how do you calculate the number of solar cells needed for a residence?

Question

looking for wattage input/ output. There a number of sites on the web that profess formulas and methods. using each different formula with the same data, I have answers from one eighty watt panel to 10 panels.

Answer 1

First you need to what your electrical load is. All the things you want to run should have a name plate on them somewhere with a load rating. Add them all up.

If you want to charge batteries so you have power after the sun goes down you'll need to figure how much storage capacity you need.

From the battery capacity you can determine how much current will be needed to charge the batteries and run your loads when the sun is up.

You also need to determine how much solar power is available to you. This is available from some websites if you know your latitude. The amount of power changes with the time of year so you'll need to design for the least amount of sun.

You'll need to size a battery charger for your panels.

If you want or need an inverter to change from DC to AC you;ll need to size that.

This is kind of complicated but not impossible. You just need to do some research.

There are some good web sites that can help.

http://www.solar4power.com/index.html

http://www.cosolar.com/system_design/what_a_load.htm

Answer 2

The performance of the cellular or panel is self sustaining of this is output. that's only a element once you are trying to maximise the potential production from a given section. A panel of a potential score of one hundred Watts with a 12 volt score produces 8.33 Amps non-end at the same time as uncovered to the sunlight at particularly optimal exposure. maximum cells are nominally rated so the datasheets you may get with the cells or panels provides you with those numbers as 12, 24, 30, 36 volts, etc. cutting-edge would be listed as a nominal fee to boot. this isn't any longer the top output, as that would and often would be greater. Now, in case you calculate what the universal day length of your lattitude is, you are able to reasoanbly calculate what optimal optimal output may well be via determining the Kilowatt hour production of the panel cases over the path of a million 3 hundred and sixty 5 days/365 days. So as quickly as you be attentive to an universal on a regular basis production fee, you multiply via the term in question, be it a million week, 30 days, a million 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, 2 years, etc. So a one hundred watt panel produces a million Kilowatt hour in 10 hours. the potential is a function of volts accelerated via amps. 2 panels of a similar wattage can produce a similar potential over the years whether one become a 12 volt nominal panel and one have been a 24 volt nominal panel using fact of proportionality of the equations with those values.

Answer 3

If you are on the power grid, you can always consider that you don't *have* to be 100% independant. Every solar panel you put up will just cut your electric bill down by that much.

Example: you put up two 100 Watt panels, that's 200 Watts * 12 hours (average sun per day -- just for quick calculation purposes) * 30 days in a month = 72 kiloWatt hours in a month off of your electric bill.

You can add more solar panels as you can afford them.

For my 1700 sq. ft home in a city with a LOT of sun, I calculate I can get by with 4 kiloWatts of panels and be mostly energy-independant. You might need fewer depending on how much energy you use, and how much sun you get.

.

Answer 4

Build Solar Power Easily - http://Solar.eudko.com/?qoI

Answer 5

Do an inventory of the electronics in your house, how many watts does each item use, then add it up. The watts can be found on a tag on each appliance.