AbstractWe have successfully developed and industrialized a solar‐powered air conditioner that operates through a combination of photovoltaic (PV) arrays and commercial power supplies. In order to achieve the most efficient operation possible from a one‐horsepower inverter‐type household air conditioner, we selected a PV array output of 540 W under standard test conditions, based on single‐day power use patterns for air conditioners as well as on solar cell output patterns.When using a 540‐W PV array, we have shown that the system can supply at least 90% of the power consumed by an air conditioner during peak power periods in summer. We have confirmed that on average the power generated by the PV array can satisfy at least 50% of the power consumed by an air conditioner in summer. We also confirmed that the system functions according to system design specifications. There is little doubt that the introduction and widespread use of this system will play an important role in reducing peak power energy requirements