1. What is an Installation Solar Power Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the solar power needed based on your energy requirements, available sunlight hours, and system performance ratio.

Purpose: It helps homeowners and solar installers determine the appropriate solar panel capacity for a given energy need.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( P \) — Required solar power (watts)
• \( Load \) — Daily energy requirement (watt-hours)
• \( H \) — Average daily sunlight hours (hours)
• \( PR \) — Performance ratio (system efficiency, typically 0.7-0.8)

Explanation: The energy requirement is divided by the product of sunlight hours and performance ratio to determine the needed solar panel capacity.

3. Importance of Solar Power Calculation

Details: Accurate solar power estimation ensures your system can meet energy needs, optimizes system sizing, and prevents overspending on unnecessary capacity.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter your daily energy needs in watt-hours, average sunlight hours (default 5), and performance ratio (default 0.75). All values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How do I find my daily energy requirement?
A: Check your electricity bills for daily kWh usage (multiply by 1000 to get Wh) or sum the wattage of all devices multiplied by their daily usage hours.

Q2: What's a typical performance ratio?
A: Most systems have PR between 0.7-0.8, accounting for losses from temperature, wiring, inverters, and dirt.

Q3: How do I determine sunlight hours for my location?
A: Use solar insolation maps or databases for your area, or consult with local solar installers.

Q4: Does this include battery storage?
A: No, this calculates the solar array size needed. Battery sizing requires additional calculations based on days of autonomy needed.

Q5: Should I add a safety margin?
A: Yes, consider adding 10-20% to the calculated power to account for panel degradation and unexpected usage increases.