaper.

It s definitely a smart way to go. A solar panel puts out dc power and can be rated at a few volts up to 300 volts or more. Solar infra systems is one of the most popular solar space heater manufacturers. Delonghi mica panel heater delonghi s portable space heater comes with a built in thermostat that allows you to control the heat it produces.

Let s start with most 120 vac heaters have a top setting of 1 500 watts which means they are using about 12 to 13 amps of ac current. There are no pumps fans or moving parts. You can build a very effective solar space heater for around 400 in parts. Solar space heater shuts off temperature in the panel has dropped below 90f.

It s a very inefficient way to heat. So the total sun power hitting your photocells times 20 is the amount of electrical power your photocells will generate which needs to be 1 2kw. The beginning stages of research with solar power is always how much power with how many panels. The total electricity produced was on the order of 315 watt hours and the fan pushing air through the hot air panel burned up about 217 watt hours for a net gain of 98 watt hours.

It also has a number of safety features including indicator lights tip over detection and a thermal cut off switch. Chris diyer amazon store. The size shown can heat a small office in the dead of winter as long as the sun is shining or you can build smaller units to distribute around your house. A wood stove a pellet stove or a propane stove all far more efficient and cheaper.