solar panels Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Will light bulbs make solar panels work at night?

Posted on April 8, 2025

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Question from Mark: I have a small solar power setup (about 400 watts) that’s powering the lights and the TV in the small off-grid cabin I built for weekend getaways.

I tried running a portable refrigerator and a couple of other small appliances off the solar and they work fine during the day, but my 12V/100Ah battery is dead by morning when I leave everything running overnight.

My question is will solar panels work with artificial light? [Read more…]

Q&A: How long can used solar panels be expected to last?

Posted on September 21, 2024

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Question from Blaine: Today’s “Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter” was sponsored by a company selling used solar panels.

I’ve actually been pricing solar panels for a while with an eye towards taking a small hunting cabin that I own off-grid.

I checked out the used panels offered by your advertiser SanTan Solar and their prices are only a fraction of the cheapest prices that I’ve been able to find for new panels.

I have a couple of questions for you if you don’t mind: [Read more…]

How (and why) I took my home office off-grid and went solar

Posted on April 29, 2024

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

If you work from home you know how important it is to have a dependable power source to run your computer, printer, modem, router, lights and other essential work-related gear.

That’s why power interruptions are such a hassle, even when they are relatively short-lived.

Our local power grid isn’t the best so my neck of the woods experiences frequent outages that last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. And every now and then, an outage can literally last for days.

This post explains what I did to avoid that inconvenience and aggravation in the future. [Read more…]

Q&A: How do you take just part of a house off-grid to go solar?

Posted on March 7, 2023

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Question from Keith: I just finished reading your post about taking your home office off-grid and I found it very encouraging because I’d love to that for just a couple of rooms in my own house.

My question is how do you take just part of a house off-grid while leaving the rest of it connected to the power line? [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy solar panels or a generator for my RV?

Posted on December 16, 2022

Question from Stanley: My wife and I bought an RV and we’re planning to do some traveling (and of course camping).

Not a lot at first, just an occasional long weekend visit to one of the parks in our area (there are several).

Then after I retire in three years we’re going to hit the road and do some serious travelling (and LOTS of camping).

My question: Which is better for RV camping – solar panels or a generator? [Read more…]