How to determine how many solar panels i need

How many solar panels do I Need?

This formula equals approximately 20 panels. However, your home may require more or less depending on your energy consumption, the wattage of the panels you select, and the production ratio in your area. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) maintains a PV watts calculator to help you estimate your needed system size.

How do you calculate the number of solar panels?

Once you have these three numbers, it’s time to calculate the number of panels. The formula is: Number of panels = system size / production ratio / panel wattage For example, using 10,649 kWh (the average energy usage of an American household), 1.3 (the low end of common production ratios), and 320 W (the average wattage of a solar panel):

How do I choose the right solar panels for my home?

Once you’ve determined the right kind of solar panels for your home, look at your latest electric bill. This will help you determine your average annual energy usage, which will tell you how much electricity your solar panels must produce. Next, you’ll need to determine the necessary solar panel wattage and production ratio.

How much power does a solar panel produce?

A panel will usually produce between 250 and 400 watts of power. For the equation later on, assume an average of 320 W per panel. Use your annual energy consumption and solar panel rating to calculate the production ratio. You can calculate the production ratio when you have the numbers for your annual energy usage and the solar panel wattage.

How many solar panels do you need to be self-sufficient?

Here’s one example you can test out with this solar calculator. If you spend 16,420 kWh worth of electricity per year and live in an area with 6 peak sun hours, you will need a 10k solar system to be self-sufficient. You can plug these numbers in the calculator above and see the result:

How much wattage do I need for a solar panel?

Before we start, you’ll need your electric bill, ideally with information about your electricity consumption over the past year. You can start with 400 watts as a placeholder for wattage per panel. If you already have a specific solar panel in mind, identify its wattage and use that number instead.