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How Many Solar Panels, Batteries and Inverters Do you Really Need
Solar power is increasingly becoming a popular source of energy for homes and businesses due to its many benefits. It is a renewable energy source that is gentle on the environment and saves you money on your energy bills in the long run.
If you are thinking of switching to solar power, one of the first things you need to do is calculate your energy needs. This will help you determine how many solar panels, batteries, and inverters are needed to power your home or business.
Here's how to calculate how many panels, batteries, and inverters you'll need to power your home or office.
Calculate the total wattage of the load you want to power
To calculate the total power consumption of the appliances you would like to run on solar, find the wattage of your appliances by looking at their nameplates. The nameplate will have the wattage of the appliance listed in either watts or kilowatts.
Once you have the wattage of all the appliances you want to use, you will need to add up the total wattage. This will give you the total energy requirements of your load. For example, let's say you want to power the following items:
- 42-inch LED TV 80 watts
- DSTV Explora consumes 45 watts
- Laptop 65 watts
- Freezer (Inverter Compressor) 245 watts
- Ceiling fans 75 watts
- 10x energy efficient light bulbs 90 watts (9 watts each)
Total wattage 600 watts
How Big of an Inverter Do You Need for Your Solar Power System?
Sizing your inverter is the second step. A solar inverter converts the direct current (DC) provided by solar panels into alternating current (AC) that can run appliances in your home or office.
Knowing how to size your inverter is a critical part of going solar. An inverter is a key component of any solar installation, and it is important to make sure you have the right size inverter.
We recommend that you buy an inverter twice the size of your total energy requirements so that you have extra capacity and do not run the risk of overloading. In this case, where your total electrical load is 600 watts, you should choose an inverter size of at least 1200 watts.
How Many Batteries Do You Need for Your Solar Power System?
The next stage in calculating the size of the solar system is to consider how many hours of backup you need. It is crucial to remember that the minimum number of batteries required will be determined by the voltages of your inverter.
The Mercury 1.6kva 24v pure sine wave inverter, for example, requires two 12v Deep Cycle batteries. Suppose you need a five-hour backup time at night when there is no sunlight. You can use the following formula, to determine the size of the required battery bank.
24v (Inverter Voltage) x 200ah (Battery Capacity) x 0.8 (Depth of Discharge) x 0.8 (Efficiency) ÷ 600 watts = 5 Hours
Using the above calculation, we can see that a 600 watt load with two 200ah deep cycle batteries will give you a backup time of five hours. The same two batteries would last ten hours with a load of 300 watts.
How Many Solar Panels Do You Need?
Now that you know your Inverter and battery bank size, it time to calculate how many solar panels are required to run your load during the day and at the same time charge your inverter batteries, for use at night when there is no sunlight.
Solar panels are installed differently in different homes and businesses depending on a variety of factors:
Such as the average hours of Peak Sunlight in the area the property is located, its size, and shade,
Number of Solar Panels Required For Charging Your Batteries
You can use the following formula to determine the number of solar panels required to charge your batteries:
200ah (Battery bank capacity ) X 24V (Inverter voltage) = 4800wh (Watt hours)
4800wh ÷ 4 hours (average hours of peak sunlight in Lagos) =1200w
1200w ÷ 300w (Size of solar panel) = 4 (Number of solar panels required)
Number of Solar Panels Required For Powering Your Load
Next, we need to determine how many solar panels are required to power your load. To work this out, you can use the formula from our solar panel requirement calculator :
600w (Load) x 5 hours (hours of operation) = 3000wh
You can (optionally) add an additional 30% to compensate for unexpected operational losses
3000wh x 1.30 = 3900wh
Average Hours Of Peak Sunlight
Next we need to take into consideration the average hours of peak sunlight in your area. Which varies depending on the time of year and your location. In the dry season, the hours of sunlight are usually longer and the angle of the sun is more direct, which can make the sun feel more intense.
In the raining season, the hours of sunlight are shorter and the angle of the sun is more indirect, which can make the sun feel less intense.
Your roof and peak sun hours
The location of your solar panels also affects the peak sun hours.
There may be substantial differences between the peak sun hours on different parts of your roof. Depending on these factors, your panels may receive less or more peak sun hours.
- Solar panel direction affects how much sunlight your panels receive as well as its intensity.
- Solar panels may experience different sun hours if a tree (or other obstruction) casts shade on them even if they face the same direction.
3900wh ÷ 4 hours (average hours of peak sunlight in Lagos) = 975w
975w ÷ 300w (Size of solar panel) = 3.25
To power your 600 watts load in Lagos Nigeria you would need approximately four 300w solar panels (3.25 rounded up to 4)
Putting it All Together - How Many Solar Panels, Batteries and Inverter Do You Need?
To power a load of 600 watts using solar with a five hour backup time at night when there is no sunlight, you can use the following:
Mercury 1.6KVA Pure Sine Wave Inverter 24v
1x 120a Solar Charge Controller
In conclusion, how many solar panels are needed to power a house or business depends on a number of factors. These include the amount of electricity you use, the climate you live in, the amount of sunlight you get and the efficiency of the solar panels.
How many batteries and the size of the inverter you need will depend on how much load you wish to run and for how many hours you wish to run it. The more the load and backup time, the larger the inverter, number batteries and solar panels required
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact us. We would be happy to help you choose the right solar system for your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many solar panels do i need for 500 kwh per month
For a home that consumes 500 kWh per month, 18 solar panels will be needed (17.7 rounded up to 18), each rated at 300 watts. Four hours of peak sunlight per day are assumed.
How many solar panels do i need for 1,000 kwh per month
For a home that consumes 1000 kWh per month, 36 solar panels (35.5 rounded up to 36), each rated at 300 watts. Four hours of peak sunlight per day are assumed.
How many solar panels do i need for 2000 kwh per month
For a home that consumes 2000 kWh per month, 72 solar panels (71.1 rounded up to 72), each rated at 300 watts. Four hours of peak sunlight per day are assumed.
Is it better to have more batteries or more solar panels?
It depends on your needs and preferences. If you want to be able to generate more power, then you will need more solar panels. However, if you want to be able to store more energy, then you will need more batteries.
Remember that adding more batteries will also require more solar panels to charge them.
Can I run my house using only solar energy?
It is possible to run a house using only solar energy, but it would require a large solar panel system.
how many solar panels can i fit on my roof?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the number of solar panels that can be fitted on a roof depends on the size and orientation of the roof, as well as the local climate. However, a typical residential solar panel system consists of around 10-20 panels.
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