PV Gap

Kathryn Said:

How much electricity do you get from one solar panel, generally (in WA state)?

We Answered:

In Eastern Wa., solar works great, even in winter. .
In Western Wa. , not so much.....

Tyrone Said:

can I run a desktop computer with a solar panel?

We Answered:

The system in the Hawaiian house has solar panels that charge a battery bank. If the sun doesn't shine enough, the generator will kick on and provide the extra power needed. An inverter converts the DC voltage stored in the batteries to AC power that you plug into a wall outlet to use. Depending on the inverter, it should be exactly the same as the AC you buy from the electric company now, so anything that you currently plug in to use will work.

The exception is if they are using an inexpensive modified sine wave inverter, that doesn't generate as clean power as a pure sine wave inverter. Some delicate electronics may have trouble running on it. You may want to ask the house owners which type of inverter it is. If they don't know, ask them the model and you can easily look it up.