Harbor Freight Solar Panels: How Many?


There is no point in having Harbor Fright solar panels if you don’t know how many you need. If you don’t know what you want to run on your solar panel/battery bank and you don’t know how many watts it will take you will probably be in for a really big disappointment when you go to power your full size side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and window air conditioner. One Harbor Freight Solar Panel Kit produces 45 watts/hr. Five hours of full sun is the amount used as the standard in calculating how much power you can generate. 5 hrs x 45 watts = 225 watts (total power for 24 hours.) With line loss and DC to AC power loss that isn’t enough wattage to run two 100 watt bulbs for two hours. Use a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure the watts used in 24 hours for each appliance, then add up the usage. Then you know how many Harbor Freight solar panel kits you will needs. Then you need the batteries to store the power. Kill-A-Watt on Amazon: www.amazon.com

10 thoughts on “Harbor Freight Solar Panels: How Many?”

  1. @LDSPrepper Yes your right on point I need a better GTI. I am looking at high end GTI like the sunnyboy or outback stuff. I have cheap power jack GTI stuff.

  2. @1kzrider Thanks for your comment. I made me wonder about several things about your setup. #1. You only get 400wt/hr to your grid tie. If you are paying $0.10/kWh and your solar panels are sending power to the grid for 5 hours that means you have sent 1.6kWh. That means you saved $1.60/day. #2. You are probably loosing your power in your convert and inverter, not your wire. That is why I use a MPPT converter.

  3. What ever you think you need tripple. There is major loss. I have 700 watts+ and only seen 400 max at grid tie. THERE IS THAT MUCH LOSS on no run of wire more then 15feet.

  4. @joehig42101 Thank you for commenting. It is great and important to hear from people who have already setup and are using their solar power system.

  5. It is true they come in handy when the power is out, I have used my battery backup three times in the past year run lights and with a 750 watt inverter and ran a 22in flat panel tv wich used very little watts to see the news and entertain the kids with a cheap dvd player. but no way to have enough power for anything big like a fridge cooler and ice for that. like you video. what really counts is how big your battery backup is.

  6. @1kings1918 That is great to know. Thanks for commenting. I hadn’t thought of Sam’s club for batteries. Great idea.

  7. Solar panels generally will keep 85% or more of their output for 25 years. I’ve replaced my 125 AH deep cycle battery w/a couple of SamsClub golfcart 6v batteries making 208AH. I’ll add 2 by 2 when I can. Good video by the way.

  9. @joehig42101 That is awesome! I don’t expect to keep my solar panels up for long, only to test because it is my understanding that panels like any other electrical item wear out. I don’t want my solar panels, charge controller, inverter or batteries to be worn out if there is ever a time I need them for emergency because there is no grid power.

  10. I do have 3 sets of the harbor freight panels and my intentions or for quick charging battery bank and suplement power to lower bill with a grid tie which if you lower the bill a little and still have backup for lights because once batteries or charged flip over and feed the grid.

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