3D solar PV configurator

Customers ask about payback, not kWp

In 2026 solar PV costs PLN 5,200–6,300/kWp incl. VAT on average, so a 6 kWp system comes to about PLN 31,000–38,000 without a battery (kb.pl, 13 February 2026). Mój Prąd, the Polish PV subsidy programme, has ended, and new prosumers are settled under hourly net-billing. So customers compare offers by how much energy they will use themselves and how much they will save.

Polish calculators usually work like a form: your bill, then a phone call, then the result. Columbus Energy shows the full quote only after a second form, and Enpal gives a price after a sales call. In a search on 30 October 2026 we found no public calculators with visualisation at Polenergia, Hanplast, Sunday Polska or Hymon. The demo shows the system on the house and the result straight away, with the assumptions in plain view.

Sizing and number of modules

The standard for houses is a 108-cell half-cut module in a 1722 × 1134 × 30 mm format with 420–450 Wp, e.g. AIKO A450 or ELERIX ESM-450M (solartraders, 100mega). A 450 Wp module is 1.953 m², i.e. about 230 Wp/m². 1 kWp needs 2.2 modules, and a 6 kWp system is 14 modules and about 27 m² of roof, plus margins from the edge.

In the demo the capacity is chosen in five steps, from 8 to 24 modules of 450 Wp:

The modules are laid out from the centre of the slope, with 20 mm between modules and 40 cm from the eaves, gable ends and ridge. Mounting system manufacturers require a minimum of about 30 cm from the edge (Enstall), and the 40 cm in the demo leaves room for end clamps. A capacity that does not fit on one slope is blocked, with the reason shown. If the customer changes the orientation from east-west to south, the system shrinks to 20 modules, and the configurator says so.

The modules look either full black (black frame and backsheet) or have a silver frame with a white backsheet. The “Midday sun” button shows the sun above the roof.

PVGIS yield and roof orientation

We calculate the yield from PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 database, years 2005–2023, 14% system losses, building-integrated mounting). This option is more conservative, because it assumes poorer module cooling. The yield depends on the orientation and pitch of the roof:

An east-west layout gives about 20% less energy per kilowatt, but fits more modules, because both slopes are used. Fronius gives about 1,037 kWh/kWp for south and 866 for east-west, and measurements from Polish roofs average about 1,022 kWh/kWp (MDPI). Output differs by a factor of about 5.7 between June and December: in Warsaw 132.1 kWh/kWp in June and 23.2 in December.

In the demo the house has a 30° gable roof, and the yield is for Warsaw. The results panel gives the yield, e.g. about 7,250 kWh a year for 16 south-facing modules, and adds how much more Kraków would give.

Battery storage and self-consumption

Without a battery, a house typically uses 20–30% of its own output as it is produced (kb.pl). Tauron says prosumers use about 20%, and Otovo, across about 30,000 systems in Europe, about 36% for 6 kWp. At Otovo a 5 kWh battery raises this to about 66%, which we treat as the upper limit, because it is vendor data.

The battery comes in four variants: no battery, 5, 10 or 15 kWh. In the scene it is a tower of 5 kWh modules by the wall, like the Huawei LUNA2000 (670 × 150 mm, about 360 mm of height for every 5 kWh). With a battery, the grid inverter changes to a hybrid inverter. The “Show energy flow” button highlights the modules, cable, inverter and loads in turn.

The model assumes self-consumption without a battery of 35% for a system smaller than consumption and 25% for a larger one. A battery adds 30 points at 5 kWh and 40 at 10 kWh, up to a maximum of 75%, and a car charged during the day another 5 points. This is an estimate from the sources above, not an hourly simulation. A battery also provides backup power and resilience against falling prices for exported energy.

Net-billing: what exported energy is worth

Net-billing, the Polish settlement scheme for prosumers, covers micro-installations connected after 31 March 2022. Since 1 July 2024 new prosumers have been settled at the hourly RCE price (the market price of energy). Since 2025 the value of exported energy has been multiplied by 1.23 and goes into a deposit that reduces future energy bills. After 12 months the unused part can be recovered, but only up to 30% of the value of the energy exported in a given month (globenergia, 25 June 2026).

Exported energy is worth several times less than consumed energy. The monthly RCEm in 2026 was PLN 132.92/MWh in April, 191.37 in May, 273.20 in June and 262.88 in July (gramwzielone), i.e. about PLN 0.13–0.27/kWh. The full price of G11 electricity (the standard single-rate household tariff) including distribution is about PLN 0.96–1.10/kWh, on average about PLN 1.04 (rankomat, interia), and the energy component alone about PLN 0.62/kWh (globenergia).

The model values surplus energy at an RCE of PLN 0.20–0.30/kWh times 1.23. It assumes that the deposit covers only the energy component, not distribution. This assumption follows from the structure of the Polish Renewable Energy Sources Act, which the research did not verify in the consolidated text, so the result based on it is on the conservative side.

Battery storage subsidy

As of 30 October 2026, the only running programme for home solar PV is the battery subsidy. The Polish “Home Energy Storage” subsidy programme (“Przydomowe Magazyny Energii”), part 2 (Modernisation Fund), runs from 20 October 2026 to 1 October 2027 or until the PLN 1 billion budget runs out. It covers 30% of eligible costs, up to PLN 800/kWh and PLN 16,000 under net-billing. Conditions: a battery of at least 10 kWh, a price of up to PLN 3,000/kWh excluding the inverter and EMS, island mode, an EMS and an application after the investment has been completed and paid for (globenergia, 20 October 2026).

The configurator calculates the subsidy from the chosen capacity. For 10 and 15 kWh it gives the amount, for 5 kWh it says plainly that the battery is too small, and with no battery it reminds the customer that Mój Prąd has ended. The demo does not add the +PLN 2,000 bonus for EU-made equipment. It does not calculate subsidies that do not exist.

Wallbox and heat pump

An 11 kW wallbox is 3-phase and 16 A, and in Poland it is the home standard. The 7.4 kW version is single-phase 32 A, and the 22 kW version 3-phase 32 A (Wallbox, Pulsar Plus data sheet). A wallbox with installation costs PLN 3,500–8,500 (voltflow, cenauslug, otomoto). The budget of NaszEauto, the Polish EV subsidy programme, ran out on 27 January 2026, and the research found no programme of grants for home wallboxes for private individuals. Choosing a wallbox adds the electric car's consumption to the estimate.

The heat pump in the demo is an 8 kW air-to-water outdoor unit measuring 884 × 740 × 388 mm, like the Daikin Altherma 3 R ERGA08EV, on anti-vibration feet by the wall. An 8–10 kW heat pump with installation costs PLN 30,000–45,000 incl. VAT (cenauslug). The configurator does not calculate heat pump savings, because sizing requires a heat-load calculation for the building (OZC), and it says so in a note.

Formalities

• Building permit and notification: a PV system of up to 150 kW needs neither a building permit nor a notification (Art. 29(4)(3)(c) of the Polish Construction Law; gramwzielone, enerad).
• Above 6.5 kW: the design must be approved by a fire safety expert, and the finished system is notified to the State Fire Service (gov.pl, KP PSP Sanok). The configurator shows this note from 16 modules, i.e. 7.2 kWp.
• Distance from the roof edge: mounting system manufacturers require a minimum of about 30 cm (Enstall); the exact figure is calculated to PN-EN 1991-1-4.

The notes are information, not legal advice. Classification and requirements are decided by the designer, the expert and the authority.

How we calculate the price and the savings estimate

The indicative price breaks down into items: modules with installation per kWp, design with AC/DC protection and notification, the full black surcharge, the hybrid inverter, the battery with installation and EMS, the wallbox and the heat pump. The “How is it priced?” button shows the calculation for each item. We calibrated the demo rates on market ranges:

The savings are the energy used on site at the full price plus the deposit from surpluses, used for energy drawn from the grid, and a refund of up to 30% after a year. The model assumes household consumption of 4,500 kWh a year, more with an electric car. The result is a range, not a single number: self-consumption ±5 points and an RCE of PLN 0.20–0.30/kWh. The panel gives all the assumptions next to the result. It is an estimate, not a promise of payback.

What the installer gets

The summary collects the roof orientation, the capacity and number of modules with their look, the battery, the extras, the yield and savings estimate and the battery subsidy, with the itemised price alongside. The conversation starts with a specific system, not with questions about the electricity bill. In a live deployment the modules, inverters, batteries, wallboxes, heat pumps and rates come from the company's range, and the calculation assumptions can be adapted to its market.

A company that also installs patio covers can show the modules in the wider context of the house in the 3D louvred pergola configurator and the 3D carport configurator. You can work out an indicative implementation cost in the configurator cost estimator.