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This calculator is
designed to help you size a system for off-grid use.
Start by filling out the first tab, titled Solar Panels. This tab will calculate how
many Solar Panels you need, based upon you load(how much electricity you
consume).
Once you've completed this tab, move on to the other tabs labeled Charge
Controller & Battery Bank.
kilowatt-
hours per
month
Step 2:
You need to determine the minimum number of sun hrs
per day during the winter.
Select the State-City Closest to your location (currently
only US states are provided)
MA-Boston
Minimum
sun-hours
for the
winter
times
or
Manually enter the minimum sun-
hours for your location.
Step 3:
The total wattage of Solar Panels that you
need is:
This value takes into
account losses due to
system inefficiencies.
Step 4:
How many solar panels do you need? That depends on the panel
you choose.
Select the wattage of the panel your interested in, and
see the results below:
125
Charge Controller-Used between your solar panel array and your battery bank, charge controllers
optimize how your batteries are charged and prevent current from going back through the panels
from the batteries during the night time.
12
Step 3:
You will need a charge controller(s) that can support at
least:
Amps
| Solar Panels | Charge Controller | Battery Bank | Load Calculator |
This calculator will help you size the battery bank for your system.
Wattage
of solar
panel
array: Watts
Step 2
How many days of backup power do you want in case
of cloudy/rainy days?
Step 3
What is the lowest temperature your battery bank will
experience?
Degrees
Fahrenheit
Results
Amp Hrs
Select a battery
amperage: Select a battery voltage:
350
8
Amp-Hour capacity of
this battery is: amp-hrs
Voltage of this
battery: volts
Batteries per row (in
series)
Number of rows in
parallel
To use this form, simply list all of your appliance that use electricity. These
are items like Refrigerator, Range, computer, stereo, lights etc..
For each appliance, enter the number of that appliance that you own (Qty), the
power is uses (Watts) and the number of hours a day (Hrs/Day) you use the
item.
We have a provided a list of common appliance and their power consumption
at the bottom of the page.
Load Calculator
Use this form if you don't know what your power consumption (kilowatt-hours)
is.
Name: Date
Watts
(Volts x Watt
Appliance* Qty Amps) Hrs/Day Hrs/Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Total Watt
Hrs Per
Day:
Total Kilowatt Hrs Per Month (30
Days):
(write down this value and enter it into Step 1 of solar
panel sizing calculator)
© 2005 Alternative Energy Store - www.AltEnergyStore.com
Stereo Watts
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