Is It Possible for Solar Panels to Power a TV?

How can you keep yourself busy during the blackout or if the electricity is cut off locally? While blackouts are not that common, a modern tech-savvy consumer can be mortified about it. 

But the answer is simple – you can watch TV, among other things. Wondering how that can be even possible when there’s no way to power it? Again, an easy way out – use solar panels for TV. 

Preparing in advance for lack of electricity is a good idea if you want to watch your favorite TV series or catch an important sports event. Solar TV live streaming is an innovation that is gaining popularity. We will tell you why solar panels for TV are popular and how to start using them.

Source: Jackery

Calculate Your TV’s Solar Power Requirements

Your TV’s power consumption will determine how many panels you need to power the TV.  Consumption depends on many factors, including technology, the size of the TV, and whether it is used with external devices such as an audio system or a disc player. The most effortless way to determine how many watts you need to power a TV is to check the technical documentation. You can check the back of the case for an information plate if you lost the documents. If you can’t get this information, use our table:

diagonal	kinescope	LED	OLED	LCD	plasma
15	65	15	–	18	–
17	75	18	–	20	–
19	80	20	–	22	–
20	90	24	–	26	–
21	100	26	–	30	–
22	110	30	–	40	–
24	120	35	–	50	–
30	140	38	52	60	150
32	150	41	57	70	160
37	170	44	66	80	180
40	–	50	72	100	200
42	–	57	75	120	220
45	–	65	82	130	250
50	–	72	89	150	300
55	–	80	98	180	370
60	–	88	107	200	500

What do we see first in this table? The older technology is in use in the device, the more watts for TV are in need.

These must be approximate data. And not always the rated power coincides with the power consumption. In addition to externally connected devices, the following indicators can increase the number of solar power TV:

• Sound volume: The louder you watch TV, the more energy it consumes.
• Brightness: To reduce TV consumption, lower the screen brightness in the settings.
• Duration: The longer you watch TV, the more energy it will consume.

The smaller the diagonal of the TV and the newer the technology, the less energy it will consume. Let’s look at an example of calculation.

We need to find out how many watts a TV consumes daily. The calculation is very simple: we multiply the power shown in the table above by the watch hours. 

Suppose you have a TV with a nominal capacity of 50W and watch it 4 hours a day. It means the consumption of solar TV will be 200W. If your TV’s nominal consumption is 100W and you watch it 2 hours a day, the solar-powered TV will consume the same 200W.

Using the data in the table and the approximate number of hours of TV viewing, you can calculate the power consumption per day. We advise you to calculate the peak consumption, which usually falls on the weekend.

Using the same formula, you can calculate the consumption of your portable TV, which you can take with you on hikes and travels. A battery-operated TV set may come in handy for you at a campsite, in a house in the mountains, or in nature, where there may be power outages.

Now that you have calculated how much power a tv use, you can also calculate how many solar panels you need to power it.

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need for a TV?

A battery-operated TV is a thing of the past, and that’s due to the low environmental friendliness of the manufacture of such power sources and their complex disposal. The future belongs to solar power TVs. But only an accurate calculation will make it possible meet the expectations from the transition to off-grid solar fully.

Consider how many panels you need for your TV. To do this, you need to know the following parameters:

• How much energy your TV consumes: We indicated these calculations and carried them out above.
• How many hours a day do you watch TV: It is better to count not the average but the maximum number of hours, taking into account the needs of all family members;
• Your location: Climatic conditions, number of sunny days, the intensity of sunlight;
• Solar power for TV or other devices will be connected: Most often, a refrigerator is also connected to the solar panels in addition to the TV.

Knowing all these parameters, you can easily calculate how many TV solar panels you need and what size.

Providing a relevant example is in order if we talk about average values. How many watts is a 50-inch TV? Up to average consumption — 4 hours a day — such large TVs may require a 150 or 200-watt panel. While solar-powered televisions are smaller, like 32-40 inches, a 100-watt panel will suffice.

The table will look something like this:

TV size in inches	Power consumption (W)	Solar panel size (W)
19	15	50
22	23	50
24	25	100
32	27	100
40	53	100
42	55	100
55	75	150
65	95	200

While that’s an approximate calculation, it can be taken as a basis. But it’s imperative to make adjustments based on the parameters indicated above.

But it is also worth considering that not all TVs can work directly from a solar battery. In addition, solar-powered TV may not be very convenient. We watch our favorite programs and news in our free time, mainly in the evening. The intensity of sunlight at this time is always lower. Well, it’s basically zero, so you must consider several options for connecting solar panel TV simultaneously.

Do I Need To Buy Batteries if I Want To Watch TV?

A portable power station is the best option for powering your TV with solar energy. Besides, it can power your phone, tablet, or laptop. You can take such a portable battery on vacation or hike. This way, you’ll always have electricity in any area with a clear sky.

But if you don’t use such a device for one reason or another, you must consider other ways to collect and store electricity to use self-powered TV later.

Watts are used for measuring the power the TV consumes, and amps are used to measure battery capacity. Therefore, to know which battery you need for a solar station, it is necessary to find out, for example, how many amps a flat-screen TV uses. To do this, we need to convert power into voltage. You need to know the indicator in Ampere; it is in such units that the characteristics of most batteries are presented.

To calculate, for example, what kind of battery you need to operate a TV with a nominal consumption of 150 W / h. Rechargeable batteries usually have a voltage of 12-24 V. To determine the required battery capacity, you must divide 150 W / h by 12 V. A 12.5A battery is enough to watch TV with such power consumption comfortably.

But again, these calculations show a somewhat idealized, theoretical picture. Ideally, the battery should be twice as large as the theoretically calculated value.

Also, many people are wondering which battery to choose for a recharging plasma TV. There are different types of batteries. Some can be discharged completely, others only up to 30% or even 50%. The last batteries fail very quickly if they are in use incorrectly. Even if you have a fully charged battery, you must constantly think about how many watts it takes to run a TV and monitor the battery charge.

A deep cycle battery is a battery that can be discharged completely to 0. It means that even at night, you can turn on the TV and watch it until the battery runs out. With enough solar panels and a fully charged battery, you can watch your favorite programs until morning; after sunrise, the battery will begin charging again.

These batteries have one feature of use – after a complete discharge, the battery must be fully charged before the next use. In the case of solar systems, this is only sometimes convenient, and it cannot be said with a high degree of probability that the weather will allow this to be done quickly. But still, deep-cycle batteries are considered optimal for a solar panel for small appliances.

Even so, not every solar system needs a battery. If you have a hybrid with utility power as a backup power source, the battery can be omitted if you can watch TV in the evening while consuming mains power. But if you have already installed solar panels, it’s not advisable to completely transfer the evening viewing of your favorite channels to a common network. It is better to connect the TV to the battery.

Just follow the instructions to learn how to power a TV with a battery. Different manufacturers regulate their connection features. But there is one thing in common — nothing is difficult about it.

Do I Need an Inverter To Watch TV Using Solar Power?

To find the answer to this question, you must understand what type of energy a TV uses. We are talking about alternating and direct current. Solar panels generate direct currents. Does it matter? Not for all TVs.

Many manufacturers have recently begun adapting their devices to the new energy realities. They build the inverter to run the TV directly into the device. That’s indicated in the technical specifications as the ability to connect to direct and alternating currents. 

Such a TV can work from a shared network or solar panels without an inverter. The best TV for solar power is designed just like that because they have reduced consumption to save energy, and there is no need to use a converter. It doesn’t matter if the solar power system is installed in the house. If we only talk about powering the TV, then preparing and buying a special device is better. Many experts advise using an inverter in any case, regardless of whether there is a converter inside the TV.

Now we need to talk about what size of the inverter is necessary for the TV. Simple calculation: the inverter should be 20% more powerful than the TV, meaning that when consuming 100W, the inverter must be 120W.

Inverter for the TV is required only if the alternating current powers the device. Then power inverter for the TV converts direct current from solar panels into alternating current.

How To Run TVs on Solar Panels

Buying all the equipment is the first step. If you are interested in low-watt TV for solar panels, then power supply for such devices is sold in kits. There are also sets for TVs of different capacities, and these are not specialized sets of equipment but small, often portable kits.

You can buy everything you need separately if you want to install a fixed system to power your TV and other devices. But in this case, you are unlikely to succeed in installing the system yourself, and you will need the help of a competent specialist.

If you bought a ready-made kit or a portable solar generator, you could simply follow the instructions to connect a TV to it, just like any other device.

It’s also essential to decide where the energy will be in use. If only at home, you need a fixed station. If you want to receive solar TV free outdoors, on trips, or in a motor home, you’d better choose battery-operated tv for camping; it’s more reliable and practical.

Conclusion

Solar TV is a new reality. You should not look for specific TVs working only on solar energy without a network connection. The future has already arrived; any modern TV set can be made solar-powered today. You just need to know the basics:

• How many watts for tv are necessary?
• How many panels do you need?
• Do you need an inverter for your TV?
• What size of the battery is better to buy?

A professional should be consulted on all of these issues. Only an experienced specialist will quickly and without errors calculate all the technical indicators for you and advise you on good equipment suitable for your purposes.

The advantage of modern models over older TVs is that they consume much less energy. The more modern TV, the less panel it needs. Therefore, if you plan to purchase a new device to watch your favorite programs, we advise you to consider purchasing equipment for its free use immediately. Plasma TV wattage allows you to insert a panel in a high-rise building on the balcony and watch your favorite programs, regardless of whether your building has power.