Follow the eleven-step design workflow from site assessment to handover — or jump straight to what you need. The design quiz sharpens trade-off calls on real numbers; calculators handle strings, placement, sizing, and off-grid loads; and the reference pages let you compare payback and ROI across countries and states, model regional load patterns, and pull product specs for quoting.
Site assessment, system design, pricing, and documentation — with Photonik Pro walkthroughs at the key steps.
Start here
What this guide produces, grid vs hybrid vs off-grid, and the goals that shape your design.
Usable area, shading, and obstructions on the primary roof or ground mount.
Daily or monthly kWh, day vs night use, seasonal peaks, and future loads such as EV or AC.
Target kWp from usage and site limits; oversizing and undersizing trade-offs.
Module choice, orientation, tilt, portrait vs landscape, and physical panel placement.
String vs micro vs hybrid topology for your site.
Panels per string, voltage at hot and cold, inverter MPPT window, and DC:AC ratio.
Whether you need a battery, kWh target, and AC vs DC coupling — essential for off-grid.
Cost build-up, margin, rebates, and tax — how an installer prices the job.
Walk the client through the proposal — design outcomes, savings, site plan, and price.
Confirmed site plan, equipment schedule, and the package for the install team.
Practice design trade-offs with real numbers — pick the better option for each user goal and see why with explained outcomes.
Check string Voc and Vmp against your inverter's MPPT window at record-low and record-high site temperatures.
Sketch a single roof plane or ground area and get a panel count with row spacing and setbacks applied.
Homeowner-facing combined sizing — daily kWh, system kW, and battery kWh. Share the link when a client wants to explore the trade-offs themselves.
Enter each appliance and duty cycle to estimate summer and winter kWh/day before sizing array and battery.
The calculators above each answer one question. Photonik Pro lets you design the whole system in one place — multi-roof layouts, shading losses, equipment selection, pricing, and a proposal the homeowner can sign off on.
Open Photonik Pro →Browse manufacturer specs and shortlists: Panels · Inverters · Batteries. See featured comparisons for side-by-side specs on popular models.
Typical solar generation and household load shapes by region — useful for sizing and client conversations.
Annual savings, payback, and 10- and 25-year returns by country — plus indicative prices and rebates for quoting.
Why feed-in tariffs fell, how batteries and VPPs change the value story — useful for client objection handling.
If you're a homeowner rather than an installer, start with the buying guide — it frames the same trade-offs in plain language, with a savings calculator that models your own bill.
