Reading Solar And Controller Results

Treat these two tabs as a pair. The Solar tab tells you how much array the scenario is asking for. The Solar Controller tab tells you what that answer means for the controller side.

Start with the Solar tab

The Solar tab begins with the assumptions that shape the result. The first cards include Panel Size, Panel Voc, Panel Vmp, Effective sun hours, Installation efficiency, and Cloud factor.

Check these before you focus on panel count. If the solar result looks too big or too small, the cause is often here.

Follow the solar energy build-up

The next group of cards shows how the solar requirement is being built. That usually includes Day load Wh, Solar energy for day loads, Battery recharge Wh, Solar energy for battery recharge, Total solar energy required, and Required solar W.

This is often the part that explains a large panel count. Sometimes the array is carrying daytime loads and battery recovery at the same time. When that happens, the result can move quickly.

Then read the panel count and arrangement cards

Once the energy burden is clear, the tab turns that into a practical array answer. The main cards here are Raw minimum panel count, Installed panel count, Panels per string, String count, Estimated string Vmp, Estimated string Voc, PV voltage limit, Day-only panel count, Battery-recharge panel count, and Actual installed solar.

Do not treat installed panel count as a stand-alone answer. The app is also cleaning the result up into something that groups more neatly.

Use the solar graph and the extra sections properly

The solar graph gives a quick view of Solar surplus / shortfall by comparing installed solar against stored solar requirement. It is a fast way to feel whether the result looks comfortable, but it still needs the cards above it for full context.

Under the graph, the page also shows Indicative string guidance and Cloud sensitivity panel counts. The guidance notes help explain why the practical array may not match the raw minimum exactly. The cloud sensitivity list shows how far the panel count moves when the weather assumption changes.

If cloud sensitivity swings sharply, the solar answer depends heavily on site and weather assumptions.

Now read the Solar Controller tab

The Solar Controller tab is much shorter, but it is important. It separates the controller question from the wider panel-count question. The cards here are Minimum MPPT PV input, Recommended MPPT PV input, Minimum MPPT charge current, and Recommended MPPT charge current.

These cards tell you what the controller side needs to cope with if the solar result is taken seriously. A panel count can look reasonable while the controller side still feels demanding.

What to look for when the result feels uncomfortable

Review the solar result again when panel count seems unexpectedly high, when the graph suggests a weak surplus or a shortfall, when cloud sensitivity moves too much, or when the controller recommendations feel aggressive compared with the rest of the system.

In those cases, check the day-load versus battery-recharge split first. Then look at sun hours, installation efficiency, cloud factor, and the controller cards. That will usually tell you where the pressure is coming from.