Solar Power Systems: How Domestic, Industrial, and Commercial Systems Compare

Solar systems come in a wide range of types including domestic, commercial, and industrial systems, are some of the most common systems. Choosing the right system is integral to getting the most out of your investment as having a system that is too big or small for your needs will greatly diminish your return on investment.

What is the difference?

So what is the difference between all these systems? The main difference between these systems is size and that's due to each level's energy needs a domestic home may only need 25kWh per day whereas industrial premises with large machinery may need 100kWh+ per day. So what is the typical size of each system:

• Domestic Solar Systems:

  Domestic systems are typically between 3.3kW and 10kW in size systems with a daily output of up to 50kWh for a 10kW solar system. Most residential photovoltaic panels have either a 330W or 400W output meaning that for a 10kWh system, you will need up to 30 panels.

  
• Commercial Solar Systems:

  Commercial and industrial solar systems are very similar with the main difference being the number of panels. Commercial solar panels are slightly larger than residential panels having an output of between 450 and 600 watts per panel. Commercial solar systems refer to most solar systems greater than 10kW total. Commercial systems are broken up into a few categories less than 30kW and less than 100kW systems. <30kW systems are typically installed on small businesses with low energy needs. Less than 100kW systems are typically installed on small to medium retail businesses, clubs, and offices.

• Industrial Solar Systems:

  Industrial solar systems are typically all systems of greater than 100kW in total. Systems greater than 100kW are typically installed on small to medium buildings such as hotels and industrial sheds as well as larger office spaces. 250kW systems are typically only used on large buildings such as shopping centres, offices and industrial sheds.

  

Which is best for you

When it comes to choosing which system is best for you it is important to understand how much energy your business uses. The best way to do this is to check your last few electricity bills and average out your usage you will also need to take into consideration your future electricity needs. This just needs to be a rough estimate but will mean you can get the most out of your solar system. Once you have decided on your power needs you can work out what size system you need to meet an easy way to do this is to use a solar panel calculator such as the SunSpot solar calculator to work out how many panels you need to meet your needs.

If you need further advice or want to get a solar system for your domestic, commercial or industrial property contact the team at Innovate Energy today.