Free solar calculator

Battery Storage Calculator

Estimate a practical battery size for evening solar use and essential backup.

Estimate useful battery capacity

Size a battery around evening demand and backup goals.

kWh
%
hours
kW
%
%
kWh
kWh
✓ Capacity estimate, not electrical design
Your battery estimate will appear hereEnter your daily use, evening share and backup goal.

Your battery estimate

Two needs compared: daily shifting and backup.

Capacity model
Suggested nominal battery capacity
10.0 kWh
Approximately 2 battery modules
Evening energy need
6.6 kWh
Backup energy need
4.0 kWh
Usable battery capacity
8.1 kWh
Estimated module count
2
Typical surplus available
6.0 kWh/day
Likely daily fill
74%

Why a bigger battery is not always better

A battery that is much larger than your regular solar surplus may remain partly empty, while a battery that is too small may leave useful solar energy to export.

Daily shifting

Stores daytime solar for evening and overnight use.

Backup reserve

Supports essential loads for a chosen number of hours.

Usable versus nominal

Depth of discharge and efficiency reduce the energy delivered from the nameplate capacity.

Battery storage FAQs

What is usable battery capacity?

The portion of nominal capacity available after depth-of-discharge limits and efficiency losses.

Does battery capacity equal backup power?

No. Capacity is energy in kWh. Backup power in kW depends on the inverter and battery discharge rating.