Solar panel dimension limitations

Overview

The Size.Solar application uses Google's Solar API to visualize solar panels on rooftops. This provides a realistic representation of how solar panels might be installed on a property. However, there's an important technical limitation to be aware of.

The limitation

Google's API uses fixed default dimensions for solar panels:

• Panel Width: 1.045 meters
• Panel Height: 1.879 meters
• Panel Capacity: 400 watts

When you select or create solar panels with dimensions that differ significantly from these defaults, the visualisation will still use Google's dimensions while calculations will use your custom panel dimensions.

Why this matters

This discrepancy can lead to differences between:

1. The number of panels shown in the 3D visualisation
2. The actual number of panels that would physically fit on the roof
3. The energy production calculations

How we handle this

The application provides several indicators when this mismatch occurs:

1. Warning notifications when entering panel dimensions that differ from Google's defaults
2. Visual indicators in the 3D view when custom-sized panels are being used
3. Accurate calculations that always use your actual panel wattage, regardless of visualisation

Best practices

For the most accurate visual representation:

• Choose panels with dimensions close to Google's defaults (1.045m × 1.879m)
• For custom-sized panels, understand that the visualisation is approximate
• Always refer to the calculated values rather than counting panels in the visualisation

Technical details

The visualisation uses a fixed model from Google's API that cannot dynamically adjust to different panel dimensions. However, all energy calculations use your specified panel dimensions and electrical characteristics.