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Solar Energy Production Calculator

Project annual and lifetime solar generation including degradation.

About Solar Energy Production Calculator

Specific yield normalises output by system size so different installations can be compared. Lifetime generation is a geometric series because each year produces slightly less than the last. Specific yield ranges from about 900 kWh/kW in northern Europe to over 1,800 in desert regions, which dominates project economics far more than equipment choice.

Formula

Solar Energy Production

First year kWh = kW × sun hours × 365 × derate; lifetime sums a geometric degradation series

specific yield
kWh produced per kW installed, the standard comparison between sites

Worked example

With the default values below, Solar Energy Production Calculator returns First Year Generation of 6,824.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

System sizeminimum 0 kW
6 kW
Peak sun hours per dayaccepts 0.1–12 h
3.8 h
System lossesaccepts 0–100 %
18 %
Annual degradationaccepts 0–100 %
0.5 %
System lifetimeaccepts 1–50 years
25 years

Results

First Year Generation
6,824.0 kWh
Lifetime Generation
160,747 kWh
Specific Yield
1,137.3 kWh/kW
Generation in the Final Year
6,050.6 kWh
Average Annual Generation
6,429.9 kWh

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Solar Energy Production
  3. 3First Year Generation= 6,824.0 kWh
  4. 4Lifetime Generation= 160,747 kWh
  5. 5Specific Yield= 1,137.3 kWh/kW
  6. 6Generation in the Final Year= 6,050.6 kWh
  7. 7Average Annual Generation= 6,429.9 kWh

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Solar Energy Production calculated?

First year kWh = kW × sun hours × 365 × derate; lifetime sums a geometric degradation series Specific yield normalises output by system size so different installations can be compared. Lifetime generation is a geometric series because each year produces slightly less than the last.

Why does Solar Energy Production matter?

Specific yield ranges from about 900 kWh/kW in northern Europe to over 1,800 in desert regions, which dominates project economics far more than equipment choice.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: System size, Peak sun hours per day, System losses, Annual degradation, System lifetime. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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