A 100W panel runs lights, phone charging and a router; a 300W panel adds a small TV; 500W and up starts to cover a laptop, a bigger TV and, with care, a small fridge. Pick between solar panel sizes by adding up what you want to run each day in watt-hours, then matching it to the panel.
Updated 29 October 2026.
Watts vs watt-hours
- Watts (W) is how much power something draws right now. A 10W bulb draws 10W.
- Watt-hours (Wh) is power over time. That bulb on for 5 hours uses 50 Wh.
Most of Kenya gets around 5 peak sun hours a day. After losses in wiring, the charge controller and the battery, a panel realistically gives you about 3.5–4 Wh per watt per day:
| Panel | Usable energy per sunny day (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 100W | 350–400 Wh |
| 300W | 1,000–1,200 Wh |
| 500W | 1,700–2,000 Wh |
| 1000W | 3,500–4,000 Wh |
Expect less during the long rains and on cloudy days.
What 100W runs (lights, phones, router)
Typical daily use: – 4 LED bulbs (7W) for 5 hours: 140 Wh – 4 phone charges: about 60 Wh – Wi-Fi router for 12 hours: about 120 Wh
Total: about 320 Wh, which fits a 100W panel on a sunny day. It’s the classic setup for KPLC outages or a rural home.
300W and 500W: adding a TV
A 32″ LED TV draws about 30–50W, so 5 hours a day is 150–250 Wh. A 43″ uses roughly 60–100W.
- 300W: lights, phones, router all day, a 32″ TV and a decoder.
- 500W: all of that plus a bigger TV and a laptop (about 50W while charging).
How many panels for a TV? For one small TV with lights and phones, one 300W panel (or three 100W panels) is usually enough. Check the watts on your TV’s label and multiply by your viewing hours.
1000W and up
From about 1 kW you can run an efficient fridge (often 0.5–1.5 kWh a day), several TVs and a home office. At this size you also need an inverter and a properly sized battery bank, so plan the whole system: see solar system sizes explained.
Irons, kettles, electric cookers and instant showers draw 1,000–3,000W each. Keep them on KPLC, not solar.
Panels alone only work in daylight. For night use you need a battery and a charge controller: PWM vs MPPT charge controllers explains which to choose.
Typical KES ranges by size
Panel prices vary widely between quality brands and cheap unbranded ones. Typical ranges for the panel alone:
| Panel | Typical price |
|---|---|
| 100W | about KES 4,000–10,000 |
| 300W | about KES 8,000–16,000 |
| 500–550W | about KES 15,000–28,000 |
| 1000W (two 500W panels) | about KES 30,000–55,000 |
A good-quality panel often works out at around KES 50 per watt or more. A panel far cheaper than that may produce less than its label says. More on reading quotes: solar panel prices in Kenya explained.
Quick answers
About 350–400 Wh a day: LED lights, several phone charges and a router, but not a TV for long or a fridge.
For a 32″ TV plus lights and phones, about 300W of panels with a battery for evening viewing.
Typically about KES 8,000–16,000 depending on brand and quality.
