Who writes this, and why you should weigh it
Solar advice online has a trust problem. Most of it is published by companies selling installations, which is not automatically wrong but is never neutral. Panelwise exists to work through the same calculations in public, showing the inputs, so you can check the reasoning rather than take a conclusion on faith.
Who I am
REPLACE THIS SECTION. Write two or three honest paragraphs about yourself in your own words. State your actual background with solar — whether that is engineering training, installation experience, running your own system for several years, or careful independent research. Name the qualification if you have one.
Do not invent credentials. An honest "I installed a 6 kW system on my own house in 2021 and have logged its output daily since" is a stronger trust signal than a vague claim to expertise, and it is verifiable. Readers and reviewers can both tell the difference.
Editorial standards
Every guide on this site follows the same rules, and they are published here so you can hold us to them.
Figures are sourced. Any number that affects a purchasing decision — efficiency, cost per watt, degradation rate, tariff — carries a citation to a primary source: a manufacturer datasheet, laboratory data, or a regulator's published document. Where a figure is an estimate, it is labelled as one.
Assumptions are stated. Payback calculations depend heavily on electricity price, sunlight hours and system cost. We state the assumed values inline rather than burying them, because changing one assumption can move a payback period by years.
Dates are visible. Solar pricing and regulation move quickly. Every guide shows its publication date and its last-updated date, so you can judge whether a figure is still current.
Corrections are made openly. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note what changed. If you spot an error, tell us.
How this site is funded
REPLACE with your actual arrangement. State plainly how the site earns money — display advertising, affiliate links, or neither — and confirm whether it affects recommendations. If you run affiliate links, disclose it here and again on the pages carrying them. Undisclosed affiliate relationships damage reader trust and breach advertising rules in many jurisdictions.
What this site is not
Panelwise publishes general information. It is not engineering advice, electrical advice, tax advice or financial advice, and no article here is a substitute for a site-specific design by a licensed professional who has visited your property. Solar installation involves roof work and mains-voltage electricity, both of which are dangerous when done without training. See the full disclaimer.