solarexperts

Build a solar system

Say how much solar and storage you want and get the cheapest combinations of panels, an all-in-one inverter and batteries that work together, or check parts you have already picked. Compatibility is worked out from each product's datasheet: string voltage on your coldest morning, the inverter's MPPT and PV limits, and battery voltage. Anything a datasheet doesn't state is shown as not checked, never as a pass.

The record low, not the average winter low: panel voltage peaks on the coldest sunny morning. Roughly: southern US 20°F, mid-latitudes 0°F, northern states −20°F.

Advanced filters
Manufacturers

Untick to leave a maker out. ·

Stores

Untick to leave a store out. ·

Excluded products

Search to add one, or use “exclude” on any line of a result.

    Share this build

    EmailXFacebookReddit

    The link holds the parts and quantities, so it never expires. Whoever opens it sees today's prices and the compatibility checks.

    How the checks work

    String voltage. Panel open-circuit voltage rises as it gets colder, so each string is sized against the inverter's absolute maximum PV voltage at your coldest temperature, using the panel's own temperature coefficient where its datasheet gives one, and the NEC 690.7(A) correction table otherwise.

    MPPT limits. Strings must stay above the MPPT minimum on a hot day (an approximation, flagged as one), and each MPPT's current limit caps how many strings it takes. PV power. The inverter's maximum PV input caps the array per unit.Battery. The battery's voltage class must match the inverter's. Brands that don't share a communication protocol still work, charging by voltage, and are flagged.

    Only inverters whose limits were read from their datasheet are included, and only lithium batteries: lead-acid should only be drawn down about halfway, which would make every storage figure wrong. Prices are the cheapest in-stock listing for each part; pallets are bought whole, so spare panels are included when the pallet is cheaper per panel.

    A planning tool, not a design. Confirm every limit against the datasheets linked here and the inverter manual, and have the system checked by someone qualified where your jurisdiction requires it.