Talk:Key:generator:solar:modules

Why it is useful?

"Tagging the number of modules is helpful for estimating the power output of a solar installation." - why? Is module always having the same (or at least roughly similar) output across various solar generators? Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 18:06, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

Yes, it's not exact (modules can have a peak output of 200-400W depending on how modern they are), but it's particularly useful for gauging the size of small rooftop installations which are generally more convenient to map as nodes rather than areas. Russss (talk) 18:21, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

A value for Key:generator:output:electricity would be preferable if known but, as above, for rooftop solar this isn't easy to survey, but counting the number of modules is quite possible and can give a reasonable estimate. --Confusedbuffalo (talk) 12:00, 12 April 2021 (UTC)

Beware that they are often Tag:generator:method=thermal (there are modules where the difference is hard to decide). But counting modules is "useful" here, too.--Zuse (talk) 07:40, 14 April 2021 (UTC)

Power output

Is there a reliable way to estimate power output based on the number of modules? or does it depend on the brand of solar panel or something? --Adamant1 (talk) 19:18, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

It depends mostly on how modern the panel is - generally it varies between 200-400W per module - but as mentioned above, the module count is useful to get a rough indication of the output. It's more consistent than trying to estimate the output purely from the area of the array (and in many cases these may not be mapped as areas). The "Solar generation" heatmap layer on OpenInfraMap currently assumes a value of 250W/module. Russss (talk) 11:41, 5 September 2021 (UTC)