Resources · Solar
Off-Grid Solar Sizing in Alberta
Size the system for December. July will take care of itself.
Alberta winter irradiance in the central parkland is often in the 1.4–1.8 kWh/m²/day band. That is a regional sketch from typical NASA POWER values, not a guarantee on your roof. Shade, snow, and tilt swing the result more than moving one county over.
A winter-first sketch
- Write down January kWh/day for lights, well, comms, and heat-adjacent loads.
- Divide by winter irradiance times a 0.65–0.75 system factor.
- That is array area in the ballpark. Then add battery days and a generator policy.
If the array does not fit, cut loads. Do not invent a sunnier winter.