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Starlink solar: how big a panel and battery, really

Solar for Starlink is simple math with one trap: winter. Size for December, not July.

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Quick answer

A Mini running all day on 12 V needs about 1,067 Wh a day from its battery (40 W Official spec, top of the range). In Colorado that’s about 204 W of flat panels in July and 622 W in December, plus a battery that carries the night.

The math in three lines

  1. Watt-hours per day = watts × hours on ÷ conversion efficiency. Mini, 24 h, 12 V: 40 W × 24 ÷ 0.9 = 1,067 Wh.
  2. Panel watts = Wh per day ÷ (peak sun hours × 0.75) Planning assumption. Colorado in December has 2.29 sun hours on a flat panel.
  3. Battery ≥ the hours of darkness × battery-side watts, plus margin for cloudy days.

The December problem, in Colorado

Panel watts a 24/7 Starlink Mini needs each month in Colorado (Denver)Jan 550 W, Feb 402 W, Mar 301 W, Apr 247 W, May 220 W, Jun 197 W, Jul 204 W, Aug 226 W, Sep 265 W, Oct 358 W, Nov 496 W, Dec 622 W0 W350 W700 WJan550Feb402Mar301Apr247May220Jun197Jul204Aug226Sep265Oct358Nov496Dec622
Panel watts (flat panel) needed to refill one day’s use, by month. Sun hours: NASA POWER monthly averages; panel output assumed at 75% of nameplate × sun hours (planning assumption). “Off scale” means over 2000 W: solar alone isn’t a practical plan that month.

The same load needs 3× the panel in December that it needs in July. Further north it’s worse: see your state.

Solar guides

Sun data: NASA POWER POWER Climatology API v2.10.0, parameter ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN (all-sky surface shortwave downward irradiance on a horizontal surface), 20-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2020), retrieved Oct 5, 2026.

When this is the wrong choice

  • Solar is the wrong plan for a Standard dish running 24/7 in a northern winter on a small budget: the panel and battery get very large. A Mini, a sleep schedule or a generator top-up may cost less.
  • A summer-sized system will run flat in December. Always check the worst month.

Questions people ask

How many solar panels do I need for Starlink?

For a Mini running 24 hours a day on 12 V, about 1,067 Wh a day. In Colorado that’s roughly 204 W of flat panels in July and 622 W in December, plus a battery to carry the night. Your state and hours change this a lot: use the calculator.

Can Starlink run on solar alone?

Not at night: you always need a battery. In summer a modest panel and battery can carry a Mini around the clock in most states; in December, northern states may need several times the panel, a sleep schedule, or a generator.

How big a battery do I need with solar?

At least one night’s use, plus a margin for cloudy days. The calculator shows the smallest battery for the hours you set.

Sources

  1. Starlink Mini Specifications (PDF) · checked Oct 5, 2026
  2. Standard 4 X Specifications (PDF) · checked Oct 5, 2026