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SolarPV tables / online calculator

Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

Last Post by Majordennisbloodnok 4 months ago

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MichelleC

(@michellec)

Active Member Member

Joined: 6 months ago

Posts: 5

Topic starter 10/03/2025 2:25 am

Is there some table or an online calculator that I can look up expected solarPV kWh generated by month, for my latitude/longitude & azimuth & tilt? Need the figures by the month. Thanks, Michelle

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solarPV online calculator

Gary

(@gary)

Prominent Member Member

Joined: 3 years ago

Posts: 350

10/03/2025 8:44 am

RE.JRC.EC.EUROPA.EU "https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html#api_5.1"

JRC Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) - European Commission

Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS)

👍

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Majordennisbloodnok

(@majordennisbloodnok)

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Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 890

10/03/2025 10:18 am

I'd be interested what others find whilst using that web app, @gary. It's a great resource but it does also highlight how local variations in conditions can affect the theoretical output.

For me, it overestimates by about a quarter which on the face of it is quite a significant margin. However, in practice there are some extras to factor in:

Shading isn't a big issue but we're not completely immune.
Although our kWp is calculated on the number and capacity of all the panels, there are four which are not on the main South-facing elevation. This is really important in capturing the early sun and therefore extending the period when we don't have to draw from the battery but it is at the expense of absolute amount of electricity generated.
Our panels are now four years old so there will be some degradation in their generating capabilities now.

All that is entirely reasonable and if I factor those points in then the web app is doing a pretty reasonable predictive job. However, it's worth remembering these points since if I was making a buying decision based on expecting to generate 6MW/year and ended up getting 4.5-5 then I'd be a bit miffed.

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat"

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Old_Scientist

(@old_scientist)

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Joined: 1 year ago

Posts: 193

10/03/2025 8:24 pm

Posted by: @majordennisbloodnok

↑

I'd be interested what others find whilst using that web app, @gary. It's a great resource but it does also highlight how local variations in conditions can affect the theoretical output.

We've only had our solar since last June, but so far for me it's been very accurate and within the published standard deviation each month.

Posted by: @majordennisbloodnok

↑

For me, it overestimates by about a quarter which on the face of it is quite a significant margin. However, in practice there are some extras to factor in:

Shading isn't a big issue but we're not completely immune.

Although our kWp is calculated on the number and capacity of all the panels, there are four which are not on the main South-facing elevation. This is really important in capturing the early sun and therefore extending the period when we don't have to draw from the battery but it is at the expense of absolute amount of electricity generated.

Our panels are now four years old so there will be some degradation in their generating capabilities now.

All that is entirely reasonable and if I factor those points in then the web app is doing a pretty reasonable predictive job. However, it's worth remembering these points since if I was making a buying decision based on expecting to generate 6MW/year and ended up getting 4.5-5 then I'd be a bit miffed.

Yes, I think you'd need to create separate arrays for each roof aspect, and then combine them to get a representative total. Mine is straight forward as it's a single aspect that is unshaded, hence the results seem remarkably accurate.

Samsung 12kW gen6 ASHP with 50L volumiser and all new large radiators. 7.2kWp solar (south facing), Tesla PW3 (13.5kW)
Solar generation completely offsets ASHP usage annually. We no longer burn ~1600L of kerosene annually.

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MichelleC

(@michellec)

Active Member Member

Joined: 6 months ago

Posts: 5

Topic starter 12/03/2025 11:14 am

@majordennisbloodnok what degradation per year is typical with aging?

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Judith

(@judith)

Prominent Member Member

Joined: 2 years ago

Posts: 373

20/03/2025 6:21 pm

This guy did a good analysis

PROTONSFORBREAKFAST.WORDPRESS.COM "https://protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/analysis-16-years-of-solar-pv-data/"

Analysis of 16 years of Solar PV data. | Protons for Breakfast

A friend from North London kindly allowed me to analyse the data they had collected on the performance of their solar PV installation over the last 16 years. What an opportunity to discover how solar PV panels behave over the long term! Let me tell you what I found: The System Installed in July 2006, the system…

in summary go down a bit more at first then steady slighter decline. The “spec” is 20% down in 25 years.

2kW + Growatt & 4kW +Sunnyboy PV on south-facing roof Solar thermal. 9.5kWh Givenergy battery with AC3. MVHR. Vaillant 7kW ASHP (very pleased with it) open system operating on WC

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