CALC: PV Panel Sizing Tool

[MountainDon]

This is from Outback Power systems.

This is NOT a calculator to help ypu figure out how many batteries and/or panels you need. Rather this is a calculator that allows you to input the specs from a PV panel (or choose from an extensive list of panels) you might want to use, set the battery bank volts, the temperature range where the panels will be installed, and the Outback charge controller. THe tool then indicates the combinations of panels, how many in series and how many in parallel, may be used without exceeding the power handling capacity of the Outback charge controller.

Useful if you are planning on using one of their charge controllers.

http://outbackpower.com/resources/string_sizing_tool/

The temperature adjustment is very handy as it saves some calculator work. For those who may not be aware, PV panels voltage output climbs as the temperature falls. On a cold morning PV panel voltage can spike quite high as the sun first strikes the cold panel. The calculator takes that into account.