Off-grid solar and battery sizing for Nansana
A 1 kW array in Nansana produces about 625 kWh a year — but that annual figure is not what sizes a system. January is, and in January the same array makes only 1.6 kWh a day, against 1.8 in March.
What do you need?
Battery bank
12.9 kWh
268 Ah at 48V
Solar array
2.62 kW
about 6 panels of 450W
Summer only
2.28 kW
if you only use it March-ish
Sizing by household
Year-round systems in Nansana, three days of autonomy, lithium.
| Use | Per day | Battery | Array | Panels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend cabin LED lights, phone charging, a laptop, a small water pump |
1.0 kWh | 4.3 kWh | 0.87 kW | 2 |
| Basic off-grid living The above plus a small fridge and a few hours of television |
3.0 kWh | 12.9 kWh | 2.62 kW | 6 |
| Comfortable off-grid home Full-size fridge-freezer, washing machine, pumps, laptops |
6.0 kWh | 25.7 kWh | 5.23 kW | 12 |
| Everything except heating A normal household load, with heating and cooking on gas or wood |
10.0 kWh | 42.9 kWh | 8.72 kW | 20 |
Why January decides everything
Array needed to cover 3.0 kWh a day, month by month. The tallest bar is the one your system has to survive.
| Month | Yield per kW | Array needed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January (worst) | 1.56 kWh/day | 2.62 kW | |
| February | 1.69 kWh/day | 2.42 kW | |
| March | 1.79 kWh/day | 2.28 kW | |
| April | 1.76 kWh/day | 2.31 kW | |
| May | 1.67 kWh/day | 2.44 kW | |
| June | 1.63 kWh/day | 2.50 kW | |
| July | 1.67 kWh/day | 2.44 kW | |
| August | 1.74 kWh/day | 2.34 kW | |
| September | 1.77 kWh/day | 2.31 kW | |
| October | 1.77 kWh/day | 2.30 kW | |
| November | 1.77 kWh/day | 2.30 kW | |
| December | 1.71 kWh/day | 2.38 kW |
What the numbers assume
- Battery capacity allows for inverter losses, round-trip efficiency, and a usable depth of discharge — 80% for lithium, 50% for lead-acid. Nameplate capacity is always larger than the energy you can actually use.
- Array size includes a 25% margin over the bare requirement. A system that exactly meets demand on an average day of January never recovers from a run of cloudy ones.
- Yield figures are measured, not modelled — PVGIS satellite and reanalysis data for 2005–2023, at the optimal angle for this location, with 14% system losses already deducted.
Other cities in Uganda
Limitations
- No shading. Trees, terrain and buildings are not modelled and can dominate everything here.
- Nothing about heating. Electric heating or cooking multiplies these figures several times over. Off-grid systems almost always use gas or wood for heat.
- Batteries age. Capacity falls over years; installers commonly oversize to allow for it.
- This is an estimate, not a design. A real installation needs a survey, local electrical regulations, and someone accountable for the result.