Jon Can Be Reached at : Email: jon@mysolarhome.us Telephone: 609-908-3700 text or call Website: mysolarhome.us Nationwide Solar and Battery Installations
My fiancée and I are prepping to build our first house and want to go off grid with the thought in mind of being kinder to the environment and kinder to our wallets. We have been looking into solar as an alternative source of power and while we are excited we have found it to be a stressful and overwhelming experience. This video single handedly answered so many questions I've had that no person or source has been able to clarify or even made me aware of, and in such a concise and short video. I truly appreciate the information on a daunting process and I will be following your videos from here on out. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am delighted you found the video useful. Let me know if you need help with evaluating your options. You can always email me at jon@mysolarhome.us . Best of Luck.
@@MySolarHomeUSA 0 seconds ago ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cotQgHhuPGY.html 0 seconds ago taylor mccarthy WOW....60% OFFSET....MUST BE ALOT OF SHADE MAYBE WRONG DIRECTION TOO....36 PANELS...BIG COMMISSION 40% STILL WITH THE UTILITY COMPANY....YEARLY INCREASES FOR SURE..STILL ON THE GRID...1.8% RATE LOANPAL WITH ROOF $70K...PLUS...26% FED CREDIT...BACK TO LOANPAL TO KEEP THE RATE 1.8% $221 A MONTH..$19K FED CREDIT TOTAL INVESTMENT FOR THIS LUCKY COUPLE $99K....$221 PLUS 40% ON UTILITY $92 = $331 PLUS YEARY UTILITYINCREASE 5% YEARLY.....AFTER 60 DAYS LOAN PAYMENTS START $221 PLUS 40% ON UTILITY....NO NET METER CREDITS FOR MONTHS....YOU TREATED THESE PEOPLE WELL....
How did he solar go? I like how you said kinder to the environment. I recently was in a debate about solar with some friends about how they are not environment friendly and had to inform that that ROI is 3 yrs to be environment friendly vs zero with out solar. Hope it's working out for you.
This panel can put out close to 100 watts ru-vid.comUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
Glad I could help. If you are looking for solar panels for your home, please email a recent electric bill to me at jon@mysolarhome.us - I could work out your numbers for you. Thanks, v much for watching.
🤝 Thank you for taking the time to make this helpful video. 👍👍 I've learned something new today about solar panels: how to calculate how much power I may need for a single family home and many panels are required to produce that much power. 🤔 The more informed we're, the better financial decision we'll make.
Buyers must keep in mind electric vehicle charging costs and whether they plan to buy one in the near future. If so and they drive 14,000 miles a year, they'll need enough addition panels for 4,000kwh annually. That's about 8 additional panels that the home needs. A good installer will ask about future plans.
the panel calculation is interesting, it does give many people a starting point. although this would work with a grid tied system. If you want to be off grid and produce enough power for your home and an electric vehicle? it would then fall a bit short. I have 32 370 watt panels installed currently they are more then enough to power my home and car on sunny days. but on cloudy days. their production is greatly reduced and then I end up draining my batteries. so we are going to increase our solar panels to 56. this should get us enough production on the cloudy days to charge our batteries and charge our car. But if we were only powering our home and using the grid for our energy storage? I believe you are accurate.
@@anjansaikia8396 just keep producing videos that are giving us accurate information. So many who make solar videos are passing along false information.
For me, I live in Hawaii, I went to the solar hours calculator and put in my ZIP code. It will extrapolate and estimate for the number of hours that will be converted into power. Extremely accurate. So, in my location in the winter the minimum monthly irradiance is 5.27 hours, maximum is 6.6 hours. I have to take 80% of my maximum output and multiply that by winter minimum for an off-grid installation. I also have to factor in about 16% system loss in energy conversions and resistance. Now that you have that number, compare it to your power bill and increase the size of your system by at least 10% above that for off-grid.
That is very good data. I suggest you investigate a site called PVwatts - it has NREL weather data and if you are able to enter the details of your solar array direction and shade - it will give you the most accurate estimate of production. Thanks for watching.
@@MySolarHomeUSA Thank you, That was the site I was using for my calculations. My peak energy usage is in December (28kWH/day) with 5.26 Hours of usable sunlight, a 9.5kW array, 28kWH home battery and a net system loss of 16.2% should just cover it. Off-grid is the way to go now IMO.
Hello there! Thanks for the video! Makes it look so simple! What does that factor stand for? How do they arrive at a factor for each state? How do I find the factor for a place like Dubai? In Dubai the current estimate for 5/6 bedroom villa is about 120000Kwh per year. Out of this about 60% is for air conditioning. Supposing one can solve the air condition energy with passive methods which include solar chimney and earth pipes, how do you calculate the number of panels needed for the 48000 Kwh left? What factor do i use?
Hi there. Thanks for watching. In Dubai, I would use a factor of 1.7. This is based on weather and solar insolation data for your region. Best of Luck with Solar.
@@MySolarHomeUSA Hello there! Many thanks for replying. However I need to demonstrate how I came to that factor, to make my energy solution believable to the client. Can you pls give me a link to prove how I arrived to that factor figure? And what is this factor called again, so I can google and get more information on it.
In Gauteng South Africa with perfectly angled for the location full sun all day panels rated at 3500 watts deliver 11 to 12kwh power on a day with no clouds. Solar Panels, inverter charger and battery manufacturers ratings are like car manufacturers Mpg figures. Not particularly realistic.
Thank so much for your explanation, how do you calculate the number of panel if only the size of the battery is known, say 15kwh lithium battery , for 600e panel
If your objective is to charge a 15kwh battery - the number of panels you need, will depend on your location. Let me know where you are and i will see if I can give you some guidance. Thanks for watching.
Why would you use a solar panel's STC or "under best case conditions" wattage, instead of its NOCT or "under normal conditions" wattage? It would seem you'd be designing a system that under performs by 25% or so using the higher figure...
The STC and NOTC are always in tandem. When we use the STC for calculating the energy output, we are using a ratio that gives actual expected energy conditions in real NOTC type of conditions. Your observation is very correct and has been compensated for. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for putting this together. The word you were looking for to describe your calculator was "handy" I think, hearty doesn't sound right. Used to live in Jersey - Princeton Jct - miss those cheessteaks!!
😀 thats a good idea. Fortunately, the calculation is based on weather conditions and does not need to be tweaked in anticipation of a bad winter. So doubling of panels will not be required. Thanks for watching.
Bifacial panels work better on ground mounts or flat roof ballasted mounts.. Rooftop bifacial performance is not great as the panels are flush against the roof and there is very little reflection back to the panels. Stick to residential panels for regular roofs. Thanks for watching.
I "love" the question "How many Solar Panels do I need to power my house?" and any attempts to answer them. The thing is, how many PV installations, how many PV houses, and how many PV owners - so many answers!!!! There is NO one-size-fits-all method for accurately determining the size of a PV installation, just as there is no one-size-fits-all jacket for men. This problem requires a VERY DETAILED analysis of all factors. NO miracle calculator will give you the correct answer because none takes into account ALL the relevant factors. And the most interesting thing is that the expectations of the owners of the PV installation change very quickly AFTER its installation and it usually turns out that the existing one is TOO SMALL. Why? Because people stop saving energy when it's "for free". There is a very popular saying among installers: build the first installation for your worst enemy, the second for a friend, the third for yourself! Therefore, when it comes to the project and the assessment of the size of the PV installation, it is absolutely necessary to rely on the design of a VERY GOOD PROFESSIONAL, wich is holding with many projects - extensive knowledge and experience. His fee is worth every cent you spent.
That is a wonderful comment. I am in complete agreement. My video is to get a homeowner a starting marker for the number of panels. A professional design should always be done before deciding on panels and their placement. Thanks for writing and watching.
Could you explain why you are dividing by the wattage of the panel in your calculation? If you need 10000kWh in a year, and one panel produces 1.2kWh in a day, then it seems that you need 10000 (kWh/year)/1.2 (kWh/day)/365(day/year) panels to generate 10000kWh in a year. The number you used in the example was 370W which is very close to 365 numerically so the answer is still numerically correct, but doesn't look quite right from the standpoint of the units.
A 400 watt panel will produce 480 kwh in NJ in a year. A 370 watt panel would produce about 444 kwh in NJ in a year. The size of the panel determines the energy output along with the location. The 400 watt panel in CA might produce 640 kwh in a year. So both location and panel watts have to be factored into the calculation. Thanks for watching
You are right and MySolarHome is wrong. if 1.2kWh/day is what you get from a 300Watt panel a day in NE. if you use a 400Watt panel, you should get 1.6kWh/day in the same location, reflecting both location and panel watts. In the better sunshine states AZ NV, you get 1.6kWh/day from a 300Watt panel a day. and if you use a 400Watt panel, you should get 2.13kWh/day. So if you use 10000 kWh/year, you need 10000/365=27.4 kWh/day on average. This number would then be divided by the power of the panel you have. The better the panel, the less you will need. If a 300W panel in CA will provide 1.5kWh/day. A 400Watt panel in CA should provide 2.0kWh/day, or 2x365 = 730kWh/year, according to his formula. If you need 27.4 kWh/day, you will need 27.4 / 2.0 which is roughly 14 400Watt panels, or 27.4 / 1.5 which is roughly 19 300Watt panels. However if you use his equation, 10000 / 1.5 / 400, you will get 16.67 which is 17 400Watt panels, 3 more than the correct answer, which is wrong. Please correct me if it is indeed me who is wrong.
Ok so I product 3000kw/yr divide by 0.9 which means I need 8 panels. Alright so Im going to be getting 10 x 400W panels which is 2 panels over which is good. In the day time I have max power but I have min use because kids are in school, everyone at work, house is empty. Thats when all the power is diverted into the Battery. Lets say we are getting 1000W useable from the panels - then it will take around 3hrs to charge the batteries in the day. But we are planning to run the battery up to 50% (battery is 90% :-) LOL) - so we are talking 1.5KW of use max before charging. This looks like the perfect solution.
Hi Harry, Poland is around the same latitude as British Columbia in Canada. So I would think the factor would be about 0.95 to 1. Hope that helps. Best of Luck and thanks for watching.
Useful video! I feel solar batteries are as indispensable as solar panels. Without them, I will have to keep an eye on the weather on apps like OIpen Weather or Tomorrow Weather (formerly Climacell) and make adjustments to electricity usage accordingly.
Thank you. Yes, Batteries are an awesome addition to panels. However, they are currently very high priced. In my opinion a whole home generator is a better choice as on date - I have a video on this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Uh3vXz56MCQ.html. But I am hoping next year or the year after - the prices come down significantly.
High wattage solar panels are only sold by palette or container. You can try on Amazon, but i doubt they will be available. Best to buy 3 panels 200 watts each on Amazon. There are a lot of options. Best of Luck.
Uhoh I need 20 panels.. I want the REC alpha 400 pure black …online the price is $440 per panel ..ouch ! $8800 without battery , without micro inverter.. my system is going to cost $22,380 + labor if my Calc is correct (enphase IQ8 $209 x 20= $4180) the enphase 10 battery is $9400 online ..ugh
Hi John, your calculations are headed in the right direction. I could help you with a quote if you email me a recent electric bill to jon@mysolarhome.us - I have a good partner in CA that does good work without overcharging. Thanks for watching my videos.
The new IQ8 microinverters seem really interesting. I hope you will do a review of them. Unfortunately they are not available yet and it doesn't seem to make sense for me to re-do my plans and permits in order to get IQ8's instead of IQ7+ inverters. What are your thoughts?
The IQ8's are really good for a battery plus solar panel application. There is no major benefit to upgrading to IQ8's just for solar. Availability is also likely in Q1 of 22. I will do a review of the IQ8's soon. They claim to offer backup power without a battery - but it is very little power and in most cases just a gimmick - they work really well with their batteries. Hopefully, Enphase will price them and their batteries to be more accessible to the greater market. Currently, they are still on the expensive side.
My thing is the more the better If I want 70 or 100 That way it’s easy to expand Off grid power everything Why barely limit yourself Go big or go home 100 panels 60 batteries Etc
Not sure what you mean by a solar controller. Solar Panels need inverters - those can manage the power if they are properly sized. Thanks for watching.
😀 Lol - yes it is a little difficult to thread the needle. The orientation of your roof and the shade from any trees around could affect the number. However, if there is no shade and most of your panels face either south or East or West - this number is about 90% accurate. The actual number will be done by the solar company when they give you a quote. In case you would like one from me, please email me a recent electric bill. Jon@mysolarhome.us Thanks for watching and commenting.
Can you email me the model and make fo the Growatt Inverter - I would like to see its datasheet before giving you an answer. Please email me if that is more convenient. jon@mysolarhome.us Thank you for watching.
Thanks John, I have just started exploring Solar. I did read that we can only convert 80% of the DC to AC. The factor you are using, does that include 80% ?
Hi Jagjeet : Yes this formula accounts for the conversion losses. Where are you located? I might be able to help you go solar . Perhaps you can email a recent electric bill to me at jon@mysolarhome.us Thanks for watching
Great vid!! My question is, if you are anywhere in the world (not just in the US) how do I get the right factor value? It would be helpful if you have a table for with corresponding factor value with global coverage.
I have an updated version which might be of help ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html Thank you for watching and commenting
Hi - I have updated the video to show how you can calculate panels for any location. Please check out the new video at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html And thanks for watching and commenting.
It took 50 years for efficiency to go from 5% to 25%. It is a slow process - not like the endless improvements in computing, unfortunately. Thanks for watching
Hello, thank you for your videos, they are very valuable to me. I am beginning to research on this subject since I have the firm intention of installing panels in my house. I live in Georgetown, KY. Could you tell me how you know or determine what the "factor" is for my area? Is there a website where I can find out or do I have to call a solar panel installation company in my city? Thanks.
Hi Maria, There is a website called PV Watts - but it might be a little difficult to use for the first time. I looked up Georgetown, KY and the factor came up to 1.3. Hope that helps. And thank you very much for watching my Solar Panel-related videos. Best of luck with your solar project
Hi! thanks for the video... I'm trying to determine the factor in PV Watts, but I couldn't find it... is the "DC to AC Size Ratio" ?Thanks... btw I'm in Villa Ruiz, Argentina...
So if Im running a single Bitcoin miner using 3kwh that's 3000 watts per hour: 3kw x 24 x 356 = 27000 kwh per year. With Texas being a division of 1.5 (is there a chart somewhere) and 300 watt panels: 27000/1.5=18000. 18000/300 = 60. So I would need 60 panels per Bitcoin miner. How much battery per day? Use the yearly 27000 or 3x24 to get 1 day battery backup?
Your panel calculation is good - perhaps you could buy 400 watt panels instead of 300. Re the battery, 40kwh should take you through more than a day. But with Solar panels in day, I think 30kwh might also work. But 40kwh to be safe. Best of Luck. Let me know if you want a quote. My email is jon@mysolarhome.us
Hello , please I need to know how many batteries do I need for total power (10 kw) at Indiana? and also can you told which video can watch to find a complete calculation for solar system ?
And do you know where a country like Senegal in West-Africa fits in all these calculations. It's dry and hot like California. Should i use the same metrics?
Hi Samba - first thank you for watching and for your question. I am not a 100% certain - but I think a multiple of 1.6 should work for Senegal - you are almost in the equator - and I think that should work. You could call a local solar company and ask how much a 1Kw system would generate in a year. If they say around 1600 kwh in a year - then my calculation is correct. If they say 1500 kwh , then I would use the 1.5 factor. Best of Luck.
Thank you for this simple power calculation. I live in eastern WA state. Do you know what my power conversion number would be? Is there a chart somewhere I can find data? Thank you
Hi Shanon - You can use a factor of 1.1 to be on the safe side to calculate your no of panels. I am assuming there is no shade on your roof. Thanks for watching and best of luck with our project.
Excellent suggestion - I will start working on a video to calculate how many batteries you need? Thank you very much for watching and your awesome suggestion.
Yes Shade is a huge factor - even a little bit of shade can drastically cut down solar production. If you are evaluating solar, you could email a recent electric bill to me and I could evaluate your roof and check if it can support your electric bill with solar. My email is jon@mysolarhome.us
Hey Jim, I used data from the NREL solar insolation maps and the solar output calculations from the Labs PV Watt tool to arrive at these factors. Thanks for watching. Do email me at jon@mysolarhome.us if you are looking to go solar.
Thanks for the information and I just had a 4.4kw grid tied system installed and using 5900kw a year and used 1.3 in my numbers and I live in southern Ohio near Kentucky and they installed 12 lg370 watt and calculated I needed 12.2 panels so I think I will be OK??
I don't have data for Philippines, but given your location, I would take a factor of 1.6 provided you have no shade on the panels. Thanks for watching.
Hello Wayne : I have an updated version that shows you how to get the factor for any address. Please watch ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html Thanks for watching
Hello - thanks v much for watching. A 0.8 or 0.7 might work for Denmark if you dont have shade. My ballpark estimate is based on panels facing 130 azimuth. If they are facing 180 you could look at a factor of 0.9 perhaps. All the best.
Finding the factor on your own is possible: Go to a site called PVwatts - enter your address. Enter system size as 10 kw, azimuth as 130 and see the output in kwh for the year. Divide the output by 10,000 and that is the factor for your city. Best of Luck and thanks for watching.
@@basspig That would mean a super huge battery - perhaps over a 100k cost - better to have a small generator to charge the batteries for a few hours and have fewer batteries. Most folks buy batteries sized between 10 to 40 kwh - thats enough backup for a day or 2 at the most.
@@MySolarHomeUSA I might have to double my solar array and double my battery capacity to 84kWh to cover 3 rainy days in a row. A generator is too slow. I have a 3kW charger and a generator, and it only adds 3% charge to the battery in one hour. It would take 30 hours to charge the battery fully. The fuel use would be prohibitive. With fossil fuels being phased out by the globalists, there won't be affordable fuel for generators in a year or two. So I have to find an all solar solution to this.
Is this the calculation for south-facing roof faces in the northern hemisphere? Shouldn't the azimuth of your roof faces be factored into the calculation?
You are absolutely right Robert - but for a ballpark calculation - my formula works fine. The azimuth might change the calculation by +/- 1 panel or not at all. Thank you for watching.
What if you want to calculate the number of panels in Mississippi what is the factor of calculation number. I understand the math but is there a reason you used 370 Watt panels and not 400w. Or more ?
Thank you for watching for your question. You can use any panel - the formula will work if you replace the 370 with 400 or 450 or whatever is the panel size. Re Mississippi - a factor of 1.4 would give you a decent estimate of the number of panels. Best of Luck.
You can use a factor of 1.3. Are you looking for a solar quote? I could help - please email me a recent electric bill and I will send you a custom proposal with savings and using the best solar panels and inverters - at extremely competitive prices. Thanks for watching
Carol thanks for watching. I would use a factor of around 1.05 for Iowa to be on the safe side. 1.1 could also work. Yes my apologies, I concentrated on the areas with maximum solar penetration in the US.
Use a factor of 1.1 for north Idaho. For batteries watch my video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tgNP0S1TLs4.html Thanks for watching and have a nice day
No Hussien, it is a factor dependent on your location and it depends on how much solar radiation is available year-round. Of course, it is a rough estimation, but for purposes of determining solar panels, it is pretty good. If you are US-based and want a detailed assessment - you can email me at jon@mysolarhome.us . Thanks for watching
Yes - but not by a huge amount - perhaps +- 1 or 2 panels at max. The solar company will do those calculations for you. If you are looking for a quote do email me at jon@mysolarhome.us Thanks for watching.
London, the factor will be around 0.9 - if you are further north i would use 0.85. Adding a battery is a good idea. I am going to be making a video on how much battery your need very soon. Please subscribe to get a notification once the video is up. Thanks v much for watching.
@@MySolarHomeUSA I’m in bedford U.K. I was thinking of using 4kw of solar on the roof and 3.2kw of battery. When my wife is not cooking the house is around 400W. So for 8hrs in the day the solar 3.2kwh of use. 4Kw at 1kw useable of roof solar x 6hrs = 6KWH. So seem to be covered most days except weekend and holidays. Now at night for 2hrs my wife is cooking 3kw for 2hrs = 6KWH. Then for the rest of the night 400W x 6hrs. = 2.4KwH So what I’m thinking. Use the panels to power the day D charge the battery. Use the grid to cook and everything 2hrs at night. Use the battery until morning. So we are using 6KWH per day but saving 12KWH. We need to find out how to get the cheapest night tarrif What do you think.
@@m77ast Calculations look good - maybe a tad more solar to help charge the battery. Currently looks like your solar will support your home's energy needs, but you would use the grid to charge your battery. That works fine if you have no outages. If you are able to shoot 2 kWh to the battery every day over the 6kwh usage it might be a more resilient solution. A caveat about average usage and production - they don't work too well during the winter months. Best of Luck.
@@MySolarHomeUSA thanks the battery will be 100% charged by solar. I’m thinking a fixed 3.2 KWH lithium ion all in one solar battery Samsung ESS that I have in my garage right now. Then I’m also thinking of a mobile 3.6KW but not sure if they will be necessary. Too expensive. I’m thinking of 10 x 400W panels and the excess which will run the house and charge the battery in the daytime. Right now the kids are in bed and we are on 190 W which is approx 2Pence x 8hrs = 16pence through the night. The gas is at 25p. I will say it is currently around £2 per night because they use oil heating in a few mins 😃😃😃 So it’s £2 per night electricity and £2 per night gas. In summary we are currently using £10 per day which is a whole lot - around £3000 per year. Wow. This will change soon though. As i must switch my electricity provider tomorrow. That cost should be max £500 - £600 per year. You also feel like getting rid of things when you know how this electricity thing works. 😀 Thanks for your video.
Michael - I have explained how i came up with the number in a revised video - please check it out ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html - you will be able to enter your address and get a number for your home after you see this video. Thanks for watching.
If your usage is 1388 kwh a year - then yes. But, it seems very low. Single Family Home usages are usually 5000 kwh or more a year. Thanks for watching.
If you use microinverters - you will need 32, one for each panel. For Solar Edge you will probably need 2 inverters adding upto 9kw or less. If you like I can get you a quote - send me an email to jon@mysolarhome.us
Hi Don I updated the video to show you how you can enter your home address and calculate the factor for yourself. Here is the link to the new video. Thanks for watching ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html
@@MySolarHomeUSA Thank you for the info. Electricity is very cheap in BC so it makes the solar consideration more complex. I wish your company was in BC. Cheers.
You can use 1.5 for your area. If you are looking for an actual quote - I could help. Send me a recent electric bill to jon@mysolarhome.us Thanks for watching
Hello - I have updated this video with a way to enter your address and get the factor. Please check out the video at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vrt4uB0Ia2w.html Thanks v much for watching
Panel sizes differ quite a bit - but the most common size of residential panels is about 65 inches by 40 inches. Higher powered panels 370 watts and over are usually larger around 80 inches by 40 inches.
