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Tuesday October 07, 2008
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Solar System Sizing

This form has been designed to provide an indication of the quantity of solar panels required to run a certain set of loads. It is not meant to replace the services of Soltek's in-house design expertise which takes advantage of comprehensive weather data from hundreds of points around the globe, complete product performance information, and our staff's wealth of experience. 

In the form below, please enter the appliances you wish to run from your solar power system. Type their power ratings; use the table provided for assistance. Then indicate the number of hours each day that the appliance will typically run. If it is an appliance that is used only once per week, divide its run time by seven. 


 

STEP #1: Please specify your loads here:

Appliance Power:
Fluorescent lights: 15-30W ea.
Halogen lights: 20-50W ea.
Incandescent lights: 60-120W ea.
Toaster: 1,000W
Microwave Oven: 1000W
Blender: 500W
Television: 150W
Stereo: 30W
Radio: 10W
PC Computer: 200W
Laptop: 50W
Drill: 1,200W

Description * Quantity * Power * Hours = Total (WHrs/Day)









Total Power Requirement:
 

STEP #2: Estimate your average charging hours of daylight using the diagram provided below:

Average Peak Sun Hours per Day: 
(press 'tab' when finished and go to step #3)

Note: Peak sun hours are not equivalent to sunlight hours!
Solar panels are typically rated at 25 degrees C and at solar radiation level of 1,000 Watts/square meter. A peak sun hour is an index of the average daily solar radiation normalized to this value. i.e. 60,000 Watts of solar radiation over 12 hours = 5 peak sun hours. Multiplying a panel's power rating by this number allows us to make a simple comparison to the loads being placed on the system.

The figure above shows AVERAGE ANNUAL INSOLATION values (in peak sun hours). Summer and winter values alone may differ substantially. 

Choose the value corresponding to your location and enter in the space provided. 
 
 

STEP #3: Choose a panel to use as your basic system building block:

Panel current rating (A): 
(press 'tab' when finished to view results below)

Available module Ampere ratings from Siemens Solar Industries: 

  • 5.60 Amps (SR100)
  • 2.12 Amps (SP36)
  • 5.40 Amps (SR90)
  • 1.38 Amps (SM20)
  • 4.41 Amps (SP75)
  • 1.06 Amps (SP18)
  • 3.82 Amps (SP65)
  • 0.65 Amps (SM10, ST10)
  • 1.29 Amps (ST20)
  • 2.41 Amps (ST40)
  • 3.15 Amps (SM50, SM50H, SM55) 
  • 0.38 Amps (SM6)
  • 2.95 Amps (SR50)

Total Solar Module Requirement:


*Note that this number must be rounded up to the nearest even number of panels for a 24 volt battery system and to the nearest multiple of 4 for a 48 volt battery system. 

Kelln Consulting Ltd.
Kelln Solar P.O. Box 94, 50 James St. Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Canada S0G 3C0