Sizing Your Small Solar Electric System
Accurately sizing the components of your solar electric system, also known as a photovoltaic (PV) system, helps ensure that your system will produce the amount of power you want it to produce. This is especially important for stand-alone systems, which are not connected to the electricity grid. However, because PV is modular, you can always add to your solar energy collector should you need more power down the road.
First, consider what portion of your current electricity needs you would like your PV system to meet. For example, suppose that you would like to meet a certain percentage of your electricity needs with your PV system. You could work with your PV provider to examine past electric bills and determine the size of the PV system needed to achieve that goal. You can contact your utility company and request the total electricity usage, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), for your household or business over the past 12 months or consult your electric bills if you save them.
If you reduce your electricity loads, you can generally buy a smaller, less expensive PV system.
In addition to how much electricity you'd like to generate, the size of your system also depends on these factors:
- The site's solar resource or available sunlight
- The system's orientation and tilt
- The system's efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity
- Other electricity sources, like a utility, a wind turbine, or a fossil fuel generator.
PV systems are classified by their rated power output (the peak power they produce when exposed to solar radiation of 1000 watts per square meter at a module temperature of 25°C). Systems rated between 1 and 5 kilowatts are generally sufficient to meet most of the needs of home and small business owners.
The table below provides an estimate of the roof area needed for several systems. Your system supplier/installer can make, or help you make, more precise calculations at your site before you purchase a system.
Please click a link below to download our system sizing worksheets:
Green Dog Grid Tie System Design Worksheet.doc
Green Dog Off Grid System Design Worksheet.doc
All Solar Panel, Solar Power Packages, and Solar Power product prices wholesale or retail, subject to be possible change or adjustment with each order due to size, solar panel, solar racking specified, and any other customer details that are to be met to meet customers specific needs. For Green Dog solar panel, and solar power packages use 240 watt Phono solar panels, solar power package prices to be adjusted for the Phono 240 watt AC solar power micro inverter panel pricing. Solar panels with micro inverter has a cost that is adjusted for addition of micro inverter to solar panels. Solar panels, Solar Power Pacakges, wholesale solar panel packages, and Phono Solar products are quoted without shipping. All shipping quoted with in the U.S. (California, FOB) Shipping to Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central America to be considered International shipping and must be quoted as such. Green Dog solar package, solar dealer packages, wholesale solar panel pakcages, Phono solar panels and all other products must be orderd in "Bulk" minimum orders to any, but not limited to, the locations listed above. Solar rebates, solar credits listed in the site do not apply to internatnional orders unless verified by reciepiant (customer). Wholesale solar panel package prices, orders, and solar rebates vary per state and country. Wholesale solar panel packgaes, Solar rebates, solar credits, and solar tax incentives good only in states listed and noted by national solar rebate listing sites, but not guaranteed. All solar rebates, credits, and incentives specific to each state and municipalities, as well as local energy providers. Solar rebates to vary and sometimes not be available in some areas so up to date confirmation of solar rebates in your area are necessary to confirm if you are eligible to recieve solar rebates and said solar rebates are still available. Attached links to solar rebate sites listed by states are information of that site and cannot be confirmed or guaranteed by GreenDog Energy or Phono Solar. Solar rebates and incentives are common in the following states, but not guaranteed. California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnessota all have some sort of solar rebate as well local incentive programs. All Green Dog Energy & Phono solar panels, solar power packages, wholesale solar panel packages, and dealer power packages using the Phono solar 240 watt solar panels, and or 240 watt ac micro inverter modules warranty have the warranty on the solar panel and an individual warranty on the micro inverter as noted and listed in the specifications or otherwise noted by Green Dog Energy and Phono Solar. Micro Inverter to be specified of make, model and warranty with solar modules. Green Dog Energy is a retail and wholesale solar panel distributor of investment grade solar panels, inverters, solar racking and alternative power products. Wholesale solar panel packages, as well as wholesale packages are available and not limited to or by customers, though pricing is variable depending upon ordering reatil or wholesale solar panels packages. Solar power packages can be ordered in bulk as dealer packages or individually at retail prices listed. Solar panels can be sold wholesale if orders are bulk and or truckload or more in size. Contract pricing for wholesale solar panels, solar power packages, and solar dealers also available. Green Dog Energy is a wholesale solar panel distributor nationally and internationally Solar panels and solar power produced from photovoltaic modules that capture the energy of the sun have many different efficiencies, wattages, and performance ranges. All quality solar power solar panels go through rigorous testing and certification by to be used in the commercial markets. There is the international, IEC, CE, ETL, UL and CEC California ratings to provide for the solar panel solar power qualifications. For large scale solar power electrical generation systems utility or Investment Grade panels must be used to meet the set upon required solar power production schedules. The solar panels must produce or meet a certain percentage of maximum power to meet what the power company needs to integrate the solar power with the electrical grid. For this reason solar panels must be manufactured to meet these standards and thus have provided for a much higher quality and reliable solar panel, solar power products, on the market. All Phono Solar and Green Dog Energy solar panels strive to meet these standards and then beyond. All customers should take review of products and the market to know and understand as much as they can about solar panels, solar power, and solar panel manufacturing market and how these products are made, perform, and last. At Green Dog Energy we use only Phono solar in our solar power packages. The same solar panels we use on the large scale solar power utility scale projects. Thus giving you the same solar panel solar power reliability that we offer to the large energy producers. Solar power production varies greatly across the country so review of sun generation hours should be studied to see what type of solar panel would give you the best solar power and solar power generation over the life of the system. Solar power produced from solar panels is an excellent way to produce electricity for yourself, save money, and help the environment. But solar power generation and the solar panels do not work alone, and a deep study of your electrical consumption system can and will enhance and improve performance and solar power output in the short and long term of the solar power system. Please review you local area building and electrical codes in your investigation of installing solar panels and solar power at your business or residence.
