A solar ac unit powered air conditioner is an AC unit that runs on renewable energy produced by a home solar power system. It can cut an energy bill in half, and eliminate fossil fuel use (and emissions).

Solar air conditioning uses one of the most abundant natural resources, sunshine, to produce electricity. A homeowner can harness the power of the sun by using rooftop or ground-fixed solar panels to generate clean, free energy for their home cooling needs. In some cases, solar energy can provide nearly all of the power needed to run an AC unit – even when the grid is out.

Chilling with Solar: How Solar Air Conditioners Are Redefining Cooling Solution

What makes a solar AC system work is a power-generating inverter that converts direct current from the solar panels to alternating current that powers most electrical appliances, including an air conditioner. The inverter can also be equipped with a battery, which provides power to the AC at night when the solar array isn’t producing as much energy.

Many people choose to install hybrid solar AC systems that supplement traditional electricity sources with solar power. In these types of installations, the inverter can monitor the state of the solar panel array and battery bank and adjust the AC input accordingly based on how much sunlight is available to the panels.

Others choose a more off-grid solar AC system, which is ideal for remote locations that don’t have access to the grid. In these situations, a battery bank is necessary to store energy for later use (i.e., at night). A pre-sized kit that includes the solar panel system and batteries will save time and avoid compatibility issues. The battery kit is carefully sized to the consumption of the air conditioner and to the capacity of the solar panel array.