Tiny homes have become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks to their low environmental impact and the minimalism they embody. Sustainable energy sources for tiny houses are essential to keep them off the grid and reduce their carbon footprint. This blog will discuss the three most common renewable energy sources for tiny homes: solar, wind, and water power.
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Solar power is one of the tiny homes‘ most popular sustainable energy sources. It works by using photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. The cells are usually installed on the roof of the tiny home and connected to a battery bank that stores the energy produced.
The cost of installing a solar panel system varies depending on the size of the system and the power requirements of the tiny home. However, the initial cost is usually offset by savings on electricity bills in the long run.
The main advantage of solar power is that it is a clean, renewable, and reliable energy source. Moreover, solar panels are low maintenance and can last up to 25 years. This makes them a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution for powering a tiny home.
Another benefit of solar power is that it can power various appliances and devices. For example, you can use solar energy to run your lights, fridge, television, computer, and heating and cooling systems.
However, there are a few drawbacks to using solar power. Firstly, the efficiency of solar panels is affected by weather conditions, particularly in areas with frequent cloudy weather. Secondly, the batteries used to store solar power can be heavy and take up a lot of space in a tiny home. Finally, installing solar panels can be expensive, which may not be feasible for some tiny homeowners.
Wind power is another renewable energy source that can power a tiny home. It works by using a turbine to convert wind energy into electricity. The turbine is usually installed on a tall tower or pole to capture the maximum amount of wind.
The main advantage of wind power is that it is a clean, renewable, and abundant energy source. It can benefit tiny homes in windy areas, such as coastal or mountainous areas.
Moreover, wind turbines can be installed in various sizes, making them suitable for tiny homes. They can be used as a primary energy source or a backup for solar power.
However, there are a few drawbacks to using wind power. Firstly, wind turbines can be noisy, which can be a problem for some tiny homeowners. Secondly, wind power is less predictable than solar power, making it difficult to rely on as a primary energy source. Finally, wind turbines can be expensive to install, which may not be feasible for some tiny homeowners.
Water power, also known as hydropower, is another renewable energy source that can be used to power a tiny home. It uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to turn a turbine, generating electricity.
The main advantage of water power is that it is a clean, renewable, and reliable energy source. It can be beneficial for tiny homes located near a stream or river.
Moreover, water power can be used to generate a significant amount of electricity, making it suitable as a primary energy source. It is also low maintenance and can last up to 50 years, making it a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution for powering a tiny home.
However, there are a few drawbacks to using water power. Firstly, finding a suitable location for a hydroelectric system can be challenging, particularly in areas with low water flow. Secondly, installing a hydroelectric system can be expensive, which may not be feasible for some tiny homeowners. Finally, water power can be affected by droughts, which can lead to reduced power output.
Tiny houses are becoming widely popular among people looking to cut down their expenses and reduce the environmental impact. However, before you move from traditional homes to tiny houses, you'll need to figure out one important thing — power. Since small homes typically exist off-grid, the best way to power them is by using solar panels for tiny houses.
The number of solar panels you'll need for your tiny house will depend on how many appliances you use. Jackery offers a wide range of high-quality solar panels compatible with power stations. Jackery Solar Generator Pro combines Explorer Pro Portable Power Station and SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels to charge 99% of appliances at home.
Going solar offers many benefits, like reduced utility bills, lower environmental impact, and more. Additionally, solar energy is widely available, making it a free and renewable energy source for tiny houses. Here are a few main benefits of using solar panels for tiny homes.
While solar panels for tiny houses come with a bunch of advantages, there are a few drawbacks you must know.
In this table, let's quickly wrap up the pros and cons of solar panel systems for tiny houses.
Pros
Cons
● Saving electric bills
● Reduces environmental impact
● Eliminates dependency on grid electricity
● High upfront cost
● Require expensive additional batteries
You can install solar power panels on the roof of your tiny home or choose a portable battery backup to charge appliances. However, with a lot of solar panels available, it can be challenging to choose the one that meets your power requirements and budget. Therefore, it's ideal to consider a few important factors before you shell out money.
Power Usage
When choosing the solar panels for a tiny house, you'll need to know how many watts you use per hour or day. For instance, you'll need more solar panels and a larger battery capacity if you have higher power needs. If you have a high power requirement, consider Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels with an Explorer Pro Portable Power Station.
Types of Solar Panels
Mainly, three types of solar panels are available — monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film. Monocrystalline solar power panels are the most efficient type made with single silicon cells, whereas polycrystalline are less efficient panels built with different silicon cells. Thin-film solar power panels are the least efficient type but have low cost.
Cost
The solar panels for tiny houses cost varies from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the quality. When buying solar panels, you must ensure they fall within your budget. Although monocrystalline solar panels have a higher initial cost, they are sturdy and have the highest quality.
Location
Southwestern states like Arizona, Florida, etc., generally get more sunshine hours as they are located in the sunbelt. However, if your tiny home is in the Northern Hemisphere, tilt the panels to the true south to get direct sunlight. The southern hemisphere should tilt PVs towards the true North. You must ensure the sun's rays hit the solar panels perpendicularly throughout the day for best results.
The first step to choosing the right solar power system is determining how much electricity you need. In order to calculate the exact energy consumption, all you need to do is list all the appliances and see how much energy they consume daily.
Energy consumption of an appliance = Watts × Usage time
Suppose you have a mini refrigerator that consumes 200 watts of energy. If you run the fridge for 5 hours, you'll need a solar system that supplies 200W*5H = Wh.
The below table reveals the power consumption of daily household appliances and their usage time.
Item
Watts
Usage Time (in hours)
Energy in Watt-hours
5 Led lights
5
5
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125
Incandescent lighting
60
5
300
Refrigerator
200
8
AC unit
5
Cellphone
5
5
25
Well pump
750
1
750
Space heater
4
If you wish to power your tiny home with solar energy, it's better to invest in the Jackery Solar Generator, which combines a portable power station and solar panels. The solar panels convert solar energy into DC electricity, and the pure sine wave inverter in the portable power station then converts DC to AC electricity to charge the appliances. Below, we will recommend two Jackery Solar Generators for tiny homes that can charge most household appliances for long hours.
The Jackery Solar Generator Plus is one of the large-capacity generators that can charge 99% of tiny home appliances for long hours. You can connect the solar generator to the home's electricity system to switch from utility grid power to battery backup in just 20ms. By adding multiple battery packs, you can expand the battery capacity all the way to 24kWh and ensure home appliances remain powered during long-term power outages.
Customer Review
“Easy to set up and use, thoughtful design to have a battery mounted on wheels. Since this is a modular system, we will be adding more components in the future.” — Denise Shepherd.
The Jackery Solar Generator Plus is the most trusted whole-home backup power that can charge almost all household appliances for long hours. Its dual voltage support ensures you can charge appliances working at 120V or 240V. It features an optimized CTB structure equipped with a pull handle, and double wheels ensure easy movement from one spot to another. It supports add-on battery packs to extend the capacity from 5kWh to 60kWh, ensuring a long-lasting power supply to tiny home appliances.
Customer Review
“Incredible whole home set-up! Easy installation (per the electrician) and very versatile. I look forward to adding more power for a longer backup. Great job Jackery!” — Customer.
Please note that all the calculations are just for reference purposes and might vary from actual runtime.
If you want to build a DIY solar panel system for tiny houses, here are the main components you must know.
Solar Panels: First, you'll need multiple solar panels to charge the battery backup system. You can choose roof-mounted panels fixed atop your house roof or portable and foldable solar panels. If you don't have enough roof space, it is better to choose portable solar panels.
Battery Backup: You must invest in a safe and large-capacity battery backup. The two best batteries that can charge faster and supply stable electricity to appliances are lithium-ion and LiFePO4. Although these batteries have a high upfront cost, they last long and are relatively sturdy.
Inverter: The inverter takes power in the form of DC from the solar power panels and converts it to AC electricity that safely charges appliances.
Charge Controller: The primary role of the charge controller is to manage the power supplied to batteries.
Many new technology batteries come with an in-built MPPT charge controller and inverter to reduce the complete installation cost.
Now that we have covered the components of a solar panel system, here is how it works.
The PV or solar panels convert the sun's rays to electric energy (DC electricity), which is then supplied to the inverter. It converts DC current to AC electricity, which then flows to charge your tiny home appliances.
The cost of solar power panels for tiny homes will vary depending on the power output and the number of components. If you are investing in a roof-mounted solar panel system, you'll have to pay for high installation costs.
However, that's not the case when you choose portable solar systems like Jackery Solar Generators. They combine Jackery Explorer Portable Power Stations and SolarSaga Solar Panels to efficiently power most tiny home appliances.
The battery backups are made with lithium-ion or LiFePO4 batteries to safely charge appliances for long hours. These battery backups have a built-in inverter to supply safe electricity and ensure no power fluctuations while charging devices. The MPPT charger controller provides 99% solar charging efficiency.
Buying portable power stations and solar panels for tiny houses is a wise decision to power most appliances for long hours. Not only will this help you charge electrical devices faster, but it will also lower the environmental impact by reducing the emission of harmful gases.