Choose Your Parts
Every pairing checked against the datasheets and your state’s rules — before you spend a dollar.
Method
How this is worked out
Every verdict is computed from the manufacturers’ published datasheets — nothing is hand-waved. The voltage check assumes a record-cold -25°C morning, when a panel’s open-circuit voltage peaks; where a datasheet does not publish a temperature coefficient we assume a typical -0.3%/°C and the verdict says so. Panel oversizing up to 1.5× the inverter input is flagged as normal practice; beyond it we point you at the inverter’s permitted module power.
The state check reads the same statute data as our state law checker— where a law names a watt cap (Utah’s HB 340, Maine’s LD 1730) the build is measured against it, and where no law exists we say so instead of pretending. The circuit check compares output against the 1440W continuous rating of a standard 15A/120V branch circuit; 240V hardwired units are labelled as exactly that.
This builder matches specifications — it is not installation advice. Verify any purchase against the manufacturer’s documentation, and use a licensed electrician where your jurisdiction requires one. Estimated output uses the same maths as the output estimator; payback uses your state’s average electricity price from the payback calculator.
What goes in a plug-in solar kit, and how the parts have to match
A plug-in solar system is four decisions: the panels, the microinverter that turns their DC into house AC, the mount that holds them on the railing, and the small parts that make the run safe. The planner checks each pairing against the manufacturers' published numbers, so a mismatch shows up here rather than after delivery.
Cold-weather voltage is the check that matters most
A panel's open-circuit voltage rises as temperature falls. The planner takes a record-cold design temperature, calculates the peak, and compares it with the microinverter's maximum input. This is the pairing that destroys hardware rather than merely underperforming, so it is checked first.
The MPPT window decides whether you harvest anything
A microinverter only tracks power inside a voltage band. A panel whose operating voltage sits below that band is not dangerous — it simply wastes most of what it makes, which is the mismatch buyers notice last and regret longest.
One panel per input
Plug-in microinverters accept one panel per input, and most have two. The planner counts what you have chosen against the inputs the unit actually has, and says so in plain words rather than silently accepting a build that cannot be wired.
120V plug-in or 240V hardwired
A 120V microinverter goes into a normal wall outlet. A 240V unit needs a dedicated branch circuit and an electrician. They look almost identical in a listing, so every inverter here is labelled with which one it is.
