Tools

Energy maths, without the engineering degree

Four calculators that answer the questions people actually ask: what does this appliance cost me, how many panels do I need, what do these units mean, and how much energy will a plant really deliver?

Appliance bill estimator

Utilities bill energy, not power. Multiply watts by hours to get watt-hours, then divide by 1,000.

Reference tariffs: Ethiopia ~$0.003, Nigeria ~$0.05–0.12, South Africa ~$0.15–0.20, Kenya ~$0.18–0.22 per kWh. Diesel self-generation runs $0.30–0.50.

27.0 kWh
Energy used in the period
$5.40
Estimated cost

Solar system sizer

Rough sizing for an off-grid or backup solar system, allowing 20% for inverter, wiring and dust losses.

Most of Africa sees 4.5–6.5 peak sun hours a day — among the best solar resources on earth.

1.20 kW
Array size · about 3 panels
6.3 kWh
Usable battery bank

Energy unit converter

Kilo, mega, giga, tera — each step is a thousand times bigger. Here is what your number looks like everywhere else.

  • Wh1,000,000
  • kWh1,000
  • GWh0.001
  • TWh0.000001
  • Joule3,600,000,000
  • Litre of diesel (≈10 kWh)100

Capacity factor & output

Nameplate capacity is the promise. Capacity factor tells you what a plant actually delivers over a year.

193 GWh
Annual energy output
160,600
Households at 1,200 kWh/yr