Best Solar Generator for Your Home/RV Air Conditioner

Air conditioners require a lot of power to run but are essential to cool down the house especially in the hot days. A lot of energy means it is difficult to run them utilizing solar power. Still, some fine pieces of machinery are able to power air conditioners for up to ten hours (wall units), or more when it comes to portable one.

Scroll down to find the best solar generator for air conditioners. You will also determine if all the power generators in the market could run air conditioners or not. Plus, you will learn about the power required to run air conditioners. Moreover, a part of this guide is dedicated to the solar generator for RV air conditioners, given that's where you’ll need the solar generator the most.

How many watts do air conditioners need to start?

Different air conditioners, depending on the capacity and manufacturer, require different amounts of power to start and run. You could easily find out this information by referring to the specification manual that comes during the purchase.You can also contact the sales for the requirements of power for the particularly made model. Still, here are some rough estimations of the average portable AC and wall units requirements:

How Long Can A Solar Generator Run An Air Conditioner? 

Well, it depends on the standard of your air conditioner, i.e., the power required to run the particular air conditioner. If the solar generator features a higher storing capacity, like the ones we recommend later in this guide, then your AC could run as long as three to seven hours constantly.

As mentioned earlier, on average — an air conditioner requires 1KW of power to run, and the average solar power generators in the market range from 1KW to 4KW. No matter what, never choose a product whose capacity is less than 1KW when looking for a solar generator for air conditioners.

You had better be careful that the solar generator can deliver 3KW of power, as sometimes the air conditioner could demand more and usually would run the air conditioner for a few hours.

So, you could consider a low BTU AC unit to run it for more hours. A good solar generator with a reliable battery capacity can run AC units for up to 16 hours. Later in this guide, you will find products that could run AC units even longer.

Our pick for your AC

Here are some of the best solar generators for air conditioners. You may consider any of these depending on your budget and needs. 

BLUETTI AC200MAX POWER STATION+3*PV200 PANEL 

A combination of both power station and solar panels, BLUETTI AC200MAX feartures a battery capacity of 2048W at full charge, which is able to turn an 8000 BTU AC unit for up to 3-7 hours. You will find multiple outlets to power up numerous devices concurrently.

One of the coolest things about BLUETTI AC200MAX Power Station is that you could charge the device with the solar panels that come with the purchase. So, regardless of whether you could access the grid’s power or not — BLUETTI AC200MAX will never disappoint you.

But besides solar charging, you could conveniently charge the power station in other ways, i.e., via a wall unit, car battery, AC (dual AC plus — solar+AC), lead-acid battery, and more.

BLUETTI AC300+2*B300

100% modular, compatible with up to 4xB300, 2400W Unrivaled Solar Input, 3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 5400W Blazing Input Rate, 24/7 UPS Home Backup, 4 Years Worry-Free Warranty — are some of the features for why would you choose this COMBO to run air conditioners. By offering the option to expand the capacity at will, the entire setup could generate groundbreaking 12288W of power, which is quite enough to fulfill all the electricity needs for days — not just for the air conditioner but for many other devices.

The combo is designed to soak up 3000W of power from the solar charging input within 1.5 hours.

All in all, BLUETTI AC300+2*B300 COMBO is enough to power multiple devices for days, not only hours.

Can you use solar generators to run RV AC?

The short answer is yes. With the right setup, you could find that a solar generator is able to run RV air conditioners. Like what we mentioned above, the portable solar generators could run air conditioners (the wall ones that demand much power) for long hours. So, when it comes to an air conditioner incorporated within the RV — you could expect much more efficiency from the solar power station.

Still, you will need consider the require power of the air conditioner unit, i.e., how much surge and running power is required by the air conditioner.

Most of the air conditioner units for RV in the market require 1700 to 3500 surge and 600 to 1500 running power, so you need to consider a power station that delivers optimum power to run the AC units for up to hours.

What are the benefits of solar on an RV?

Getting off the grid is one of the best ways to cut down the costs of monthly expenditure. So, when it comes to RV — the most significant advantage of using solar power is that you do not have to wait at stations to recharge your batteries and pay for it. But that is not the only benefit of solar power on an RV; you’ll also benefit from:

• Ease of traveling and ‘true’ freedom: most people consider RVs for the ‘freedom to travel.’ Nevertheless, that freedom takes a hit when you have to recharge batteries to run the essential gadgets and devices. Since you’ll have to stick to areas where battery recharge is possible. But that is not the case when it comes to solar-powered RVs; you could turn to any direction without any worry.
• Light on the environment: are you climate-conscious? Well, then what’s wrong with the renewable source of energy.
• Operates in silence: compared to the fuel-generators — the solar-powered stations do not produce any noise nor require you to stop whenever you’ve to recharge the batteries.

Other ways to keep RV cool down

Well, an air conditioner is not the only way to keep your RV cool. You could also consider other ways like:

• Always park the RV under shade — after you’ve charged the solar panels.
• Purchase a fan.
• Stay at an RV campground and avail of their amenities.

FAQ:

Q: Can a solar generator power an air conditioner?

A: Yes. A solar generator power station could run an air conditioner for multiple hours. But not all power stations are able enough to run air conditioners. You’ll have to consider the surge and running power requirements of the particular air conditioner. And accordingly, purchase a solar power station that delivers more power.

Q: How many solar watts do you need to run an air conditioner?

A: It depends on the individual air conditioner requirements. For instance, a typical small RV air conditioner requires 1700 surge and 700 running watts — so a battery bank capable of delivering that amount of power would be sufficient to run an air conditioner for hours.

Q: Which solar generators can I choose?

A: The above solar generators, like the — BLUETTI AC300+2*B300 COMBO — are some of the best portable power stations available in the market, especially to meet requirements of running an air conditioner for multiple hours. So, you could consider either of the two recommended power stations mentioned earlier. The other one is BLUETTI AC200MAX POWER STATION+3*PV200 PANEL COMBO.

Q: What is the biggest problem with solar energy?

A: The most significant problem with solar energy is the lack of energy on a cloudy day, whis is the reaseon why we recommend products that could be charged via a variety of means.

Conclusion

As you have read, a solar generator for an air conditioner is not troublesome to find. And yes, a solar power station could run an air conditioner for hours. But as specified earlier, you’ll need to check the surge and running power of the air conditioner before purchasing to make sure its capacity can satisfy your needs.