As a solar company specializing in solar kits for motorhomes, campervans, sheds, and more, we understand the importance of finding the right solar solution for your needs. In this brief guide, we’ll shed light on selecting the perfect size for your solar kit.
1. Assessing Your Power Needs
Begin by assessing your power requirements for your mobile escapades in the UK. To do this, consider the appliances, devices, and electronics you plan to use during your travels. For each appliance, find out its average power consumption and then multiply that by the number of hours that it will be used for.
Example: Let’s suppose you plan to use a laptop (average power consumption of 60 watts per hour) for 5 hours, a water pump for 15 minutes (40 watts) and LED lights (20 watts) for 5 hours then the total power consumption for the day would be:
Laptop: 60 watts x 5 hours = 300 watts Water Pump: 40 watts x 0.25 hours = 10 watts LED Lights: 20 watts x 5 hours = 100 watts
Total power consumption per day = 410 watts (300w + 10w + 100w)
2. Calculating Solar Panel Wattage
Solar panels are the backbone of any solar kit. To determine the appropriate size of your solar panel(s), divide your daily energy demand by the number of peak sun hours for where you live. This calculation will provide an estimate of the total solar panel wattage required to meet your energy needs.
Example: Daily energy demand = 410 watts Peak sun hours in the UK = 2.5 average (5 hours in summer but only 1 hour in winter)
For storing solar energy for use during cloudy days or at night, a reliable battery bank is essential. To determine the size of your battery bank, multiply your average daily energy consumption by the number of consecutive days you want to rely on stored energy without solar input.
Example: Let’s suppose you want to rely on stored energy for two consecutive days without solar input, based on your average daily energy consumption of 164 watts you would require a battery bank with a capacity of at least 328 watt-hours (164 x 2 = 328).
To calculate how many watt-hours is in your battery, you simply multiply the batteries Amp-Hours by its Voltage. For example, a 100ah 12v battery will have around 1200 watt-hours of energy storage capacity (100 x 12 = 1200).
Remember to always choose deep-cycle batteries designed for renewable energy systems, as they are better suited for the frequent charging and discharging cycles required in off-grid applications.
And that’s pretty much all there is to it. If you are in any doubt, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our expert team at Voltanic Solar for personalized advice. We would love to help.
Ready to choose? Check out our range of high-quality solar kits:
Ultimate 12V Solar Kit Sizing Guide
As a solar company specializing in solar kits for motorhomes, campervans, sheds, and more, we understand the importance of finding the right solar solution for your needs. In this brief guide, we’ll shed light on selecting the perfect size for your solar kit.
1. Assessing Your Power Needs
Begin by assessing your power requirements for your mobile escapades in the UK. To do this, consider the appliances, devices, and electronics you plan to use during your travels. For each appliance, find out its average power consumption and then multiply that by the number of hours that it will be used for.
Example:
Let’s suppose you plan to use a laptop (average power consumption of 60 watts per hour) for 5 hours, a water pump for 15 minutes (40 watts) and LED lights (20 watts) for 5 hours then the total power consumption for the day would be:
Laptop: 60 watts x 5 hours = 300 watts
Water Pump: 40 watts x 0.25 hours = 10 watts
LED Lights: 20 watts x 5 hours = 100 watts
Total power consumption per day = 410 watts (300w + 10w + 100w)
2. Calculating Solar Panel Wattage
Solar panels are the backbone of any solar kit. To determine the appropriate size of your solar panel(s), divide your daily energy demand by the number of peak sun hours for where you live. This calculation will provide an estimate of the total solar panel wattage required to meet your energy needs.
Example:Daily energy demand = 410 watts
Peak sun hours in the UK = 2.5 average (5 hours in summer but only 1 hour in winter)
Total watts required = 164 Watts (410 watts / 2.5 hours)
3. Sizing Your Battery Bank
For storing solar energy for use during cloudy days or at night, a reliable battery bank is essential. To determine the size of your battery bank, multiply your average daily energy consumption by the number of consecutive days you want to rely on stored energy without solar input.
Example:
Let’s suppose you want to rely on stored energy for two consecutive days without solar input, based on your average daily energy consumption of 164 watts you would require a battery bank with a capacity of at least 328 watt-hours (164 x 2 = 328).
To calculate how many watt-hours is in your battery, you simply multiply the batteries Amp-Hours by its Voltage. For example, a 100ah 12v battery will have around 1200 watt-hours of energy storage capacity (100 x 12 = 1200).
Remember to always choose deep-cycle batteries designed for renewable energy systems, as they are better suited for the frequent charging and discharging cycles required in off-grid applications.
And that’s pretty much all there is to it. If you are in any doubt, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our expert team at Voltanic Solar for personalized advice. We would love to help.
Ready to choose? Check out our range of high-quality solar kits:
480W 12V/24V MPPT All-Black Solar Panel Kit
£395.00Deluxe XL 1600W 24V Solar Panel Kit
From £1,320.00Max-Power 1200W 24V Solar Panel Kit
From £1,070.00Max-Power 1000W 24V Solar Panel Kit
From £970.00Max-Power 800W 12/24V Solar Panel Kit
From £720.00Max-Power 600W 12V/24V MPPT All-Black Solar Panel Kit
From£470.00Original price was: £470.00.£440.00Current price is: £440.00.160W 12V MPPT All-Black Solar Panel Kit
£170.00Original price was: £170.00.£150.00Current price is: £150.00.400W 12V MPPT All-Black Solar Panel Kit | 2x200W
From£325.00Original price was: £325.00.£255.00Current price is: £255.00.