How To Size Solar Panels

Read our guide to choosing your solar energy system installer.

How to size solar panels.

Add up your kwh usage for 12 months and divide by 12 to figure out your average monthly. Determine your average monthly kwh usage. 3 by the solar panels wattage to calculate the total number of panels you need. As you might already know the cells are the core of a solar panel.

The number of cells determines the output voltage of the panel but it will also determine the solar panel size. Gather the kilowatt hours kwh usage from your electric bill. So that average u s. You ll want to have full 12 months of usage to be able to look at peaks and.

A 5kw solar system may produce enough energy to power your home but you may not have enough roof space for a system of that size. To figure out how many solar panels you need divide your home s hourly wattage requirement see question no. Solar panels used for commercial sites are a little bigger but that s because commercial buildings are usually larger and can contain the size of the panels. There is some variation from brand to brand and if you re installing a large scale solar panel system such as for a warehouse or a municipal building your panels will be closer to 6 feet long.

Home in dallas texas would need about 25 conventional 250w solar panels or 17 sunpower 370w panels. Measure how much space you have to mount your solar panels. Physically speaking the panels are about 65 inches by 39 inches for residential installations and they weigh about 40 pounds per panel. The number of cells and solar panel size.

Calculate your kwh usage. Find a system that satisfies your power requirements but still fits within your space restrictions. The more cells in the panel the bigger the panel and the higher possible output voltage.