Solar Power Calculation – Formula In-depth

Explanation And Examples

Solar power is one of the few affordable green energy options. Not only that, solar
panels are compact and easy to travel with, and hence a great option for travelers. But
there are a few solar panel calculations that you need to do before you set up a solar
panel system for your house, office, or RV.

In today’s article, we have compiled some of the most basic solar panel calculations. Use
these solar power calculations to find out the perfect solar panel system setup for your
needs.

Without any further ado, let’s begin.

Solar Panel Size Chart

One of the biggest concerns customers have is the size of solar panels. However,
contrary to popular belief solar panels come in tons of different sizes. The different size
variants make it easier to buy a solar panel that is perfect for your property.
The two most common configurations for solar panels are 60 cells and 72 cells. The
average size for one cell is 6 inches. A 60 cells solar panel is laid out as a 6 x 10 cells
grid. Meanwhile, the 72 cells solar panels are laid out in a 6 x 12 grid.

Following are the dimensions for each of these solar panel configurations choose the
one which suits your needs the most.

60-cell solar panel size: 39 x 66 inches (3.25 x 5.5 feet)

72-cell solar panel size: 39 x 77 inches (3.25 x 6.42 feet)

Moreover, 60-cells and 72-cells are the most common solar panel configurations, but
some manufacturers also sell 96-cells solar panels. The size of 96-cells solar panels is
below:

96-cells solar panel size: 41.5 x 62.6 inches (3.41 x 5.2 feet)

Note: Even though these are the standard sizes of commercial and industrial solar panels,
the size may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Cell Configuration Width (in inches) Height (in inches) Depth (in inches)

60-cells 39 66 1.3 to 1.6

72-cells 39 77 1.3 to 1.6

96-cells 41.5 62.6 1.38

Solar Panel Size Chart

Solar Power Calculation

How Much Solar Panel Power Load Wattage Do You Need?

Choosing the right solar panel can get tedious sometimes. Would 1x 60-cell solar would
be enough for your RV or do you need to get 5 solar panels? However, once you know
how much solar panel power you need you can easily calculate the numbers of solar
panels you need.

Following is the formula to calculate how much solar panel energy you need.

Solar panel power calculation formula = You average load wattage x Hours per
day x 1.5

 Load wattage or simply wattage means the amount of electricity an electrical

appliance uses.
 Here, “hours per day” refers to the amount of time you are planning to use solar
panel power.
  The value 1.5 is used here to cover the working bugs of household electronics. In
other words, not all TVs use the same wattage, the power needed varies from
brand to brand. In cases like this, the 1.5 value reduces the chances of you
running out of power.

Example #1

Assume you are getting solar panels for TV and fridge with 0.5 kWh and 1.0 kWh
respectively. And you are going to use both of these appliances for 2 hours, then here is
how much solar panel power you would need.

Solar panel power calculation formula = Average load wattage x hours per day x
1.5

= (0.5 + 1.0) x 2 x 1.5

= 1.5 x 2 x 1.5

Solar panel power needed = 4.5 kW

Example #2

If you are getting the solar panel for TV and fridge. But you use TV for 2 hours and
fridge for 3 hours, then here is how you can do it

Solar panel power calculation formula = Appliance 1 (Average load wattage x

hours per day) + Appliance 2 (Average load wattage x hours per day) x 1.5

= (0.5 x 2) + (1.0 x 3) x 1.5 = 1 + 3 x 1.5

= 4 x 1.5

Solar panel power needed = 6 kW

How to calculate the average load wattage you use?

If you want to calculate the solar panel power you need then it is crucial to know the
average load wattage you use. But how would you calculate the average load wattage
you use? Well, it is easy, and here’s how you can do it.

1. Firstly, make a list of all of the appliances you are planning to use. For example, if
you are buying solar panels to run a hairdryer and TV then add these appliances
to your list.
2. Secondly, look up the wattage or Wh of the appliances on your list. For example,
the average wattage for a TV is 0 to 0.5 kWh. And average wattage for a hairdryer
is 1.5 to 2.0
3. Lastly, you can add the wattage for both of these appliances and get your hourly
wattage load. (0.5 + 2.0 = 2.5)

Here is the average wattage per hour for some of the commonly used electrical
appliances.

Electrical Appliance Watt per Hour (in kWh)

Fan 0 – 0.5

TV 0 – 0.5

Laptop 0 – 0.5

Game console 0 – 0.5

Microwave 0.5 – 1.0

Toaster 0.5 – 1.0

Vacuum Cleaner 0.5 – 1.0

Washing Machine 0.5 – 1.0

Electric Kettle 1.0 – 1.5

Fridge 1.0 – 1.5

Iron 1.0 – 1.5

 Dishwasher 1.0 – 1.5

Hairdryer 1.5 – 2.0

TV Theater 1.5 – 2.0

Air conditioner 2.0 – 2.5

Solar Panel Wattage Calculation Formula?

Solar panel wattage is the amount of solar energy your system requires to produce to
fulfill your needs. The formula for calculating the solar panel wattage needed is given
below,

Solar panel wattage calculation formula= Total load wattage/5

We already explained above that total load wattage is the amount of electricity you use
per day.

Moreover, the 5 represents the direct sunlight hours. As most countries get almost 5
hours of sunlight every day we are dividing the load wattage by 5.

Example

Assume your total load wattage per day is 10kWh, this is how you would calculate your
solar panel wattage needed.

Solar panel wattage = 10/5

=1kW
It simply means that you need to get a 1 kW solar panel to produce enough power for
your needs.

Solar panel output per day calculation？

In order to know which solar panel and how many solar panels you need, it is
important to know the wattage each solar panel produces. The formula to calculate the
solar panel wattage is given below.

Solar panel output per day calculation formula = average output per hour x hours
of direct sunlight x 75%

A 60-cells solar panel usually produces 270 to 300 watts per hour and a 72-cells solar
panel produces 350 to 400 watts per hour. Furthermore, in most regions around the
world, you can get at least 5 hours of direct sunlight all year round.

Considering the above data, how output does a 60-cells and 72-cells solar panel
produce?

60-cells solar panel output per day = 300 x 5 x 75% = 1.125 kWh

72-cells solar panel output per day = 400 x 5 x 75% = 1.5 kWh

Usually, people get multiple solar panels at once. So, here is how you can calculate the
entire solar panel system output per day.

“Solar panel system output per day = no. of solar panels x average output per hour
x hours of direct sunlight x 75%”

For example,

6 x 60-cells solar panel system output per day = 6 x 300 x 5 x 75% = 6.750 kWh
Battery Amp Hours?
Battery Amp Hours, Amp-Hour, or Ah refers to the number of amps a battery can deliver
in one hour. To get the battery amp-hours, use this formula,

Battery Amp Hour = (Solar Panel Wattage/Batteries voltages) x 1.2 x no. of direct
sunlight hours

Solar panel wattage is the number of watts a solar panel can offer in an hour. It can be
100W, 200W, 500W, and so on.

Battery voltage is the amount of voltage a battery can provide. The most common
battery voltages are 12V, 24V, and 48V.

The value 1.2 is multiplied by the amount to ensure perfect usage.

Lastly, the no. of direct sunlight hours may be different where you live. But most
countries at least get 5 hours of direct sunlight in every season.

Example

Battery Amp Hour = (200 W/12V) x 1.2 x 6

= 16.667 x 1.2 x 5

=100 Amp-hours

How to calculate solar panel battery and inverter size?

Calculating the size of the solar panel batteries and inverter is also an important
task. solar panel battery size matters as during the nighttime there is no sun to power
the solar panels. You do not want to get a battery that is not large enough o hold the
amount of power you need during nighttime. You can calculate the solar panel battery
size as shown below.

Solar panel battery size calculation formula= Avg wattage usage per night + (Avg.
wattage usage per night x 30%)
Example

You can find out the wattage usage per night by using a wattage monitor. Assume it is 5
kWh, so,

Solar panel battery size = 5 kWh + (5 x 30%)

= 5 + 1.6

= 6.6 kWh

Increasing the battery capacity by 30% is advisable as some days due to cloudy or rainy
weather you might not get enough sunlight. So, this 30% extra energy comes in handy.

Calculating the solar panel inverter is one of the easiest solar power calculations. All
you need to do is find out your solar array. Solar array refers to the amount of energy
produced by 1 kW solar panels. Here’s the formula to calculate the solar array,

Solar array = Total solar energy produced per day/Solar panel wattage

Example

Assume you have a 2 kW solar panel and the daily solar panel power production is
15kW, then,

Solar array = 15/2

Solar array = 7.5kWh

In general, it is advised to size the solar panel inverter at the same size as your solar
array. So, in this case, the inverter would be 7.5kWh.

Conclusion

Pump power calculations – sample problem

Pump power calculations - problem statement
Calculate the pump power and motor power requirement to pump 200,000 kg/hr of
water available at 250C and atmospheric pressure from a storage tank. The rated
differential head requirement is 30 m.

Assume the mechanical efficiency of the pump to be 70%.

Assume the motor efficiency to be 90%.

Solution
First we will calculate the theoretical power requirement using the pump power
equation. This is the power required by the pump and provided by the motor. Next,
we will divide this power requirement by the efficiency of the motor to calculate
power required by the motor.

Let's go step by step through these pump power calculations.

Step1

The first step is to determine the important physical properties of water at given
conditions. The only important physical property for solving this problem is the
mass density of water.

Using EnggCyclopedia’s Liquid Density Calculator, water density at 250C =994.72

kg/m3

Using water density, the mass flow rate is converted to volumetric flow rate.

Volumetric flow = 200,000 / 994.72 = 201.06 m3/hr

Also the differential pressure is determined using differential head as,

ΔP = ρgΔh = 994.72 × 9.81 × 30/105 = 2.93 bar

Step2

The next step is to calculate the theoretical pump power requirement. As per the
pump power equation, power requirement is the product of volumetric flow (Q)
and differential pressure (ΔP).

Power requirement = Q × ΔP = 201.06/3600 m3/s × 2.93 × 105 N/m2

 Theoretical power requirement = 16350 Watt = 16.35 kW

Step3

Pump shaft power requirement = Theoretical power requirement / pump efficiency.

For a pump that has been already purchased or has been ordered for
manufacturing, the efficiency can be determined using the pump performance
curves provided by pump manufacturer. Here the problem statement has specified
pump efficiency to be 70%.

Hence, pump shaft power requirement = 16.35 kW / 0.7 = 23.36 kW

Similarly, motor power requirement = Pump shaft power requirement / motor

efficiency

1 1.5 2 3 5 7.5 10 15 20 25 30 40 50

60 75 100 125 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 600

700 800 900 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500 3000 3500 4000

Similar to pump efficiency, electric motor efficiency for motors already purchased
or ordered, can be provided by the manufacturer of motor. However for purpose of
this sample problem the efficiency is to be taken as 90% as per problem statement.

Motor power requirement = 23.36 / 0.9 = 25.95 kW = 25.95 × 1.3596 HP = 35.28 HP

Electric motors are available for following standard Horsepower ratings.

Hence in order to have satisfy the minimum power requirement, the motor to be
purchased has to have power rating of 40 HP or higher.

Solar Calculations Math

Tutorial for Solar Energy Power
Systems
Electricity can be a mystery to folks who have never had any experience working with it, or for
folks who took physics in high school and can't remember much of anything other than that the
battery made the light bulb glow.

Basic electric calculations for off grid solar applications are not that hard, but you have to know
the terminology. Here it is. Don't quit now, it's really pretty easy, but you have to learn the
vocabulary for it to make sense. Electricity can be visualized very easily using a water analogy,
or in some cases, horsepower, gas tank size and miles per gallon might be a better way to
conceptualize electricity.

Electrical Current (Flow)

Current is a measure of electron flow, measured in electrons (charge) moving per second. The
unit of measurement is Amperes or 'Amps', named after André-Marie Ampère. The amount of
Amps represents the amount of charge flowing past a point in a particular time period.

When dealing with solar panels or batteries, connecting them in parallel will increase the
available current.
 Water Flow
The amount of flow of water in a garden hose is a good analogy to current flow. A common
measurement unit of water flow is gallons per minute or gpm or g/m. SI units would be liters per
minute, lpm or l/m. A flow rate of 5 gpm would fill a 5 gallon bucket in 1 minute. A flow rate
of 1 gpm would fill a 5 gallon bucket in 5 minutes.

Electrical Voltage (Pressure)

Voltage is the measure of the force of the moving electrons. The unit of measurement is Volts
named after Alessandro Volta. It's the pressure which causes electrical current to flow. The
amount of Volts represents the amount of pressure available to push the electrons thru the wire
and load.

When dealing with solar panels or batteries, connecting them together in series will increase the
voltage (pressure). Three solar panels of 32V each connected in series creates 96V of pressure at
the terminals. In storage systems, connecting 2-12V batteries in series makes 24V and 4-12V
batteries in series makes 48V.

Water Pressure
The amount of water pressure feeding a garden hose is a good analogy to voltage. A common
measurement unit of water pressure is pounds per square inch, PSI. SI units would be Pascals or
Newtons/ square meter (Pa or N/m2). Imagine using your thumb to plug the end of the garden
hose completely. It's very easy to do when the water pressure is 5-10psi, but if you try to do it
with 50-80psi, the standard city water pressure, it is much harder than it seems like it would be.
Even if you try to turn down the hose faucet valve to minimal flow, sooner or later the pressure
will build up to 80 psi and you will not be able to keep your thumb over the end of the hose.
That's pressure.

Power (rate of energy production/use)

Watts is a measure of power, describing the amount of energy converted by an electrical circuit.
When generating power with an electrical generator such as a solar panel, we take the Volts x
Amps and get Watts produced. When consuming power such as with a light or water pump, we
take the Volts x Amps and get Watts consumed. Watts is measured at a specific point in time, so
for instance, a 300W solar panel will produce 300W at any given point in time when in full
sunlight. If you accumulate that 300W over the time of an hour you will have generated 300
Watt-hours of energy. This is the measure of total energy storage like in the size of your battery
system.

When configuring a solar system adding panels will increase the available power by the panel
power no matter how the panels are configured. The sample to the right shows
a 3S2P or 3 Series (panels), 2 Parallel (strings) to make the array.

Note that a solar array rated for 900W of power, i.e. 96V @ 9.4 A, is only the potential power
availability. The solar array will only produce as much power as is consumed at any given point
in time.
Horsepower
The power of the water coming out of the hose is Watts. Put your thumb over the end of the
hose and see how far you can squirt. The harder you squeeze the farther you can squirt? The
water flow is still a couple of gallons per minute. In the same way, if you increase the Volts
(pressure), a small amount of Amps (flow) can turn into a lot of Watts.

Horsepower and Watts are a measure of the same thing and the units can be converted where
1HP = 746Watts. One way to visualize this is that a strong person can push a car over a flat
street, but not very fast. A strong athlete is able to produce about 0.3hp, whereas your car engine
would be in the range of 100hp. You can see both a person and the car engine can both move the
car 1 block, but one of them is much faster.

Note that an engine rated for 100HP of power is only the potential power availability. The
engine will only produce as much power as is needed at any given point in time, such as
accelerating or towing a trailer.

Energy (ability to do work)

While it is very easy to confuse power and energy, and often times the 2 words are used
interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Battery capacity is a measure of the total energy
needed to charge the batteries, or the total energy available when they are fully charged. If the
total battery capacity is 1800Wh (Watt-hours), then, in theory, you can use an 1800W (~2.5hp)
motor for 1 hour before the battery is drained. By the same token, you could use a smaller 100W
motor for 18 hours. They both will use the same amount of energy, i.e. 1800 x 1 = 100 x 18, but
will use it at different rates (power).

Similar to the power example above, for the purposes of energy storage, it does not matter how
the batteries are configured. Four 12V batteries rated for 1800Wh each will give a total of
6000Wh of energy storage whether they are all connected in parallel, all connected in series, or a
combination of both.

Similar to solar panels, batteries can be configured in strings and parallel strings.

 Four 12V, 100A batteries in series is called a 4S or 4S1P configuration

o the total voltage is 4 x 12V = 48V.
o the total available current is 1 x 100A = 100A.
o the total available power is 48V x 100A = 4800W.
 Four 12V, 100A batteries in parallel is called a 4P or 1S4P configuration
o the total voltage is 1 x 12V = 12V.
o the total available current is 4 x 100A = 400A.
o the total available power is 12V x 400A = 4800W.
 Four 12V, 100A batteries in series/parallel is called a 2S2P configuration
o the total voltage is 2 x 12V = 24V.
o the total available current is 2 x 100A = 200A.
o the total available power is 24V x 200A = 4800W.
 Gas tank size
A very easy way to visualize the amount of energy storage is by the size of a gas tank. You can
imagine that driving on the freeway you would be able to go a certain distance on a 10 gallon
tank of gas. If you had 20 gallons of gas, you would be able to go 2 times further before a refill.

In a similar fashion, with the same 10 gallons of gas you would be able to go much further with a
motorcycle than a muscle car. The 40hp motorcycle engine uses the gas as a slower rate than a
400hp muscle car engine.

ADVANCED TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Resistance
The electrical resistance to flow is measured in Ohms, named after Georg Ohm, written with the
symbol Ω. Electrical resistance has the effect of pushing in the opposite direction as the voltage
(pressure), therefore decreasing the flow. It is conceivable that the resistance could be so high
that the flow can be reduced to near zero. Very closely related to wire resistance is ampacity
described below. Ohms is related to pressure and flow with the following equation:

1Ω = 1V/1A.

Backpressure (Resistance)
When determining how much resistance there is to flow, for instance the depth of water in a
well, the backpressure or height the water has to be lifted is called head pressure. The pressure
of the pump in psi must be greater than the backpressure of the water column in the pipe. As an
example, if your water depth was 231 feet down and your pump was 10 feet below the water
level, the total head pressure pushing against the pump would be 231 feet or 100psi (2.31feet of
head {of water} = 1psi). That means if your pump can produce just 100psi you would never be
able to get any water out of the well because the water is pushing on the pump just as hard as the
pump is pushing on the water. The pump must be sized to produce more than 100psi just to
overcome the water column backpressure and more if there is a pressure tank or a tall tank.

Flow and Pressure Rating

The current carrying capacity of a wire is called its ampacity. Because resistance in wires is
dissipated as heat, you would want as large of wires as practicable. If too much current flows in
a wire, the heat cannot be dissipated into the air fast enough and the wire gets hot. When it gets
hot the insulation starts to melt, and if 2 different wires touch they can create a spark and start a
fire.

The voltage rating of a wire is similar to the pressure rating of a hydraulic hose. The type of
insulation on a wire is directly related to its voltage rating. Car jumper cables, even though they
have a large ampacity, do not need to have a high voltage rating because the vast majority of
vehicles use a 12V starting battery. Photovoltaic (PV) wire has a much thicker and tougher
insulation with a higher voltage rating because even residential solar systems can reach 300, 600
or 1000V. The thicker and tougher insulation prevents sparking thru the insulation, has good
abrasion resistance and very good UV sunlight resistance.

Flow and Pressure Rating

Water and hydraulic hoses also have flow and pressure ratings. You likely won't find the
pressure rating on a garden hose because city water pressure is relatively low at around 50-80
psi. When working with hydraulic hoses where greater pressure (PSI) is present, it becomes very
important to use the properly rated hose. A garden hose will not last very long as a replacement
hose for the hydraulic cylinder on a backhoe bucket because these pressures can reach 2000psi or
much higher on newer equipment. And you can easily see that the diameter of the hose will
allow more fluid to flow, similar to ampacity of a wire.

Solar Calculations Math

All of these electrical units of measure are used together to determine the Volts, Amps, Watts
and Watt-hours for any particular solar electric application.

There are a lot of other nuances to consider when sizing equipment for a specific application.
The trade off include cost vs. desired outcome, available rooftop or battery storage physical
limitations, wire sizing and electrical efficiencies, seasonal or climate tendencies that may affect
solar power generation, or even product availability.
Getting the most out of your
panel
The IV (pronounced eye-vee, as in the symbols of units of measurement for current and voltage)
curve of a panel describes the practical current output at a given voltage. Ideally, a power source
would be able to supply infinite current at any given voltage, but practical power supplies,
including solar panels, have limits.

For solar panels, the IV curve is used to determine at which current and voltage level the most
power is produced by the panel. Since power is determined by the voltage times the current, the
maximum power would be the area under the IV curve that has the maximum area. The blue line
represents the area of that curve and the top of the blue line would be the greatest power
production.

MPPTs or Maximum Point Power Trackers use complex electronics in the form of a DC to DC
converter with input and output measurements to try to maximize the input loading of the tracker
to cause the maximum power point of the solar panel to be achieved. It should be noted that the
power point of a panel can change rapidly due to fluctuating cloud conditions, temperature,
precipitation, tree shading etc. Good MPPT converters take hundreds or thousands of
measurements per second in an attempt to compensate for this.

On the vast majority of panels, the Voc (Open Circuit Voltage), Isc (Short Circuit Current), Vmp
and Imp (Voltage and Current at Maximum Power) are specified. The differences between
panels with regard to these parameters is one reason why it is important to use the same model
number of panel when building strings and arrays. Dissimilar parameters would make it difficult
for the MPPT to make the adjustments necessary to track maximum power. If adding on to your
array, it is important to try to match the parameters between panels as closely as possible if the
same model number of panel is not available.
Peak Solar Hours
A peak sun hour is defined as one hour in which the intensity of solar irradiance (sunlight)
reaches an average of 1,000 watts (W) of energy per square meter (roughly 10.5 square feet).

Another way to look at it is that a peak sun hour is the equivalent of 1000 W/m² of sunlight for
an hour.

A peak sun hour represents the amount of sunlight for which most solar panels are rated at their
output, that is, a 300W panel is specified to produce 300W when the amount of solar irradiation
hitting the earths surface is 1000W/m^2. Solar panels are only likely to receive around that much
sunlight when facing directly towards the sun when the sun is at its strongest, at midday.
High Quality Chart

Solar Hours/Day
If there are a number of peak sun hours per day, what's the terms solar hours/day used for?

The answer is that there is at least one other factor that is a major contributor to how much power
your panels can actually produce. This factor is the angle at which the sun hits the solar panel.
For the nerdiest of you, the equivalent ratio is the cosine of the angles, along each edge of the
panel, normal to a plane on the surface of the earth. In visual terms, it is the ratio of the size of
the shadow being cast by the solar panel when a piece of cardboard is placed behind the panel
and the cardboard is oriented perfectly perpendicular to the sun.

In the illustration with the solar panels at different angles, one can see the difference in the size
of the shadow cast. Now imagine that the angle of the panels is fixed, but the sun moves to
change the angle, along with a piece of cardboard behind the panel that is always facing the sun.
The same shape of shadow will be cast. The smaller the shadow, the smaller the effective area
that is being hit with sunlight, and hence a reduction in power output.

The table below gives you a rough idea of what this boils down to.

Location Equivalent Solar Hours/Day

Alabama 3.5 – 4

Alaska 2–3

Arizona 7–8
Location Equivalent Solar Hours/Day

Arkansas 3.5 – 4

California 5 - 7.5

Colorado 5 – 6.5

Connecticut 3

Florida 4

Georgia 4 – 4.5

Idaho 4 – 4.5

Illinois 3–4

Indiana 2.5 – 4

Iowa 4

Kansas 4 – 5.5

Kentucky 3–4

Louisiana 4 – 4.5

Maine 3 – 3.5

Maryland 3–4

Massachusetts 3

Michigan 2.5 – 3.5

Minnesota 4

Mississippi 4 – 4.5

Missouri 4 – 4.5

Montana 4–5
Location Equivalent Solar Hours/Day
Nebraska 4.5 – 5

Nevada 6 – 7.5

New Hampshire 3 – 3.5

New Jersey 3.5 – 4

New Mexico 6–7

New York 3 – 3.5

North Carolina 4 – 4.5

North Dakota 4 – 4.5

Ohio 2.5 – 3.5

Oklahoma 4.5 – 5.5

Oregon 3–5

Pennsylvania 3

Rhode Island 3.5

South Carolina 4 – 4.5

South Dakota 4.5 – 5

Tennessee 4

Texas 4.5 – 6

Utah 6–7

Vermont 3 – 3.5

Virginia 3.5 – 4

Washington 2.5 – 5

West Virginia 3
Location Equivalent Solar Hours/Day
Wisconsin 3.5

Wyoming 5.5 – 6
High Quality Chart
Energy and Power / Low Voltage

Voltage drop calculation

methods with examples
explained in details
By Edvard | March, 3rd 2017 | 24 comments | Translate | Save to PDF ♛
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Home / Technical Articles / Voltage drop calculation methods with examples explained in details
Voltage drop considerations
The first consideration for voltage drop is that under the steady-state conditions
of normal load, the voltage at the utilization equipment must be adequate.

Voltage drop calculation methods with examples explained in details

Fine-print notes in the NEC recommend sizing feeders and branch circuits so
that the maximum voltage drop in either does not exceed 3%, with the total
voltage drop for feeders and branch circuits not to exceed 5%, for
efficiency of operation.
In addition to steady-state conditions, voltage drop under transient conditions,
with sudden high-current, short-time loads, must be considered.

The most common loads of this type are motor inrush currents during starting.
These loads cause a voltage dip on the system as a result of the voltage drop in
conductors, transformers and generators under the high current. This voltage
dip can have numerous adverse effects on equipment in the system, and
equipment and conductors must be designed and sized to minimize these
problems.

In many cases, reduced-voltage starting of motors to reduce inrush current

will be necessary.

 Voltage drop formulas

 Approximate method
 Exact method #1
 Exact Method #2
 Voltage drop tables
 Calculations
 Example #1
 Example #2

Voltage drop formulas

Let’s see two most common methods for calculation of voltage drop –
approximate and exact methods:

1. Approximate method
Voltage drop EVD = IR cosθ + IX sinθ where abbreviations are same as
below “Exact Method”.
2. Exact method #1
If sending end voltage and load PF are known.

where:

 EVD – Voltage drop, line-to-neutral, volts

 Es – Source voltage, line-to-neutral, volts
 I – Line (Load) current, amperes
 R – Circuit (branch, feeder) resistance, ohms
 X – Circuit (branch, feeder) reactance, ohms
 cosθ – Power factor of load, decimal
 sinθ – Reactive factor of load, decimal

If the receiving end voltage, load current and power factor (PF) are known.

ER is the receiving end voltage.

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sizing: border-box; display: block; height: 280px;">

2. Exact Method #2
If receiving or sending mVA and its power factor are known at a known sending
or receiving voltage.
or

where:

 ER – Receiving line-line voltage in kV

 ES – Sending line-line voltage in kV
 MVAR – Receiving three-phase mVA
 MVAS – Sending three-phase mVA
 Z – Impedance between and receiving ends
 γ – The angle of impedance Z
 R – Receiving end PF
 S – Sending end PF, positive when lagging
Go back to top ↑

Voltage drop tables

Tables for calculating voltage drop for copper and aluminum conductors , in
either magnetic (steel) or nonmagnetic (aluminum or non-metallic) conduit, are
shown below. These tables give voltage drop per ampere per 100 ft (30 m) of
circuit length.

The circuit length is from the beginning point to the end point of the circuit
regardless of the number of conductors.

Tables are based on the following conditions:

Condition #1
Three or four single conductors in a conduit, random lay. For three-conductor
cable, actual voltage drop will be approximately the same for small conductor
sizes and high power factors. Actual voltage drop will be from 10 to 15% lower
for larger conductor sizes and lower power factors.

Condition #2
Voltage drops are phase-to-phase, for three-phase, three-wire or three-phase,
four-wire 60 Hz circuits. For other circuits, multiply voltage drop given in the
tables by the following correction factors:

Correction factors table:

Three-phase, four-wire, phase-to-neutral × 0.577

Single-phase, two-wire × 1.155

Single-phase, three-wire, phase-to-phase × 1.155

Single-phase, three-wire, phase-to-neutral × 0.577

Condition #3
Voltage drops are for a conductor temperature of 75 °C. They may be used
for conductor temperatures between 60 °C and 90 °C with reasonable accuracy
(within ±5%). However, correction factors in Table 1 can be applied if desired.
The values in the table are in percent of total voltage drop.

 For conductor temperature of 60 °C – SUBTRACT the percentage

from Table 1.
 For conductor temperature of 90 °C – ADD the percentage from
Table 1.
 Table 1 – Temperature correction
factors for voltage drop

Go back to top ↑

Calculations
To calculate voltage drop:

1. Multiply current in amperes by the length of the circuit in feet to get

ampere-feet. Circuit length is the distance from the point of origin to
the load end of the circuit.
2. Divide by 100.
3. Multiply by proper voltage drop value in tables. Result is voltage drop.

Example #1
A 460 V, 100 hp motor, running at 80% PF, draws 124 A full-load current. It
is fed by three 2/0 copper conductors in steel conduit. The feeder length is 150
ft (46 m).

What is the voltage drop in the feeder? What is the percentage voltage
drop?
 124 A × 150ft (46m) = 18,600 A-ft
 Divided by 100 = 186
 Table: 2/0 copper, magnetic conduit,
80% PF = 0.0187
186 x 0.0187 = 3.48 V drop
3.48/460 x 100 = 0.76% drop
Conclusion: 0.76% voltage drop is very acceptable. (See NEC Article 215,
which suggests that a voltage drop of 3% or less on a feeder is acceptable.)

To select minimum conductor size:

1.Determine maximum desired i voltage drop, in volts.

2.Divide voltage drop by ii (amperes x circuit feet).
3.Multiply by 100.
4.Find nearest lower voltage drop value in tables, in correct column
for type of conductor, conduit and power factor. Read conductor size
for that value.
5. Where this results in an oversized cable, verify cable lug sizes
for molded case circuit breakers and fusible 4 switches. Where lug
size available is exceeded, go to next higher rating.
Go back to top ↑

Example #2
A three-phase, four-wire lighting feeder on a 208 V circuit is 250 ft (76.2 m)
long. The load is 175 A at 90% PF. It is desired to use aluminum 7
conductors in aluminum conduit.

What size conductor is required to limit the voltage drop to 2% phase-to-

phase?
VD = 2/100 × 208 = 4.16 V

4.16 / (175 × 250) = 0.0000951

0.0000951 × 100= 0.00951

In table, under aluminum conductors, nonmagnetic conduit, 90% PF,

the nearest lower value is 0.0091. Conductor required is 12 500
kcmil.
(Size 4/0 THW would have adequate ampacity, but the voltage
drop would be excessive.)
Table 2 – Voltage Drop—Volts per Ampere per 100 Feet (30 m); Three-
Phase, Phase-to-Phase
Table 2 – Voltage drop – Volts per ampere per 100 Feet (30 m); Three-phase,
phase-to-phase

Go back to top ↑

Reference // Power Distribution Systems by EATON

Related electrical guides & articles

Inside the capacitor bank panel: Power factor correction, calculation and
schematics

Capacitor banks protection, cautions and maintenance tips

Parameters of generators, transformers, lines and cables for vars, voltage and
loads control
How to modernize a power system while carrying the cost (examples of existing
plant)

On-load tests you MUST perform during the switchgear commissioning process

On-site transformer diagnostic measurements: The art of troubleshooting and

maintenance

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MORE INFORMATION
Edvard Csanyi
Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for
design of LV/MV switchgears and LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in
power substations, commercial buildings and industry facilities. Professional in
AutoCAD programming.

24 Comments

1.
JERRY T ETHERIDGE
APR 26, 2022
What is the voltage drop on a 2000ft run of #2 use direct burial at 240vac
20 amp max load

Reply

2.
John Jarratt
MAR 31, 2022
DC Circuit. 12vdc
example: I’m installing a 1000w pure sine inverter in the back of the box of
my truck. Length from truck battery to load connection of the inverter is
approximately 15 feet.
When you increase the wire size for voltage drop for a load current of 12
amps, must you physically keep that same size of wire connected from
source to the load connection of the inverter?( with no interruption of wire
size) There is a relay just after the truck battery, then continues to the
inverter. But it’s difficult to physically put a # 8 gauge copper wire on the
 30 amp. rated relay. They don’t make a #8 gauge female stak-on crimp
connector.
The question is: can I go down to a # 10 Gauge copper wire to make the
connection to the relay, from # 8 gauge to # 10 gauge on both sides of the
relay then back up to # 8 gauge travelling to the inverter without
increasing the voltage drop?
Thank you
Reply


Joe Payne
APR 04, 2022
Reducing the cable size for a short distance will have minimal
effect on voltage drop. It’s a function of cable impedance only.
But, your numbers don’t make sense.
1000W/24Vdc = 42A. You stated it was a 12A load.
Reply

3.
Chioma
FEB 07, 2022
Please I need the analysis for voltage rise.

Reply

4.
Ely Barruel
DEC 02, 2021
Im confused with correction factor table in condition #2. Should this item
be “Three-phase, three wire, phase-to-phase x1.155” instead of “Single-
phase, three wire, phase-to-phase x1.155”

Reply

5.
HSHEM FARRA
NOV 20, 2021
 IHAVE AN LANDSCAPING LED LIGHTS 30NOS CONNECTED IN
SERIES FOR ADISTANCE OF 380METERS ZIGZAG LINE .
HOW IWILL GET THE CABLE SIZE AND HOW TO ELEIMENATE
VOLTAGE DROP
PLEASE ANSWER ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

BEST REGARDS

Reply

6.
Sigurd Nydal
AUG 31, 2021
If found it stranges how dificult it seem to calculate pressure drop.

The resistance in conductors = Lengh x 0,0175/Divide by Cross sectional

area.

The voltage drop 20 meter conduct , 10 Ampere ,1,5mm2, =4,7 Volt. That
is for 2 wire cable

Reply

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Submersible Pump Wiring Diagram

Collection
April 13, 2018 by faceitsalon
submersible pump wiring diagram – What’s Wiring Diagram? A wiring
diagram is a type of schematic which uses abstract pictorial symbols to show
each of the interconnections of components in a very system. Wiring
diagrams are made up of certain things: symbols that represent the
components in the circuit, and lines that represent the connections together.
Therefore, from wiring diagrams, you know the relative location of the
constituents and the way these are connected. It’s a language engineers
need to learn after they work on electronics projects.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Circuit Diagrams

A first look at the circuit diagram could possibly be confusing, but when read
a subway map, read schematics. The purpose is similar: getting from point A
to point out B. Literally, a circuit may be the path that enables electricity
circulation. If you know what to look for, it’ll become second nature. While in
the beginning you’ll you should be reading them, eventually you are going to
start creating your individual. This guide will reveal many of the common
symbols you are likely to see in your future electrical engineering career.

First, let’s examine some of terms that you may need to learn:
Voltage: Measured in volts (V), voltage may be the ‘pressure’ or ‘force’ of
electricity. This is generally furnished by an electric battery (like a 9V battery)
or “mains electricity,” the outlets in your house operate at 120V. Outlets
abroad operate in a different voltage, which is why you will need a converter
when traveling.

Current: Current could be the flow of electricity, or maybe more specifically,

the flow of electrons. It is measured in Amperes (Amps), which enable it to
only flow every time a voltage supply is connected.

Resistance: Measured in Ohms (R or Ω), resistance defines how easily

electrons can flow through a material. Materials including gold or copper, are
classified as conductors, since they easily allow flow to move (low resistance).
Plastic, wood, and air are examples of insulators, inhibiting the movement of
electrons (high resistance).

DC (Direct Current). DC is really a continuous flow of current in one direction.

DC can flow not only through conductors, but semi-conductors, insulators, or
even a vacuum.

AC (Alternating Current). In AC, the flow of current periodically alternates

between two directions, often forming a sine wave. The frequency of AC is
measured in Hertz (Hz), and is also typically 60 Hz for electricity in residential
and business purposes.