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Solar panels are getting significant in modern society because of clean technology. However, these devices are a little bit expensive and users wonder. “How many solar panels do you need for 1000 kWh per month?” Let’s discover with Hanfincal in this post below.

1. How Many Solar Panels Do I Need For 1000 kWh Per Month?

How many solar panels do I need for 1000 kWh per month? The number of solar panels you need for 1000 kWh per month depends on your place and what type of power rating your devices will be. That is why you will calculate how many solar panels your area will need, which allow you to consume 1000 kWh of electricity monthly.

[(Monthly electric usage/ Monthly peak sun hours) x 1000] / Power rating of solar panel

Electricity consumption

In this case, you use 1000 kWh per Month (The average household in the U.S usage is 893 kWh).

Peak sun hours

Afterward, you need to know how many peak hours of sunlight your region gets. We have made an accessible resource for Americans, South Africans, Australians and Brits to estimate their place’s daily peak sun hours.

Peak sun hours are vital to know the number of solar panels you will need for 1000 kWh. The reason for this circumstance is easy to understand. The more sunlight your solar panel collects, the more electricity it will generate, also for the opposite side of the rate.

Basically, a peak sun hour in one hour that the sunlight creates an average of 1000W (energy)/m2 (approximately 10.5 feet). That means one peak sun hour = 1000W/m2 of sunlight per hour.

For instance, suppose you stay in California, which collects 5,2 peak sun hours/day. You need to calculate the number of peak sun hours you will get monthly by 5,2 x 31 (days) = 161,2 hours/month. With 1000 kWh, you estimate like this to have a final result: 1000/ 161,2 = 6203.

The power rating of solar panel

The last part of the formula depends on what type of solar panels you desire to buy for a solar establishment at your home. Could it be 100W, 300W, 400W, 600W?

Many household solar installations buy 400-watt solar panels, and the reason is that you will get more power production per square footage. We continue our above example by calculating how many solar panels you require for 1000kWh. You have to divide 6203 by 400 (the solar panel power output): 6203/ 400 = 15,5 (you could round off to 16).

If you stay in California, you will need 16 solar panels (type of panel: 400W) to maintain your 1000kWh electric consumption monthly.

2. How Much Does a 1000kWh Solar System Cost?

how many solar panels do i need for 1000 kwh per month

How Much Does a 1000kWh Solar System Cost?

The answer relies on where you are in the whole world. Every country has a different economic situation; therefore, setting up a universal cost for solar panels is impossible.

For households in the US, this is the average cost of solar devices per structure size.

System size (kW)

Average solar panel structure cost (before tax credits) Average solar panel structure cost (after tax credits)
25 $70,250 $51,985
20 $56,200 $41,588
15 $42,150 $31,191
12 $33,720 $24,953
10 $28,100 $20,794
9 $25,290 $18,715
8 $22,480 $16,635
7 $19,670 $14,556
6 $16,860 $12,476
5 $14,050 $10,397
4 $11,240 $8,318
3 $8,430 $6,238
2 $5,620

$4,159

To estimate which size of system you need for your home, just use the below formula:

Monthly electric usage/ Monthly peak sun hours.

A family that lives in California and uses 1000 kWh a month will need a 6,2 kW solar structure to keep their energy.

1000 kWh/ 161,2 = 6,2.

A 6,2 kW solar structure that generates 1000 kWh monthly will cost roughly $12,500 after tax in California.

Let’s use the same formula for a household in Alaska.

1000 kWh/ 77,5 = 12,90 (you can round off to 13).

To maintain 1000 kWh of consumption, you will need a 13 kW solar structure, which will cost about $25,000. Again, the peak sun hours factor significantly affects how much your 1000 kWh solar structure you will pay for.

3. How Much Will a 1000 kWh Solar System Save Me?

To understand how much your 1000 kWh solar structure will save you, you need to know how much you pay for consumed electricity in your country.

If you establish a solar system which maintains 100% of your electricity consumption, you’ll virtually earn the figure for money you would have spent on electricity monthly. For people who live in the USA spending an average of 0,15/kWh, you would save roughly $150 each month with a 1000 kWh solar establishment.

From that day forward, you will be earning $150 for the next 23 years (many solar panels last from 25 to 30 years). In 23 years, your 1000 kWh solar structure will save $41,400 in total.

4. How Many Panels Do You Need?

Supposing that you use a 300-watt solar panel in 4 hours of sunlight, to be on the safe side, one panel will produce 36kWh/month. If you need 1000 kWh monthly, you’ll need 1000/ 36 = 28 solar panels.

A single 300W panel estimates 3,5 feet by 5 feet; thus, you’ll need approximately 400 square feet of roof space to set up a system of this size; you expect to pay about $22,000 for the establishment and equipment.

How many solar panels do you need for 1000 kWh per month? You will need about 24 to 28 solar panels for 1000 kWh per month. Besides, you must depend on other factors such as your region, the amount of peak sun hours your house collects, and which power rating your solar panels will be. Therefore, you must use these formulas to pay for the solar system at a reasonable cost. Hanfincal hopes this post has been helpful in letting you know about the number of solar panels you need for 1000 kWh monthly.