What Goes Into A Solar Kit?
Every reliable off‑grid kit is built from three core parts. Understanding what each does makes sizing and price comparisons far easier.
The Three Building Blocks
Every home or business solar setup is just three pieces working together: panels make electricity from sun, an inverter turns it into the type your devices use and directs traffic, and batteries save extra power for night or blackouts. Most price differences you see in quotes come down to how much power the panels can make, how big and smart the inverter is, and how many hours the batteries can keep you running.
Below we explain each part in simple terms—what matters, what you can ignore, and quick rules to ball‑park size your system before a professional does a detailed load check.
1. Solar Panels (Make Power)
Panels turn sunlight into usable electricity. How much you get each day mostly depends on: how many panels you have, their rating (watts), the way they face the sun, and whether anything shades them. A neat layout with no shade usually beats paying extra for a fancy panel brand.
What Matters
- Panel count: More panels = more daily energy. Simple.
- Direction & tilt: Point them toward strong sun (south in Nigeria) and don’t lay them too flat.
- No shade: A little shade (tree, tank, cable) can drag down the whole string—keep them clear.
- Heat: Very hot panels make a bit less; small airflow gap under mounting helps.
2. Hybrid Inverter (The Manager)
The inverter is the manager that makes power usable and chooses where it should come from right now: sun, stored battery, or grid/generator. You pick one big enough for everything you might run at the same time—plus the short spikes when things like fridges or pumps start.
What To Look For
- Size (kW): Big enough for everything running together (lights + fridge + fans + maybe an AC).
- Start Boost: Handles quick start surges so things don’t trip off.
- Panel Inputs: Extra inputs help if your roof points in different directions.
- Efficiency: Better efficiency = less wasted heat.
- Monitoring: A clear app or web portal so you can see what’s happening and spot issues early.
Quick Size Check
- List devices you’ll run at the same time (lights, fridge, fans, maybe an AC, pump).
- Add their running watts for a total.
- Add a buffer (≈15–20%) for future or occasional extra loads.
- Pick an inverter with continuous power ≥ this buffered total.
- Check its surge rating can handle a fridge or pump starting without tripping.
Good monitoring helps you see patterns and trim wasted use.
3. Batteries (Keep You Running)
Batteries soak up extra power while the sun is strong and feed it back at night or during cuts. Modern lithium packs last years and are safer and lighter than old styles. You choose a size that covers the hours you care about after sunset (plus outage cushion).
What Matters
- Usable energy: The real hours of power you get, not just the label size.
- Longevity: More charge cycles = more years before noticeable drop.
- Power delivery: Can it push enough power at once for bigger appliances?
- Heat: Very hot spaces age batteries faster—give them shade & airflow.
- Easy expansion: Adding more later should be simple if your needs grow.
Quick Size Estimate
- Add up evening + overnight energy use (kWh).
- Multiply by nights of backup you want (e.g. ×1.5) for usable kWh target.
- If the battery is ~80% usable, divide usable kWh by 0.8 to get label size.
- Add a small buffer if internet, lights or cold storage are critical.
- Plan for future growth (extra AC, EV charger) by leaving expansion room.
This gives a starting number; installer measurements refine it further.
What To Do Next
Ready to translate the basics into a tailored design? Start a quote journey to get provider proposals, or use our calculator to refine loads before requesting offers.