What Are Small Solar Modules Used For?
Small solar modules, ranging in size from 10 W to 100 W, power applications such as streetlights, irrigation systems, portable chargers, and off-grid homes. Examples include a 20 W panel powering LED lights for street vendors in the Philippines—saving $10/month—and a 50 W panel that reduces diesel consumption by 80% for irrigation pumps.
Low-Cost Power Solution
The usual 20 W solar panel can provide about 80 Wh in one day, enough to charge a smartphone three times, while it costs only about $15. It can reduce the cost of more than 50% per charge compared with traditional grid power.
A 50 W solar panel can drive a small irrigation pump, whose water output is about 200 liters per hour, and the total cost of such a system is $200. Compared to a diesel pump, the solar system can last for as long as 10 years and saves about $30 per year in fuel.
California, USA, has installed 20,000 solar streetlights with an average power rating of 20 W per panel. The total power generation exceeds 10 million kWh per year, saving about $2 million in electricity costs. The installation and operating costs of solar streetlights are reduced by 30% compared to traditional streetlights, and approximately 10,000 tons of CO₂ emissions have been reduced.
A foldable 10 W solar panel can weigh as little as 300 g and thus enable the power supply of portable devices for up to 6 hours. Such a product's growth rate reached 25% in 2024, while its main markets were Europe and the United States. The LED light and small fan can be powered with a 30 W solar panel. In India, street vendors have seen a 20% increase in daily income, an additional $100 per year per vendor, due to the installation of solar panels.
Small satellites, so-called CubeSats, often use 20 W solar panels. The maximum power generation efficiency ever recorded for these panels was 29%. In a CubeSat with an overall cost of about $50,000, the solar system accounts for less than 10%.
Save $300 in electricity costs per year for a school in a developing country by installing 15 W solar panels. Students' efficiency in learning increased by 10%.
Easy and Fast Maintenance
A common 20 W solar panel needs maintenance once a year; the water used for cleaning is normally less than 2 liters, which costs about $0.5, while the maintenance cost for the traditional energy system is often ten times higher.
Small solar panels are designed to provide 20-25 years of service life. For a 30 W solar panel from a well-known brand, the annual efficiency degradation rate is just 0.5%, and after 10 years, it will still retain about 95% of the power generation efficiency. The diesel generator usually needs to replace several key components within 5 years, and its comprehensive maintenance cost is close to 300% more.
Over 70% of the households in the remote mountain area of South America have started using small solar panels ranging from 10-50 W. The overall maintenance time for each household annually is less than 2 hours and saves each family approximately $100 yearly. On a farm in Africa, the irrigation system that was installed was driven by 50 W solar panels and required servicing every six months. Servicing each required a fee of only $5. The monthly maintenance expenditure of the traditional diesel pump is over $20.
There is an Asian factory that fitted 100 sets of 20 W photovoltaic panels in the warehouse. Using the self-cleaning coating technology, it was able to clean off the dust automatically from its surface once the wind speed reached 15 km/h. With three years in operation, its maintenance cost reduced by 40% compared with the traditional power equipment.
For instance, it is estimated that in a city in the U.S., 50 W solar-powered bus stations require an average of only $15 in maintenance per year after two years of operation, while maintaining systems powered by the grid costs as high as $120 per year.
A yacht fitted with 100 W solar panels will save approximately $500 in fuel per year, while maintenance for the panel will cost $50.
In India alone, over 500 schools have been installed with 15 W solar plates. The amount of maintenance necessary is a mere quarterly check, which can be done in under 30 minutes by any school staff member for a total yearly cost of under $10.
Perfect for Off-Grid Living
The average 50 W photovoltaic panel generates about 200 Wh of electricity daily, enough to power a 10 W LED light for 20 hours or charge a smartphone 6 times. Its initial cost is about $50, while its maintenance cost is very low at no more than $10 annually. Compared to using a diesel generator, this off-grid energy solution will save over $500 in operating costs during the span of 10 years.
In a rural electrification project in India, 20 W solar panels were installed for 500 households at a cost of approximately $40 per household. These reduced the users' energy costs by about $5 a month, saving $60 annually on electricity. Coverage increased by 150% within two years.
In the United States, many RV enthusiasts choose to install 100 W solar panels to power their appliances. A single panel can generate 400 Wh of electricity per day, enough to run a refrigerator for 10 hours or a TV for 8 hours. The initial installation cost is between $200 and $300, and the investment can be recovered within 5 years.
A portable solar charger with 10 W and weighing less than 500 g can provide approximately 2 hours of operation for a laptop each day. These products have a sales growth of 30% in Europe, and usually, they are designed with waterproofing, offering durability up to 10 years.
It extracts about 500 liters of groundwater every day with a system that contains a 40 W solar panel and a water pump at an approximate cost of $300. It reduces the maintenance costs for diesel pumps by up to 80%, increasing annual profits by about 20%.
That was a small weather station in Antarctica having 10 panels of 100 W each, which managed to generate 4,000 Wh every day. These prevented the wasting of nearly $10,000 as a fuel cost by using the traditionally conventional method.
In rural schools in Kenya, a 15 W solar panel lights a classroom all day long and saves approximately $50 a year in electricity costs. Over 100,000 students are able to study after dark, with classroom attendance up 15%.
Each tent in this Amazon rainforest ecological camp is equipped with a 20 W solar panel that operates LED lights and phone chargers, reducing diesel costs by an approximate $2,000 yearly at the camp.
Ideal for Tiny Homes
A typical 15 m² Tiny Home with two 100 W solar panels generates about 800 Wh of electricity per day. The installation cost is usually between $800 and $1,000, and the investment can be recouped within 5 years. Compared with traditional grid users, the energy expenditure of such homes is reduced by about 70%.
A 50 W solar panel produces up to 200 Wh a day, which can also run a little rice cooker for about 2 hours. Up to 80% of 200 users answered in a survey that they feel more independent with the solar system and not dependent on energy from outside networks in their Tiny Home.
A 20 W foldable solar charger, with a size of only 30 cm × 20 cm, can be easily installed on a window sill or wall. This module provides up to 10 hours of night-time lighting for LED lights, avoiding taking up indoor space.
An RV equipped with 4 × 100 W solar panels produces about 1,600 Wh of electricity per day, enough to run a refrigerator, water heater, and TV. The total installation cost is around $2,000, and users can save over $800 in fuel costs per year compared to using a diesel generator.
This Norwegian eco-house has been fitted with 6 × 50 W solar panels that are connected to a heat storage system of 500 W. That is enough to provide 60% of this house's heat requirement each month, while running costs for a year cost less than $200.
A system of 3 × 100 W photovoltaic panels generates approximately 3 kWh of electricity in a day to keep an 8,000 BTU air conditioner running for about 3 hours per day. Against traditional grid users, this translates into an approximate annual savings of $500 in electricity bills with this off-grid cooling solution.
The Australian ecovillage Tiny Homes was fitted with two 50 W solar panels each, with a rainwater processing capacity of about 200 liters a day. This brings down a $1,000-plus savings every year while decreasing reliance on the municipal supply of water for the community.
In 2023, a hurricane cut electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes in Florida, while Tiny Homes with solar systems continued to sustain basic living needs. More importantly, a system with 4 × 100 W panels with a battery of 1 kWh can work continuously for 3 days without sunning, just for lighting and small appliances.
Portable and Versatile
A 10 W portable solar panel weighing less than 1 kg and measuring 30 cm × 20 cm produces about 40 Wh daily to fully charge even the most advanced smartphone model twice. The price for such devices ranges from $20-$50, while the sale of portable modules increased 18% per year. Furthermore, according to the feedback from the respondents, the device at issue allowed them to resolve problems with energy sources during their tours in the woods in 75% of cases.
A trekking team has already used two 20 W solar panels in the Himalayas to run GPS and communication devices. Each panel generates around 80 Wh of electricity daily, which is able to support two devices for 8 hours continuously. These have been tested to operate at temperatures as low as -20℃ while maintaining over 90% of their power generation efficiency.
The solar station—weighing about 10 kg, having 5 pieces of 50 W solar panels—can charge 20 smartphones and 5 laptops at the same time. Each set costs $500, while savings from fuel transportation and power generation reach over $1,500.
A 40 W solar panel powers a small irrigation pump, able to yield 200 liters of water daily. It costs a total of $300 to install this system, saving about $100 annually and reducing diesel consumption by 80%.
The most common uses of the 20 W panels among street vendors in the Philippines include powering LED lights and small speakers. With about 80 Wh of electricity per day from each panel, the savings in electricity cost is roughly $10 monthly for a vendor, thereby translating to about a 15% increase in operating hours per year.
In the range of 10 W to 30 W, solar panels are installed on oil drilling platforms for operating monitoring equipment. Such systems have a life span of more than 15 years and require 60% less maintenance compared to conventional power generation systems, saving approximately $20,000 annually in operation costs.
A small, 15 W panel powers a test device throughout the day. It only costs $100 and has been added to more than 5,000 schools worldwide for demonstration of how clean energy generation takes place in classrooms.
Eco-Friendly Energy Source
With every 1 kW of small solar panels installed, it is calculated that about 1.5 tons of CO₂ can be reduced each year. For example, during a lifetime of 20 years, the carbon emissions reduced by a typical 50 W solar panel equal the planting of 70 trees. Households using 20 W solar panels can save about 0.5 tons less in firewood per year.
A textile factory in China installed solar panels of 30 W in the ventilation system of the dyeing workshop. It saves about 3,000 kWh of traditional electricity every year with this system, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 2 tons, and greatly improves the working environment in workshops.
A bus station with real-time information display and night-time lighting is powered by a 100 W solar panel in Sweden. This solar-powered bus station saves approximately 500 kWh of electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 0.4 tons.
A water pump for irrigation fitted with a 40 W solar panel in India saves approximately 200 liters of diesel. The total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from farmers participating in the project reached 120 tons per year.
An eco-lodge in the Amazon rainforest equips every guest room with a 50 W solar panel. It reduces the lodge's diesel electricity use by about 500 kWh per year, decreasing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions significantly.
A community in Japan has a waste recycling station that uses 20 W solar panels to run the sorting machines. It saves roughly 1 ton of electricity per year, reducing methane emissions from landfills.
In Germany, 15 W solar panels were installed in some primary and secondary schools to demonstrate the process of energy production and use. Students at these schools participate in over 100 environmental activities annually, increasing their knowledge of solar technology by 50%.
Reduces Electricity Costs
A small solar panel of 50 W can produce approximately 200 Wh every day. It produces an average of about 73 kWh yearly. If it saves $0.15 for every kWh, it will save the user approximately $11 in a year. When five such panels are used in a house, the savings amount to $55 per year. Considering the initial installation cost of about $250, the investment is paid off in less than 5 years.
A 20 W solar panel installation was set up in rural Indian households, and their electricity bills fell from $4 to $2 per month, a 50% drop. More than 500,000 households were covered in this project, saving over $100 million in electricity costs for users.
A Philippines store installed six 100 W solar panels on its roof and produces an average of 2.4 kWh of electricity per day. That translates into a savings of about $18 a month, or $216 a year. The $800 investment paid back in less than 4 years, and the system lasts more than 20 years—meaning nearly free electricity for the next 16 years.
A 40 W solar panel can generate 160 Wh per day, which is adequate to run a small irrigation pump, saving about $10 in diesel costs per month. The farmers participating in the solar irrigation program in sub-Saharan Africa save $120 every year by saving fuel costs in farming, improving their production efficiency. This saving accounts for nearly 10% of their annual income.
An RV fitted with 4 pieces of 100 W solar panels produces about 1.6 kWh of electricity every day, and the RV user saves up to $500 in electricity costs annually, with a running cost reduction of 80% compared to a diesel generator.
A U.S. city installed solar-powered streetlights in 50 parks, each with a 50 W solar panel. Such streetlights produce about 18 kWh of electricity annually, saving $3 in electricity bills per light per year, adding up to around $150,000 in savings for the city every year.
In South Asia, 15 W solar panels have been mounted in each classroom. These have provided roughly 60 Wh of electricity per day in each classroom. This ultimately saves the schools about $20 a year in electricity costs for each classroom.
A food processing factory in China installed 100 W solar panels on its roof, saving up to $2,000 in electricity costs annually. The installation cost of this solar system was $8,000, and it can pay back the investment within 4 years.