Mobile solar

Portable solar for dacha, camping, vehicles and backup — sizing and limits

Options and sizing

  • Consumers in Wh

    Examples: phone 15 Wh/charge, laptop 50–90 Wh/charge, LED lantern 5 Wh/h, car fridge 300–500 Wh/day, kettle 2 kWh per boil.

  • Panel

    Real output ≈ rating × 4–5 h/day in summer, ×1–1.5 in winter. Foldable 100–200 W panels are the weight/output optimum.

  • Battery

    LiFePO4 power banks/stations: capacity in Wh × 0.85 efficiency. 500 Wh covers a weekend for two; 1–2 kWh covers a dacha with fridge.

  • Inverter

    Only needed for 220 V loads: pure sine, ≥ peak consumer wattage. USB-C PD covers laptops/phones without inverter losses.

  • Hiking vs dacha

    Hiking: 20–40 W panel + 20k mAh power bank (weight rules). Dacha/car: 100–200 W panel + 0.5–2 kWh station.

  • Practical limits

    Iron, boiler, heater, induction — not for mobile systems: a 1.5–2 kW load drains a station in an hour. Use a generator for those.

Mobile solar is about Wh, not panel watts: a 100 W panel yields ~400–500 Wh on a summer day — enough for a laptop and lights, not a kettle (2 kWh per boil). Count consumers in Wh/day, then size the battery for 1.5–2 days of autonomy.