Calculating Your Residential Solar System Size

Calculating Your Residential Solar System Size

Finding the ideal solar system size for your home is one of the first tasks you must take if you’re thinking about going solar. 

The influence of the solar system’s size on the solar energy conversion process cannot be overstated. To determine whether going solar is worthwhile, you must first select the size of your solar system. 

So, what does “solar system size” actually mean? What elements influence the system size you’ll require? And how can you quickly determine how large a solar system you need for your house? In this blog, we provide all those clarifications. 

What is solar system size?

The capacity of a solar panel system to generate energy is referred to in the solar business as “solar system size.” 

Under typical conditions, a solar panel system with a capacity of 300 watts may generate 300 watts, whereas one with a total of 6 kilowatts (6000 watts) can generate 6000 watts. 

Ways to calculate your solar system size

Now for the vital query: how do you choose the ideal solar system size for your house? We discuss the two methods for estimating the size of the solar system. 

PVWatts

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national lab of the Department of Energy, created the free web tool PVWatts. PVWatts performs photovoltaic (PV) studies on structures worldwide using historical sun irradiance and meteorological information. 

Your solar service provider

The next option is to ask a solar installation provider to calculate the system size for you. 

Solar firms can provide the most accurate prediction of solar panel production by combining technologies like PVWatts with a physical inspection of your roof. An honest solar business would be pleased to determine the ideal solar system for your energy requirements and provide you with a free estimate to think over.