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installation costs
By assessing how much money you can save from solar electricity you can
take an informed decision whether it is worth investing in solar electricity or
your money would be better invested in other financial instruments, i.e.
bank accounts or other possible investment options you can find at your
disposal.
How to calculate total solar power you need to use and install
Your budget
Once you have chosen your type of PV module, you will find out how to
calculate how many PV modules you need to install and the overall cost of
your solar system.
Then you are going to find out:
How much you can save by a PV system over its guaranteed life
cycle
Either export the whole solar energy generated to the grid, and get
paid while still using grid electricity and cashing on the difference, or
Export just the surplus of solar energy generated during some hours
of the day to the grid to offset the money you pay the grid when solar
energy is not available, i.e. at night.
It should be noted that annual electricity production might vary from year to
year due to natural variations in weather and climate.
If your utility offers net metering, you will probably get paid the full retail
price for the excess electricity produced by the PV system
Now, lets deal with stand-alone systems.
You will find out how maintenance cost of a stand-alone system is
calculated by the example below.
Lets have as an example the following stand-alone system:
The system will require an inverter with rated continuous power of at least
840 W.
If your stand-alone system contains an inverter, it should be replaced after
12-15 years of operation. So, if a stand-alone system has a lifespan of 25
years, the cost for inverter replacement should be included in the
maintenance cost.
If we assume inverter cost of $1 per watt, based on the needed inverter
with 840 W rated continuous power, the inverter will cost:
840 W x $1/W = $840.
Such a price distributed over 25 years of operation will result in average
inverter maintenance costs per year as follows:
$840 ? 25 years = $33.6 or about $34.
More important however are battery maintenance costs.
A lead-acid battery is to be replaced after every 5 years of operation. At the
moment a typical battery price is $1 per Ah.
So, the task is to calculate the costs for batteries during the stand-alone
systems lifecycle.
We assume that the battery cost for the first 5 years is included in the
system cost.
If battery cost of $1 per Ah is assumed, for the next 25 year of the system
lifecycle the costs for a battery bank of 470 Ah would be:
470 Ah x (25 years / 5) x $1/Ah = $2,350.
Such a cost distributed over 25 years of operation will result in the following
average battery maintenance costs per year:
The energy production costs averaged over the lifespan of the off-grid solar
system are calculated as follows:
Solar electricity production costs =
[Solar system initial cost + (System lifespan x Operating costs per year)] x
(Annual solar electricity production x System lifespan)
PV system initial cost, a.k.a. CapEx, is the cost for implementing the whole
system, including: site survey, system design, construction works, obtaining
permits, equipment delivery and installation, and system commissioning
Costs for implementing an off-grid system are always higher than costs for
implementing a grid-tied system without power backup due to the higher
complexity of the former.
If system implementation cost is estimated $7 per watt-peak and the
installed solar power is 840 Wp, the initial cost of the solar system is:
$7/Wp x 840Wp = $5,880.
Furthermore if:
the energy production costs over total lifespan of the solar system are
calculated as follows:
Solar electricity production costs =
= [Solar system initial cost + (System lifespan x Operating costs per year)]
x (Annual solar electricity production x System lifespan) =
= [$5,880+ (25 years x $156)] x(1,012 kWh x 25 years) = $0.39/kWh,
which results into annual costs incurred by solar generated electricity as
follows:
Annual solar electricity production x Energy production costs =
= 1,012 kWh x $0.39/kWh = $395
Now, its time to asses how much you could save from being
off the grid.
Lets say you have to pay $8,000 to get connected to your local utility grid.
Lets also assume the current grid electricity price of $0.125, along with a
5% rate of increase thereof.
This means that for a period of 25 years the average grid electricity price is
$0.25, while at the end of those 25 years the grid electricity price will be
$0.42.
If the energy generated annually by your system is 1,012kWh, then upon
average grid electricity price of $0.25 which corresponds to current
electricity price of 0.125 raised with 5% per year, within 25 years you would
pay for grid electricity:
1,012 kWh x 25 years x $0.25/kWh = $6,325
So, the total cost for getting connected to the utility grid and use the grid
electricity to cover your daily energy needs would be:
$8,000 + $6,325 = $14,325.
The just calculated value is actually the total savings from being off the grid
during the systems lifecycle.
Your annual spend on grid electricity would be
$14,325 / 25 years of operation = $573.
The just calculated value is actually the annual savings from being off
the grid or in other words your potential annual expenses on grid
electricity.
As a follow-up of the above example, your annual cost incurred by solar
generated electricity would be:
Solar electricity production costs x Annual solar electricity production =
$0.39/kWh x 1,012KWh = $395.
So, within a 25 year period you would save annually:
Annual spend on grid electricity Annual costs incurred by solar generated
electricity = $573 $395= $178.
Here comes the ultimate question: what is the payback period of an off-grid
system?
MPPT solar charge controllers are used when the voltage of the solar panels is
significantly greater than the required charging voltage. For example, if you wish to
use a 200W grid-tie panel to charge a 12V battery, the voltage of the panel will be
about 30V and 7A, but the charge voltage for the battery only 14V. In this case, if you
use a standard PWM controller, when the voltage is reduced, the power production
in watts also reduces (from 200W to about 100W).
MPPT controllers overcome this problem by being able to optimise the charge
voltage and current, not just changing the voltage as PWM controllers do. To do this,
MPPT charge controllers typically store charge within them and boost the current of
the charge output as and when needed, optimising the available power input with the
charging output. By doing this, they are able to increase the amount of charge
current by up to 30% (dependent on the degree of voltage change required). MPPT
charge controllers are, however, more expensive.
1000W
420Ah
1500W
540Ah
2000W
750Ah
2500W
1000Ah
Given that many people nowadays are using 24V (24 volt) solar panel
systems espcailly on boats and yachts, you would expect that it would be very easy
to set up a 24V solar system. However, a quick trawl of the internet quickly highlights
that nearly everything written talks about 12V systems and that it is very difficult to
find good information about using 24 volts.
The primary problem is that all charge controllers, whether PWM or MPPT
technology, are simply not capable of significantly increasing the system voltage
without losing power. Whilst thet claims of some manufacturers that their MPPT
controllers can charge a 24V battery using 12V panels are true, the power loss
remains untenable. The only reliable way of using solar panels with a 24V battery
bank is to ensure that the solar array is at 24V or higher. In this case, the charge
controllers can drop the voltage without losing significant amounts of power.
The range of 24V+ solar panels designed for off-grid use is, unfortunately, not
particularly wide at the more cost-effective end of the market. Sunware do
manufacture 24V panels at 48W and 70W, but there is a price attached. Other
manufacturers, such as Yingli and Kyocera, manufacture a wide range of 'grid-tie'
panels that operate at 24V plus, but again these are more expensive products. In
short, there is no easy answer and a 24V solar panel installation is always going to
be more expensive. There are of course benefits, such as reduced voltage losses
and cable sizes, but these may well be overshadowed by the cost penalty.
To install a 24V system using standard off grid panels, it is necessary to wire the
panels in 'series pairs'. For example, wiring two 100W 17V (5.9A) panels in series
will result in a solar array of 200W and 34V (still 5.9A):
Another important factor to bear in mind when looking at 24V systems is that their
are different types of electrical devices, some which operate at a constant current
and others with a fixed power consumption in watts. Generally, while many people
do talk in amps or amp-hours, it is much more meaningful if we use watts and watthours in our calculations - this is a much more realistic figure for power consumption
as opposed to current draw (amps).
Whilst at first glance it may seem as though a 24V system is producing less power
than a 12V system with the same number of panels, the truth is that this is only really
true if we are talking about current production in amps. In most instances, the
combined wattage of the panels is the same regardless of system voltage. Only
where a device operates at a fixed current, independent of the voltage do we start
seeing changing wattages:
Constant consumption:
120W@12V = 10A
::
Constant current:
10A @ 12V = 120W ::
120W @ 24V = 5A
10A @ 24V = 240W
Contact us at Cleversolar for help and advice or a look at our Solar Panels Advice
& FAQs to find out more about 24 volt solar panel systems.
If you know your daily energy target and the average annual PSH (Perfect
Sun Hours) value for your area, you can calculate the amount of peak
power you need to install on your roof:
Installed peak solar power = Daily energy target/(SLF*PSH)
SLF is the System Losses Factor, a.k.a system efficiency ,which takes into
account system losses or system inefficiency. For a grid-tied system
system efficiency is assessed usually between 70% and 80%. This means
that we lose (20-30)% of the energy in the system and our panels must
have higher installed peak power so as to compensate for those loses.For
an off-grid system the system efficiency is somewhere between (50-65)%.
If your daily energy target is in Wh, then you obtain the peak solar power in
Wp (watts-peak). If daily energy target is in kWh, you obtain the peak solar
power in kWp (kilowatts-peak).
PSH is abbreviated from Perfect Sun Hours and refers to the number of
hours per day during which the solar irradiance equals 1,000 W/m2. PSH
are measured in kW/m2/day and it can be found by using solar maps.
By NREL (National Renewable Energy
daily energy target offset is 7.7 kWh, the area you live has an average
annual PSH = 4.5 hours, and you assume system efficiency = 75% 0r SLF=
0.75, then the needed total peak installed power is:
7.7 kWh / (4.5 hours x 0.75) = 2.28 kWp or
This is the installed peak solar power needed to generate the required
energy target.
At this stage it is important to assess how much area you need to install the
solar array. Based on your energy needs, you can determine whether the
area of your roof would be enough to fit all the panels needed. Here we
dont talk about a specific panel model but rather about solar panel type
monocrystalline, polycrystalline or thin-film.
The area required for installing the solar array, so that your PV system
would meet the energy offset target, depends on:
To estimate the area you need to install the required peak power, you
should use the following table:
How to estimate the area you need to
Here any difference in voltages is not important, voltages with just sum up
and all youve got to consider is that the total voltage should fall within the
inverter voltage window.
If their current ratings are different however, you should be prepared to
expected unpleasant surprises, since the overall current would be the lower
of the two, which will means that youre not going to obtain a total of 160W
but always less. How much less depends on difference in rated currents.
Furthermore when you wire together a 60W panel to a 100W panel in
parallel, the total connected power would be 160W, provided that the two
panels are of equal voltage. Here any difference in currents is not
important, currents with just sum up and all youve got to consider is that
the total current should not exceed the maximum inverter input current.
If their voltage ratings are different however, you should be prepared to
expected unpleasant surprises, since the overall voltage would be the
lower of the two, which will means that youre not going to obtain a total of
160W but always less.
How much less depends on difference in rated voltages.
Why it is not recommended to connect different solar panels?
Connect only in series panels of the same brand and of the same
current
Connect only in series panels of the different brands and of the same
current-this is your second option if for whatever reason you cannot
find the same brand panels
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Related articles
This article reveals the major solar mistakes related to performing solar site
survey and location assessment for eventual deployment of a solar panel
system. Please read it carefully because neglecting described below
mistakes may drain down your solar budget.
Performing a site survey is the starting point of launching every
photovoltaic system.
When searching for appropriate site for installation of PV modules, the
following is to be considered:
Orientation towards the sun
Lack of any shading obstacles (during the whole day and throughout the
whole year!)
Minimization of the length of the DC cables between the PV array and the
inverter
Aesthetics
Protection from theft and vandalism
Easy access for installation and maintenance of the PV array
Certainly the greatest mistake is to completely neglect the need for site
survey and expecting that a solar vendor will do that for you. Yes, they
willbut why not be better prepared to:
Abandon your solar project due to bad location,
Learn the performance limits of the system that will be installed at your
site,
Find out how much your solar project will cost, or
Avoid getting ripped off by an unconscious solar vendor?
1) Ignoring the influence of the nearby objects
The PV array should be provided with clear and unobstructed access to
sunlight between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day, throughout the year. Mind
that even small shadows can affect severely the power output of the PV
array.
Use compass to check what direction your roof faces. Use a spirit level to
measure the angle of the roof from the horizontal.
If your site is located in the northern hemisphere, you should look towards
south, east and west. If your location is in the southern hemisphere, you
should look towards north, east and west. If you live near the equator, you
should look towards east and west.
The ideal roof for mounting your PV array is a roof facing south if you live in
the northern hemisphere, and facing north if you live in the southern
hemisphere.
Having chosen the right orientation, you have three options for tilting the
solar panels, certainly if your roof or installation area permits:
For average yield throughout the year;
For maximum yield in winter;
For maximum yield in summer.
Solar energy differs from month to month and from season to season. This
is also true for suns position in the sky. That is why you have to choose in
advance between the above mentioned options.
For example, if your solar panels are tilted for maximum production in
winter, it means that the chosen tilt ensures solar rays to fall almost
perpendicularly onto solar panels only in winter.
For average yield throughout the year your solar panels should be tilted to
an angle equal to the latitude (in degrees) of your location.
For maximum yield in winter your solar panels should be tilted to an angle
equal to the latitude of your location minus 15 degrees.
For maximum yield in summer your solar panels should be tilted to an
angle equal to the latitude of your location plus 15 degrees.
How to find fast and easy the latitude of your location?
Just go to Wikipedia and search for your location. Then look at the top of
the right corner where locations coordinates are reported. The first left
number is latitude of your location, followed by the longitude. If you cannot
find your city in Wikipedia, just find the closest big city to it.
Lets imagine that you live in Birmingham, Alabama (USA), and you are
curious to find what tilt angels should be for the three available options:
From Wikipedia we get:
So the latitude of Birmingham is 33.525. Therefore the three solar tilt
angles for the three above described options are as follows:
For average yield throughout the year: -33.5
For maximum yield in winter: -18.5
For maximum yield in summer: -48.5
6) Improperly chosen mounting of the solar array
There are four types of mounting methods:
(Sloped-) Roof mounting,
Flat roof/ground mounting,
Roof-integrated mounting and
Wall mounting
The PV array mounting type should be selected by carefully considering:
Orientation towards the sun
Site shading
Weather at the location
Roof material and bearing capacity (in case of roof mounting)
Soil type and condition (in case of ground-mounting)
Regarding solar array mounting constructions, mind the following:
Not every mounting construction is suitable for any kind of module, while
certain kinds of modules are intended for a specific mounting;
Its a good plan to ask the supplier of the PV modules to install them on
the roof;
To ensure sufficient cooling of the PV modules, enough room should be
provided beneath them;
A design visa and/or a build permit might be required
All the necessary construction regulations are to be complied with.
11) Ignoring the benefits and drawbacks of solar tracking [1]
Use of solar tracker is another option for squeezing more power from the
sun. A solar tracker follows the sun position and movement in the sky and
ensures maximum collection of sun energy by solar panels.
The average efficiency of solar tracker is reported to increase the total
production yelled of 25-45%.
Although adding to the overall system costs, residential solar trackers do
not need much maintenance. More important however is that every solar
tracker is a potential point of failure. Furthermore a solar tracker consumes
extra power. What you should also have in mind is that there might be
some local regulations that prohibit the use of solar trackers.
Solar trackers are recommended especially in cases of limited space where
customer wants to achieve maximum solar array performance.
Source:
1. http://energyinformative.org/solar-panel-tracking-systems
You can power some of the power-hungry devices (not all however!)
in your house
You could buy smaller (less expensive) battery bank and inverter
Higher costs for buying fuel generator and bigger battery charger
So, when you should buy a hybrid system rather that a purely solar electric
one:
When you demand that electricity must be available all the time
Click here to discover how to get more details about hybrid systems.
So, if you live away enough from a utility grid, and you consider buying a stand-alone PV system,
first of all you should answer the following questions:
Above all you should mind that a PV system is not economically beneficial
to be used for powering heating appliances. Therefore you should find a
good alternative solution for heating, cooking and refrigeration.
Typically off-grid solar systems are more expensive both as initial cost
and maintenance costs.
If an off-grid system does not contain any other power generators, it is
called stand-alone. Stand-alone systems are used when daily electricity
needs of a household or office are up to 2.5 kW. If daily needs exceed
2.5kW, a purely photovoltaic system is usually not cost effective, and hybrid
system is a better option to go for. A hybrid system contains at least one
more power generator apart from the solar array this might be a wind
generator or a diesel generator.
Grid-tied systems are used to reduce your monthly electricity bills. Off-grid
solar system are built in areas where getting connected to a utility grid is
either impossible or not cost-effective. A solar system has a lifecycle of
between 25 and 30 years and it appears a good investment to meet your
future energy needs in a long-term period.
The problem however is that initial cost of photovoltaic systems and their
components are still relatively high. You have your daily energy needs and
you want to buy a solar system meeting them as cost-effectively as
possible. Apart from your budget available however, there are some other
limitations. You have a limited roof area and you dont know how beneficial
is the sun at your location for investing a large sum of money into a solar
system. Last but not least your site might turn out to be not suitable for
installing a solar system.
An option is to call a vendor and having all the things evaluated. But how to
select the right solar vendor? How to avoid all those unfair guys who are
eager to take advantage of your lack of solar knowledge and do your
down? How to be prepared to distinguish a good offer from a bad one and
be aware of what would best match your needs and budget?
solarpanelsvenue.com/out/australia_sunshine_hours.JPG
3.4 If you live outside USA and Europe you can find the Average Sun
Hours per day value for your country by using the World map of direct
normal irradiance, which means that these values are applicable for the
solar panel held perpendicular to the sun rays. In other words, the tilt of
your solar panels is equal to the latitude of your place.
http://www.dlr.de/tt/Portaldata/41/Resources/dokumente/institut/system/proj
ects/reaccess/ssedni60.jpg
Please dont forget to divide the value of yearly sum of direct normal
irradiance in KWh/m2/y by 365 to obtain the value for average Sun Hours
per day for your location
On Grid Solar Calculator Assumptions: Recommended System Size
assumes 85% solar system efficiency or in other words 15% total system
losses.
How to calculate number of solar panels needed for your solar
system?
Number of solar panels needed= Recommended System Size in
Wats/Chosen Panel in Watts. Round up the calculated value
For example you have calculated that you need Recommended System
Size 5000Watts.
You have chosen your system voltage to be 12V and your solar panel to be
240Watt for 12V solar system.
Then number of solar panels that you need is:
Number of solar panels needed=5000/240=20.8 solar panels. After
rounding it up we receive that you need to buy 21 solar panels.
Please, use the update button below the calculator body to update the
calculated results if those results are not updating automatically.
Using the off-grid system solar panel calculator
1. What is the total Watts (W) you electronics will consume?
You need to sum the wattages of all the electrical devices you use and
therefore you want your off-grid solar system to support. Each device has
its wattage on its back label.
2. For how long are you planning to run these devices?
You should decide for how long you have all these devices plugged in, so
that the solar system will be able to power them. Here you need the
average hours of operation rather than the maximum ones.
3. Charge Controller efficiency (PWM: 80%, MPPT: 92%)
Charge controller is a device that manages the battery of a solar system.
PWM charge controllers is less expensive than MPPT charge controllers
but they are also less efficient.
4. Average Sun Hours per day?
As it has been explained above for the off-grid solar system
Off-grid system calculator assumptions
1. Calculated battery size provides:
-up to 2 days autonomous work with no additional charge of battery
due to bad weather or system failure at 100% battery discharge, which
is not recommended and may destroy your batteries.
-up to 1.65 days autonomous work with 80% battery discharge
The main charge controller types available today are PWM (Pulse Width
Modulation) and MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) ones. MPPT
charge controllers are more expensive but they can boost the performance
of the solar array. PWM charge controllers are less expensive but they can
extend battery banks lifecycle at the expense of solar panels performing
lower than in case of MPPT controller. Similar to inverters, charge
controllers have a lifespan of about 15 years.
A charge controller costs between $500 and $1,000. This is not a fortune
but not choosing the proper charge controller for your system might results
in series of problems. Your solar system might either underperform or not
work at all. The worst however is that other system components might get
damaged. Therefore selecting charge controller should not be
underestimated. What kind of charge controller to choose depends on the
specific case and is a tradeoff between getting more power from solar
panels and extending battery life. To get an idea what controller you need
for your system you need neither dig into heavy science nor be a solar
guru. You just have to know some basic info such as:
system type
What maintenance a charge controller needs and how much are its
When you need a couple of charge controllers rather than a single one
battery bank
Click Here to discover more about how the charge controller can boost the
performance of your solar system even more.
Solar Batteries
Their drawbacks, however, are low mobility and need for regular
maintenance, as well as for a separate room. Such drawbacks are
eliminated by dry cell batteries which are more expensive and have shorter
lifecycle.
No matter what kind of battery is used, solar battery cost makes a
substantial part of the cost of any solar system.
As a rule, cost of the battery bank is 25% and 50% of total system cost. It is
very important if not to be able to choose the right battery bank for your
solar system, to be able to evaluate what you are offered by a solar system
vendor.
A battery with less capacity than needed will not be able to meet your daily
energy needs and the whole solar system gets pointless. A battery of
capacity greater than needed will not only cost much higher, but will also
degrade severely the performance of your system.
Moreover, such a battery will cost you much more in view of regular
maintenance and, last but not least, is tougher to get recycled.
If youd like to discover more how to size your battery bank Click Here to
get our new book The Ultimate Solar Power Design Guide: Less Theory
More Practice
A grid-tied inverter converts the DC voltage from the solar array into AC
voltage that can be either used right away or exported to the utility grid.
A grid-tied inverter must strictly comply with utility grids requirements and
regulations. For example grid-tied inverters must generate AC voltage of a
strictly sinusoidal form.
One of the main features of a grid-tied inverter is that it stops operating in
case of a grid failure. Thus technicians doing any repair works on utility
network are prevented from getting an electric shock.
Off-grid inverters are different from grid-tied inverters.
An off-grid solar system might not contain an inverter if DC loads only are
to be powered.
Since off-grid systems are disconnected from utility grid, off-grid inverters
need not to match utility grid requirements and regulations.
Depending on its size a photovoltaic system could comprise either a single
inverter or multiple ones.
Each of these two concepts has its benefits and drawbacks. Most of the
modern inverters are provided with a Maximum Power Point Tracking
feature enabling generation of solar electricity at maximum solar panel
performance.
Inverters are expensive and often bulky devices especially the ones for
high power solar systems.
Nevertheless inverters are neither mysterious nor that difficult to
understand.
To be in clear what inverter you need for your solar system, you just need
to know a couple of basic things.
That info would help you not only in selecting the right kind of inverter but
will also make you confident upon receiving an offer from a solar vendor or
installer. In other words, your background about inverters can help select
the right solar offer matching best your energy needs and available budget.
As a potential solar buyer you are supposed to know the following basics: