You can try some calculations on a spreadsheet to make sizing decisions.
For example, above is a quickie ODS spreadsheet screenshot to get ballpark power consumption estimates, 5 min period. Assume 2 mA MicroPython lightsleep to keep time/date running, and a very conservative 10 seconds of 100 mA Wifi operation -- probably overkill. That should be enough to give you many days of operation, but make sure the rest of the loads are not leaky when the gizmo sleeps. Getting about 150 mAh per day shouldn't need a lot of solar cells, and then you can model worst-case scenarios in order to decide on the final size/capacity.
Statistics: Posted by katak255 — Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:12 am