System Sizing

4 articles

• Roof Space for a 10 kW Array: Panel Area Is Not Roof Area

  Twenty-five panels cover about 525 square feet. The roof they need is closer to 680, and the gap is mostly required by code rather than by geometry.

• How Many Panels for 1,000 kWh a Month

  The answer ranges from fifteen panels to thirty-four, for the same house using the same electricity. Location does most of that, panel wattage does the rest.

• Converting kW to Panels, and the Three Ratings That Get Confused

  Three different numbers on a solar quote are all measured in kilowatts and none of them mean the same thing. Knowing which is which makes quotes comparable.

• Sizing a Home Solar Array: The Formula, and Where the Missing 20% Goes

  The sizing formula has three inputs and one of them quietly removes a fifth of your output before you have bought anything. It is worth knowing what that fifth is made of.