How to calculate your own solar panel estimate.
Average kwh from solar panels.
For example you need a smaller system in southern california because the sun shines all year long.
How many solar panels do i need.
So take 900 kwh and divide by the amount of kwh one solar panel produces over the course of a month 30kwh and you get a 30 panel installation.
If you have four panels you will get 4 kwh per day.
Once you know the peak sun hours estimating the number of solar panels needed for 1 000 kwh is simple.
Over the lifetime of the solar panels this equates to 8 to 10 cents per kwh which makes solar panels worth it after getting through the hefty upfront cost.
For the sake of example if you are getting 5 hours of direct sunlight per day in a sunny state like california you can calculate your solar panel output this way.
On average a normal household will use around 37 kwh per day.
There are plenty of solar calculators and the brand of solar system you choose probably offers one.
So if you have solar panels that each produce 1 kwh of power per day you would need a full 37 solar panels to fully power your home.
However keep in mind that there are many factors at play here so this is really only a rough estimate.
Typically homeowners in the united states use about 900 kwh a month on average.
The first step is calculating the kilowatts needed.
5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh.
250wp dc in controlled conditions.
So for example to cover the energy needs of a typical home in california you would need a 4kw solar power system to generate 6 522 kwhs of electricity.
How many solar panels do i need then.
This is called the nameplate rating and solar panel wattage varies based on the size and efficiency of your panel.
Again though these are just rough estimates.
Typically a modern solar panel produces between 250 to 270 watts of peak power e g.
If you have 33 panels assuming a 30 day month you will get 1 000 kwh per month.
For instance if your average monthly kwh is 900 then your average daily kwh is 30.
We also assumed that the average household consumes about 10 400 kwh per year and the panels we re using are 250 watt solar panels.
A solar panel produces about 1 kwh per day so if your daily kwh usage is 30 you would need 30 solar panels to.
Thus the output for each solar panel in your array would produce around 500 550 kwh of energy per year.
You must simply divide the average daily kwh by the peak sun hours assuming a 30 day month an electricity generation of 1 000 kwh is equivalent to 33 33 kwh per day.
The numbers vary mostly because of the climate of each region.
If you have one 250 watt panel receiving four hours of sun then you will get 1 000 watts or one kwh per day from that panel.