Guide
What size solar panel for a CPAP?
To refill one CPAP night from the sun, divide the nightly watt-hours by your sun hours and allow for loss. Without humidity on a DC cord, a 50 W panel is plenty (about 60 W if the CPAP runs on AC); with a heated tube, plan on about 150 W, or 190 W on AC.
Medical safety notice: Will It Run? gives general power estimates only, not medical advice. Power draw varies by model, settings, pressure, humidifier and altitude. Before relying on any battery, power station, inverter or generator for a medical device, confirm approved power sources with the device manufacturer and your doctor or equipment supplier, and test your setup before an emergency. Never change prescribed settings to extend battery life. If your therapy is life-sustaining, keep the backup your supplier provides, register with your utility's medical-needs program, and have an evacuation plan. Run generators outdoors only, at least 20 ft from windows and doors, because of carbon monoxide risk. In an emergency, call 911.
Panel watts ≈ nightly Wh ÷ (sun hours × 0.75). The 0.75 is a planning allowance for heat, angle and charging loss; your real output depends on weather, season and location. The examples assume 4 hours of good sun. On AC, the night also includes about 15 W of inverter draw for 8 hours (120 Wh), which is why the AC column is bigger.
| Machine and setting | 8-hour night | Panel watts, DC (4 sun hours) | Panel watts if it runs on AC |
|---|---|---|---|
| ResMed AirMini travel CPAP | 50 Wh | 17 W | 57 W |
| ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet, no humidifier | 56 Wh | 19 W | 59 W |
| ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet, no humidifier | 56 Wh | 19 W | 59 W |
| ResMed AirSense 11 with HumidAir 11 humidifier, no heated tube | 152 Wh | 51 W | 91 W |
| ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet with HumidAir humidifier | 176 Wh | 59 W | 99 W |
| ResMed AirSense 10 with HumidAir and ClimateLineAir heated tube | 272 Wh | 91 W | 131 W |
| ResMed AirSense 11 with HumidAir 11 and ClimateLineAir 11 | 440 Wh | 147 W | 187 W |
| ResMed AirSense 11, typical power from the user guide | 449 Wh | 150 W | 190 W |
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More CPAP guides
- CPAP and BiPAP hub
- CPAP during a power outage
- CPAP camping: power without hookups
- How many watts does a CPAP use?
- BiPAP battery backup
- CPAP on DC vs AC from a power station
- Can a car battery run a CPAP?
- Best power station for a CPAP
Questions
What size solar panel do I need for a CPAP?
To refill one CPAP night from the sun, divide the nightly watt-hours by your sun hours and allow for loss. Without humidity on a DC cord, a 50 W panel is plenty (about 60 W if the CPAP runs on AC); with a heated tube, plan on about 150 W, or 190 W on AC.