A solar inverter size and battery capacity are important to make your solar panel work effectively. To get the best out of solar inverts and avoid technical and electrical problems, you must use the appropriate number of solar panels. A solar Inverter converts the low voltage DC electricity from solar panels to the regular 120V AC. Whether big or small solar installation, it is required to use the right size of Solar Inverters.
How many solar panels to use for 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 watt Inverter can be challenging, especially for someone who’s not an electrical person. But here’s the help you need. This article aims to provide in-depth information about how many solar panels are for 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 watt Inverter. For clarity, the individual watt Inverter has been divided into sections. So, make sure to read through, identify yours, and get the answer you are looking for.
How many solar panels are for a 1000 watt Inverter?
Among the different Solar panel arrays, the 1000 watt solar system is the most popular. The 1000 solar system can produce plenty of usable electricity for vans, RVs, and Workshops. But bear in mind that a 1000 watt solar Inverter may not be sufficient for household consumption. So if you are looking towards a 1000 watt solar inverter for your solar panel system for your household, you should consider the workload it will bear. You can buy a whole 1000 watt solar panel. Instead, the highest you can find in the market is a 400 watt solar panel.
So you will need 10 solar panels of 100 watts each for a 1000 watt solar inverter. Another alternative is using 5 solar panels of 200 watts each for a 1000 watt solar inverter. Make sure to consider the availability of space when choosing whether to buy 10 solar panels of 100 watts each or 5 solar panels of 20 watts each. If you have enough room on your rooftop, you can opt to buy 10 solar panels of 100 watts each. Otherwise, the 5 solar panels are a good option.
Additionally, you can make your DIY 1000 watts solar panel system. The trick is to use a charge controller that can handle the 1000 watts solar system. Also, pay close attention to the size of your battery and inverter.
How many solar panels for 1500 watt Inverter?
The average home in the US uses about 900kwh per month, which requires about 30 solar panels. But if you have a large home, 900kwh per month may not be sufficient to power your household items. So you can consider using a 1500 watt solar system. For a 900kwh per month, 27 solar panels of 375 watts each can be used to power a 900kwh solar system. However, these solar panels won’t work for a 1500 solar system. A 1500 solar Inverter will require 50 solar panels, each of 250 watts, but this will take a lot of space on your rooftop or ground level. So, here’s what you can do
Use 3 solar panels of 400 watts each because the higher the wattage of a solar Inverter, the higher the efficiency. Solar Inverters with larger watts generate higher power due to their large PV cells. If you install 250 watts solar panels, the solar panels will generate 250 watts at their peak. There are high chances that the power generated will diminish as the sun reduces and during cloudy days.
How many solar panels for 2000 watt Inverter?
The number of solar panels required for a solar system is determined by the Inverter load per hour. So what this means in simple terms is that inverter load per hour equals to the number of Solar panels needed. For a 2000 watt solar inverter, 7 solar panels of 300 watts each are highly recommended. This is because using 7 solar panels of 300 watts for a 2000 watt Inverter does not take up much space as using 200 watts or 100 watts solar Inverter.
Regardless, you can use the 200 watts solar panel combination or the 100 watts Solar panel combination as long as the total output is minimal of 2000 watts. Note: Using 7 solar panels of 300 watts each is enough to keep your 2000 watts solar Inverter running for five hours if there are a 5 hours of continuous sunlight.
How many solar panels for 3000 watt Inverter?
A 3000 watt Solar inverter can efficiently run appliances in a 2-bedroom family apartment. This includes television, refrigerator, lights, fans, dishwasher, microwaves, etc. However, it is important to add up the watts of these appliances to be sure the total watts are not higher than 3000.
A 3000 watt solar Inverter needs 15 solar panels of 250 watts each. Ideally, you will expect to use only 12 solar panels of 250 watts each since 250×12 =3000. Fair enough, but it doesn’t work that way. Here’s why. A 250 watts solar panel has 250 watts at its peak and would likely drop during cloudy days or in the absence of sunlight. Unfortunately, the total watts at the end of the day are lower than the required 3009 watts. So the general rule of thumb is to use 15 solar panels of 250 watts for a 3000 watts solar Inverter.
Alternatively, you can use 12 solar panels of 300 watts each for a 3000 watts solar Inverter. All that is required is to pay attention to the solar panels’ efficiency rating. A solar panel efficiency rating between 18%-25% is a good choice.
How many solar panels for 4000 watt Inverter?
Without mincing words, the 4000 watt solar system is a beast. If not done properly, it can cause several havoc. But this does not have to be you. Depending on your installation procedures, location, and appliances, a 4000 watt solar inverter can produce a 300 to 750 kWh of AC per month provided there’s a continuous 5 hours of sunlight. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, these results only accompany the use of the proper size of Solar panel.
For a 4000 watt solar inverter, 12 solar panels of 335 watts each are recommended. You may need 16 solar panels of 335 watts if you make do with Lower-quality solar panels of 335 watts. Some 4009 solar system utilizes up to 18 solar panels of 335 watts. So it all depends on the available space, the quality and efficiency rating of the solar panels.
How many solar panels for 5000 watt Inverter?
Because your solar system depends on your annual energy usage, check to confirm your estimated annual energy usages from your utility bill before deciding to use a 5000 watt solar system. A 5000 watts solar system is effective for running a washing machine of about 800 watts per cycle, a refrigerator of about 100 to 200 watts per day, an oven of about 2400 watts per hour, an air conditioner of about 3 to 4 watts per hour, etc. So, if you have these items, the 5000 watt solar system is worth considering. The 5000 solar system can be used in any part of the world as long as there’s a steady supply of sunlight.
A 5000 watts solar system requires 16 solar panels( 6.4ft × 3.3 ft ) of 400 watts each. Another alternative is using 20 solar panels of 300 watts each or 18 solar panels of 330 watts each. And as earlier mentioned at the beginning of the article, the number of solar panels to use depends on the availability of space on your rooftop. However, pay good attention to the efficiency rating because several factors at the rooftop contribute to the efficiency of the solar panels. These factors include shading, angle, hazy sunlight, dusting environment, facing sun, and temperature.
Can I mix different wattage solar panels?
I get this question all the time- whether to mix different wattage solar panels or use the same wattage solar panel. From experience, mixing a different wattage solar panel requires more work than using the same wattage solar panel. You have to consider the amps factor, voltage, and wattage when combing different solar panels for a solar Inverter. Thus, it is highly recommended to use the same wattage solar panels for a solar Inverter. Using the same wattage solar panel for a solar Inverter is more easy, effective, and faster.
Conclusion
Ideally, your solar panels’ total watts should be equal to your solar Inverter watts to have a good solar system. Anything solar panels total watts short of the solar Inverter watts is not recommended for use. You can get an insight into your estimated annual energy consumption from your utility bill. It will give you an idea of what kind of solar system is best for you. The kind of solar system you choose determines the solar inverter and the solar panels to leverage. Solar panels are investments. Ensure you buy quality solar panels to reap the rewards of using a solar system.
Eng. Matthew Joseph Nandirio is the Founder of walkingsolar.
After graduating from the University of Houston in 2002, matt started working as a Solar Electrical Engineer for several multi-national solar energy companies.
He has a wide range of experiences including solar system requirement analysis, planning, maintaining, debugging and even solar device development through research.
He now shares his 20 years of expertise through his articles on the walkingsolar website.
Further, he is also the author of two books on Solar Technology, “Solar Power for Villages” and “DIY Solar System for Dummies”.
