How To Calculate Solar Energy Generation

6/18/23, 8:41 AM How to Calculate Solar Energy Generation
How to Calculate Solar Energy Generation

Puneet Jaggi + Follow
Founder, Prescinto Technologies & Co-Founder, Gensol Group
Published Oct 28, 2015
This post was initially published on ezysolare blog.
Sometime back, we had written a little nursery rhyme on the step by step process
of generation of solar power. In brief, it goes as follows:
1. Radiation falls on Solar Panels
2. Panels convert this radiation into DC Current
3. DC Current passes through Copper Cables to reach Inverters
4. Inverters convert DC current into AC Current
5. AC Power is fed to the building electrical load.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-calculate-solar-energy-generation-puneet-jaggi 1/10
These also broadly happen to be the steps to calculate energy generation, as was
covered in the last ezysolare webinar that you can access here and you could
download the short presentation here.
Step 1: Calculating Solar Radiation
Indian is fortunate to receive bountiful solar radiation. But, the challenge lies in
accurately determining how much is received at your site. There are 3 alternatives to
find solar radiation at any place:
1. Measure It: Install a pyranometer on your roof and measure radiation for 1 year.
Although, it would be actual measured radiation but the data set would be limited to only
1 year.
2. Take it from IMD: Indian Meteorological Department has weather stations setup across
the country. We could try to find out the radiation from the nearest IMD weather station,
but this process takes many months and the weather station might not be close enough
to the site hence, leading to inaccuracy again.
3. Use Weather Databases: This is the most commonly used means to get radiation data
and we have 3 alternatives here too:
1. NASA: Has 12% inaccuracy for India and is FREE of COST
2. METEONORM: Has 7% inaccuracy for India and comes at a cost
3. SOLARGIS: Has 4 - 7% inaccuracy for India and comes at a cost
You could google for “Calculate Solar Radiation NASA” and use the first link to find
out the radiation at any particular Latitude and Longitude as explained in the
webinar.
For the sake of easy calculations, let us take this figure to be 2000 kWh/ sqm.
Step 2: Radiation on Panels
The above radiation calculated is the radiation that falls on horizontal surface.
However, it is important that the solar panels installed at any location in Earth’s
Northern Hemisphere face south direction and panels installed in Southern
Hemisphere face North Direction. The direction is important and so is the angle on
inclination.
As a rule of thumb, the angle of tilt of solar panels should be same as the latitude of
location.
When we tilt the panels at an optimum angle, the radiation received by the panel
increases to the tune of 20% but some amount of the radiation is reflected back
leading to a loss of 2 – 3%. Finally, the dirt and dust on the panels reduces the
radiation received by 2 – 5%, resulting in net increase of generation to 2,300
kWh/sqm on inclined surface.
Like Comment Share 42 · 4 Comments
The radiation calculation is not done yet. We have calculated what is the radiation
received by the panels per sqm. But, depending on the panels chosen and size of
the solar power plant, the area of the panels is going to be different.
Assuming, a 100 kW solar plant having 400 standard 250 Wp panels of 1m x 1.65m,
which leads to a cumulative area of 660 sqm. We, further, multiply the radiation
calculated per sqm (2,300 kWh/sqm) with the total area (660 sqm) to get the total
radiation falling on the plant:
2,300 x 660 = 15,18,000 kWh
Step 3: DC Current Calculation
Every panel has got its own ability to covert the solar radiation that it receives into
DC Current. The percentage of radiation that gets converted into DC Current, is
known as efficiency of panels which can be in the range of 7% to 20% and even
higher.
The most common polycrystalline panels available today have efficiency of 15.5%
leading to a DC Current of:
15,18,000 kWh x 15.5% = 2,35,290 kWh / year
Step 4: Calculating Losses
The DC Current generated undergoes a series of losses before it can finally become
AC Current and used by us. A summary of these losses is given below:
As can be seen above, 15 – 25% of the DC Current is lost through above losses,
leading to the final generation:
2,35,290 kWh / year x 75% (subtracting losses) = 1,76,476 kWh
As can be seen, temperature losses are the largest in Indian circumstances, which
lead Japanese researchers to conclude that Himalayas are the best place to setup a
solar plant.
And this is how, we calculate Solar Generation. Note however, that the generation
calculated is very high here, because of a very high radiation assumed. Typically, the
generation expected in India is 1.4 – 1.6 Lac units for a 100 kW plant.
You can also check the exact generation expected

from any capacity at any location free of cost
using ezysolare’s Solar Energy Assessment Report
tool. Just make an account and use your Rs.
4000/- worth of FREE Credits to get going.
Useful Links:
1. Solar Energy Assessment Report Tool
2. Layout Report Tool
3. Rooftop Solar Feasibility Calculator
4. Rooftop Solar BoM & Cost Calculator
mohannad algyam 8mo

--
there is a wrong in 660*2300
Like · Reply
Balaji Venkateshwaar 6y
International Trade Strategist | Compliance Consulting | Supply Chain Tech Accelerator | Advisory & Training
Great report !
Like · Reply
Aditya Pandey 6y
Accenture Strategy | Management Consulting | IIM Shillong
Awesome article.
Like · Reply
DWIJAL MAMTORA 7y
Manager at Suzlon Global Services Ltd
Good poem!
Like · Reply
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6/18/23, 8:41 AM How to Calculate Solar Energy Generation

How to Calculate Solar Energy Generation

This post was initially published on ezysolare blog.

1. Radiation falls on Solar Panels

2. Panels convert this radiation into DC Current

3. DC Current passes through Copper Cables to reach Inverters

4. Inverters convert DC current into AC Current

5. AC Power is fed to the building electrical load.

Step 1: Calculating Solar Radiation

1. NASA: Has 12% inaccuracy for India and is FREE of COST

2. METEONORM: Has 7% inaccuracy for India and comes at a cost

3. SOLARGIS: Has 4 - 7% inaccuracy for India and comes at a cost

Step 2: Radiation on Panels

Like Comment Share 42 · 4 Comments

2,300 x 660 = 15,18,000 kWh

Step 3: DC Current Calculation

15,18,000 kWh x 15.5% = 2,35,290 kWh / year

Step 4: Calculating Losses

2,35,290 kWh / year x 75% (subtracting losses) = 1,76,476 kWh

You can also check the exact generation expected

1. Solar Energy Assessment Report Tool

2. Layout Report Tool

3. Rooftop Solar Feasibility Calculator

4. Rooftop Solar BoM & Cost Calculator

mohannad algyam 8mo

there is a wrong in 660*2300

See more comments

To view or add a comment, sign in

More articles by this author

Five Challenges that hinder development in Latin America

EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL

Performance ratio(PR) and Capacity Utilization factor(CUF)

Earthing Design and Modelling Guide for Solar Farms

TRANSFORMER SIZING FACTOR FOR SOLAR PV POWER PLANTS

Solar Plant Power Output Formula

PV Solar Generation Principle of Electricity.

How Heat Pumps Can Save Americans Energy and Money

Accessibility User Agreement

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Copyright Policy Brand Policy

Guest Controls Community Guidelines

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