I know SOLAR is a bad word on FreeRepublic, but...
I’ve been running a completely Solar refrigerator for about three years on a single battery charged by an 85 watt panel. The only problem I’ve had is frozen beer when I don’t get to the cabin for a couple of weeks (I live in southern Arizona, and the temps are pretty high in the summer, still no problem for this great unit.)
Check out Sundanzer for information on the fridge, they also sell freezers http://www.sundanzer.com/Home.html. They’re a little pricey, but they work great.
Not true! We are just practical here and realize solar is so far from practical, why make a political statement and lose you frozen food. I realize an ammonia system works fine for an RV, but most homes have freon models. To convert from an everyday use system to an RV setup is probably not going to happen for most folks. Solar, as it is now, will never produce more than 5% of our power. Now if much of our appliances start using less than a 100 watt bulb, it would be exciting. If just one air conditioner uses 50 amps of 220, you would need acres of panels to run one thing. If you just want to have a couple of lights, no problem. If I were building a new home, I would consider an absorption system for cooling and refrigeration. A solar heater with a small backup for night time would work for that system.
We are not against solar or wind or even alternative fuels, but we are just not buying into impractical answers that will never generate the supply needed for the load. The lie being spread now to our youth that we can run our houses on solar and wind if we just spend enough money is polluting the discussion. Believe me, when a workable solution comes, Freepers will be first in line.