Build my system
5 kW solar system for an apartment with evening backup power
A right-sized solar system for a 1–2 bedroom apartment that keeps the essentials running through a few hours of evening power cuts. Built around the Deye 5 kW Single-Phase Hybrid Solar Inverter SUN-5K-SG04LP1-EU, with Deye 5.12 kWh 51.2 V Lithium Solar Battery AI-W5.1-B — order the rest online from the Deye catalogue.
That's a 5 kW inverter, 4.6 kWh of battery storage and 6 panels working together.
To carry 8 hours instead of 4, the same home has to store 4.6 kWh instead of 2.3 kWh — 9.2 kWh installed across 1 battery unit(s), 4.6 kWh more. The array stays at 3 kWp. Solar system for an apartment with overnight backup power
What is inside
Solar panels×6
6 × 550 W solar panels · fills ~16 m² of roof
How we sized it
This system is built to handle 4.9 kW at once. Appliances like compressors and pumps briefly draw far more than their running power the moment they switch on — so we size for that peak moment, not just the average, which is what keeps the inverter from tripping when a few things start up together. And the 5 kW inverter carries comfortable headroom above that peak.
Day to day, that's about 13.8 kWh of use — the number the Deye bundle above is built to cover.
We set aside about 2.3 kWh for that window; the Deye 5.12 kWh 51.2 V Lithium Solar Battery AI-W5.1-B we've picked gives you 4.6 kWh installed, so the essentials keep running through the cut.
The array works out to 3 kWp — 6 panels across roughly 16 m² of roof, ordered from the Deye catalogue — assuming the strong, fairly steady sunshine typical of our main markets (about 5.7 peak sun hours a day). Your own roof may do a little better or worse depending on shading and the season.
Frequently asked questions
What can this system power?
1–2 bedrooms, one AC, the everyday basics. It's sized to handle up to 4.9 kW at once — enough for whichever appliance switches on hardest.
How long does the backup last?
It's sized to set aside about 2.3 kWh for that window — about 4 hours at this home's average rate of use.
How many solar panels does it need?
6 panels, about 3 kWp, filling roughly 16 m² of roof.
Can I expand this system later?
Yes — inverters, batteries and panel arrays in this range are modular, so you can add more battery modules or extra panels later, starting from this 4.9 kW / 3 kWp baseline.
Other system sizes
- 5 kW solar system for an apartment with overnight backup power
- 5 kW off-grid solar system for an apartment
- 10 kW solar system for a house with evening backup power
- 12 kW solar system for a villa with evening backup power
- 6 kW solar system for a shop with evening backup power
- 10 kW solar system for an office with evening backup power
- Solar system for a farm with evening backup power