Sizing an array for a single appliance is the clearest way to understand solar, because it strips the question down to one load, one number of hours, and one amount of sunlight. Here is that calculation for a central air conditioner, with the assumptions stated so you can change them.
A central air conditioner drawing 3,500 W for 8 hours a day uses 28.00 kWh of electricity. At 4.5 peak sun hours and a 20 percent system derate, that needs about 20 standard 400 W panels, an array of roughly 8.00 kW. Fewer in Arizona, more in Seattle.
Calculate it for your own central air conditioner
Change any box. The result updates as you type.
Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
The arithmetic, with this appliance in it
Four steps, and none of them are difficult:
- Daily energy. 3,500 W multiplied by 8 hours, divided by 1,000, gives 28.00 kWh per day.
- Panel output. A 400 W panel at 4.5 peak sun hours produces 1.8 kWh on paper.
- Apply the derate. Inverter conversion, wiring, heat, dust and imperfect orientation take roughly 20 percent, leaving about 1.44 kWh per panel per day.
- Divide. 28.00 kWh divided by 1.44 kWh gives 20 panels, rounded up.
Peak sun hours is not the same as daylight hours. It is the number of hours of full-strength sun the day is equivalent to, which is why a 14-hour summer day might only count as five.
Panels needed by panel size
Larger panels mean fewer of them, not less roof area. Output per square metre has barely changed; the modules simply got bigger.
| Panel rating | Output per panel per day | Panels needed | Array size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 W | 1.08 kWh | 26 | 7.80 kW |
| 400 W | 1.44 kWh | 20 | 8.00 kW |
| 450 W | 1.62 kWh | 18 | 8.10 kW |
| 500 W | 1.80 kWh | 16 | 8.00 kW |
| 600 W | 2.16 kWh | 13 | 7.80 kW |
How many panels where you live
Location changes this more than any other input. The same central air conditioner needs roughly twice the array in the Pacific Northwest that it needs in southern Arizona.
| Peak sun hours | Roughly where | Panels needed | Array size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | Seattle, Anchorage | 30 | 12.00 kW |
| 3.5 h | Chicago, Boston | 25 | 10.00 kW |
| 4 h | New York, Portland | 22 | 8.80 kW |
| 4.5 h | Atlanta, Kansas City | 20 | 8.00 kW |
| 5 h | Dallas, Los Angeles | 18 | 7.20 kW |
| 5.5 h | Phoenix, Albuquerque | 16 | 6.40 kW |
| 6 h | Southern Arizona, Hawaii | 15 | 6.00 kW |
For a figure based on your actual coordinates rather than a regional band, use the location-based solar production calculator.
Panels alone will not run it
A central system is a large enough load that it usually determines the size of the whole array rather than being an add-on to it.Solar produces during the day. If the load runs when the sun is down, that energy has to come out of a battery, and the battery has to be larger than the energy it delivers because you never discharge it fully.
| Autonomy | Energy required | Usable battery at 80% depth of discharge | At 48 V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight only | 15.56 kWh | 19.44 kWh | 405 Ah |
| One full day | 31.11 kWh | 38.89 kWh | 810 Ah |
| 2 days | 62.22 kWh | 77.78 kWh | 1,620 Ah |
| 3 days | 93.33 kWh | 116.67 kWh | 2,431 Ah |
Inverter sizing for a central air conditioner
Hard-start kits reduce inrush considerably and are often cheaper than upsizing the inverter.| Running power | 3,500 W |
|---|---|
| Start-up surge | 10,500 W (3x running) |
| Minimum continuous inverter | 4,400 W |
| Minimum surge capability | 10,500 W |
| Current at 48 V DC | 81.0 A |
Inverters are rated for continuous output and, separately, for a brief surge. An inverter that can run the load but not start it is a common and frustrating way to undersize a system.
Cooling and solar are unusually well matched
Cooling load and solar output peak within an hour or two of each other. The hottest part of the afternoon is also the brightest, which means a grid-tied array can cover a large share of cooling directly with very little storage involved.
That changes the sizing question. If you only need cooling during daylight, size for the daytime load and skip the battery. If you run it overnight through summer, the battery table below is the part that matters.
Questions people actually ask
How many solar panels does it take to run a central air conditioner?
How much electricity does a central air conditioner use per day?
What size inverter do I need for a central air conditioner?
Can I run a central air conditioner on solar without a battery?
Size the whole system, not one appliance
- Solar System Size Calculator for the whole house rather than one load.
- Solar Panel Count Calculator to work backwards from a target array size.
- Usable Battery Capacity Calculator for depth of discharge and real usable kWh.
- Inverter Size Calculator for combined loads and surge.
- Off-Grid Solar System Sizing Calculator if there is no grid connection at all.
Costs on this page use a national average residential rate of 18.44¢ per kWh (August 2026, EIA-derived state residential averages). Your own rate is printed on your electricity bill and is the number that actually matters. Every figure here is recalculated from one central rate setting, so these tables move when the national average moves.