Solar sizing for homes that lose power
Guides
What is worth understanding before you spend. No jargon, and the numbers that matter.
How many solar panels do I need
The answer does not come from your electricity bill or the size of your house. It comes from four numbers, and you already know three of them. This guide walks through them in order and ends with a worked example from start to finish.
8 min read
What it covers
- First: energy, not power
- Second: the battery comes before the panels
- Third: peak sun hours, not daylight hours
- Fourth: nothing arrives intact from panel to battery
- The complete formula
Lithium or lead-acid: which one actually pays
A lead battery costs a third as much and a lithium one lasts eight times longer. Compared by sticker price there is no argument; compared by the cost of the energy they will deliver over their lifetime, the conclusion flips. Here is the arithmetic.
9 min read
What it covers
- The two numbers that decide everything
- The cost that matters: per delivered kWh
- The deciding factor in hot climates: heat
- Maintenance, space and safety
- When lead is still the right answer
Portable station or hybrid inverter
A portable station plugs in and works. A hybrid inverter feeds the whole house and, at scale, costs close to half as much per kWh. The decision does not hinge on which is better, but on one number of yours: how much energy you need to store.
9 min read
What it covers
- What each one actually is
- The economic crossover
- What a portable cannot do
- What a hybrid demands in return
- Side by side