The number-one question we hear at Joshville is simple: 'What can solar actually run?' The honest answer is — almost anything, if the system is sized correctly. The practical answer for most Nigerian households is: fans, lighting, TVs, routers, phone chargers, and yes, even an air conditioner, as long as you use an inverter-type AC and pair it with enough panels and batteries.
Typical Appliance Wattages (Nigerian Home Reference)
- LED bulb: 5–15W per bulb
- Ceiling or standing fan: 50–75W
- Solar-direct DC fan: 15–40W (much more efficient)
- 43-inch LED TV: 60–90W
- Decoder / DSTV: 15–25W
- WiFi router: 8–15W
- Laptop: 45–90W
- Phone charger: 10–25W
- Refrigerator (150L inverter): 80–150W average (compressor cycles)
- 1HP inverter AC: 700–850W running load
- 1.5HP inverter AC: 900–1,100W running load
- 2HP inverter AC: 1,300–1,600W running load
- Electric kettle (2kW): 2,000W — avoid on solar unless system is 5kWp+
- Pressing iron: 1,000–2,500W — use sparingly
Small System (400W–1kWp): What It Covers
A 400W panel array with a 100Ah 12V lithium battery (or 200Ah lead-acid) can comfortably handle lighting across 4–5 rooms, 2–3 fans, a TV and decoder, phone and laptop charging, and a router — all night long. This is the typical 'NEPA supplement' setup many Lagos and Abuja families start with. You will not run an AC or fridge on this, but you will sleep comfortably and stay connected.
Medium System (2–3kWp): Add the Fridge and More
Step up to 2–3kWp of panels with a 200Ah 48V lithium battery bank (roughly 9.6kWh usable) and you can add an inverter refrigerator, a second TV, more lighting zones, and even run a small inverter AC (1HP) for 5–6 hours in the evening. Nigeria's sun hours vary — Lagos gets around 4.5–5 peak sun hours daily, while northern states get 6+. Factor in your location when sizing.
Large System (4–6kWp+): Full Home Including AC
To run a 1.5HP inverter AC for 8 hours a day alongside normal household loads, budget for at least 4–5kWp of panels and a 200Ah+ 48V LiFePO4 battery. A 6kW hybrid inverter like the Growatt SPF 6kW can manage this load comfortably, with Wi-Fi monitoring so you can track consumption in real time. Larger families or businesses with multiple ACs need to scale proportionally — each 1.5HP AC adds roughly 8–10kWh to your daily energy budget.
What Solar Cannot Run Cost-Effectively
- Electric cooker or induction hob (2–3kW continuous) — LPG gas is a better companion
- Electric water heater / immersion boiler (2–3kW) — solar water heaters (thermal) are a separate, cheaper solution
- Heavy industrial motors without a dedicated industrial system
- Standard non-inverter window units — these draw 2–3× more than inverter equivalents and are not recommended
The shift from 'will solar work for me?' to 'how do I size it?' is the most important mindset change. Every home can run on solar — the question is budget and load.