10kW Solar System Costs, Output, Returns

10kW Solar System Overview

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A 10kW solar system is usually a much larger solar system than the average residential installation, suitable for larger households with higher energy bills or even some small commercial properties.

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Unlike smaller solar systems like a 6kW or a 6.6kW system, a 10kW solar system would usually be paired with an 8kW (or larger) solar inverter. If you have a single phase supply, this typically means that export limiting is required. Export limiting is where the DNSP (or company that owns/operates the poles and wires) limits how much you can feed back to the grid at any one time.

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A 10kW solar system can absolutely blitz your energy bills and - depending on how much of your solar generation you self consume - charge one or more solar batteries. As energy bills get larger and larger, we’re seeing a lot more clients enquiring about bigger solar systems like a 10kW.

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What Actually Is a 10kW Solar System?

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Somewhat confusingly, the number quoted when it comes to solar system size is the total PV (solar panels) connected to the inverter.

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Thankfully, it’s a simple thing to calculate - simply multiply the number of panels by their rated power.

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For example, if you were using…

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…410W panels - 24x panels would equate to a 9.84kW system size

…420W panels - 24x panels would equate to a 10.08kW system size

…475W panels - 22x panels would equate to a 9.98kW system size

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The formula - if you’re a math nerd - is simply [Panel power (kW) each] x [Number of panels].

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So My Solar System Is Close to but Not Exactly 10kW Total?

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You might be wondering how 24x 410 or 420 watt panels or 22x 475 watt panels can be referred to as a 10kW system when they’re close to (but not exactly) 10kW of total PV generation.  You'd also be technically correct in that they're really 10.08kW or 9.98kW systems, but in practicality it's easier to round to the closest number for each of comparison.

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Most of the time solar inverters are not rated to have more than 1.33 times the inverter output connected, and consequently the federal government will not allow any more than 1.33 times the inverter output for the purposes of claiming STC incentives.

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If the inverter’s rated output is 8kW this means that the maximum amount of PV that can be connected (and therefore STCs claimed) is 10.64kW.

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Going back to the 420W panel example used above to illustrate, we could actually connect up to 25 panels for a total of 10.5kW generation and still claim STCs as it would be under the limit of 10.64kW.

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Is a 10kW Solar System Right for Me?

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As ever, the quick answer is that it depends.

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A 10kW solar system will require a lot of roof space or a large shed roof. We often install these system sizes for clients with large prestige or rural properties, especially if they’re connecting a battery and want to be practically grid independent.

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However, even if you have the roof space, installing a 10kW system may not be necessary if your energy bills aren’t big enough. You’ll simply be over-investing in your solar system and reducing your ROI.