What can a 10 kVA solar system power, and what does it cost? A large home or small office: two or three inverter ACs into the night, pumping machine, kitchen appliances, several fridges, a small server or POS setup. Around 8 kW continuous and 16 kW surge. Installed price observed on 16 September 2026: ₦5m–₦12m; itemised hardware for the specification below comes to ₦6.84m–₦14m before installer margin.
Specification
What it runs, and what it does not
Runs: A large home or small office: two or three inverter ACs into the night, pumping machine, kitchen appliances, several fridges, a small server or POS setup. Around 8 kW continuous and 16 kW surge.
Does not: Whole-house electric cooking and water heating on top of the ACs; more than about 8 kW at once; three-phase motors unless the inverter is three-phase.
The distinction is between energy (kWh per day, set by panels and battery) and power (W at one moment, set by the inverter and the battery's discharge current). A 10 kVA inverter can pass 8000 W continuously; whether the battery can supply it for six hours is a separate question answered below.
Load profile used on this page
| Appliance | W | h/day | Duty | kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED lights (25) | 250 | 6 | 100% | 1.50 |
| Ceiling fans (8) | 560 | 10 | 100% | 5.60 |
| TVs (2) + decoders + router | 250 | 8 | 100% | 2.00 |
| Fridge + freezer + second fridge | 400 | 24 | 40% | 3.84 |
| Laptops, desktop, printer | 300 | 8 | 100% | 2.40 |
| Washing machine | 500 | 1 | 100% | 0.50 |
| 1 HP pumping machine | 750 | 1 | 100% | 0.75 |
| Microwave | 1200 | 0.3 | 100% | 0.36 |
| 1.5 HP inverter ACs (2), evening | 2400 | 6 | 70% | 10.08 |
| 1 HP inverter AC, office, daytime | 800 | 8 | 70% | 4.48 |
Panels by city
The array is sized so the worst month still covers 28 kWh/day after charging losses (η 0.87). In good months it over-produces, which is normal: the surplus runs daytime loads directly and is what makes evening AC possible.
| City | Worst month | PV needed | Panels | Roof | Avg daily output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | 3.15 kWh/kWp | 10.2 kWp | 19 | ≈ 57 m² | 37.9 kWh |
| Port Harcourt | 2.88 kWh/kWp | 11.2 kWp | 21 | ≈ 63 m² | 39.6 kWh |
| Ibadan | 2.83 kWh/kWp | 11.4 kWp | 21 | ≈ 63 m² | 42.2 kWh |
| Enugu | 3.20 kWh/kWp | 10.1 kWp | 19 | ≈ 57 m² | 39.7 kWh |
| Abuja | 3.15 kWh/kWp | 10.2 kWp | 19 | ≈ 57 m² | 43.2 kWh |
| Kaduna | 3.45 kWh/kWp | 9.3 kWp | 17 | ≈ 51 m² | 41.6 kWh |
| Kano | 4.00 kWh/kWp | 8.0 kWp | 15 | ≈ 45 m² | 38.4 kWh |
Check the inverter's maximum PV input before adding panels: a budget 10 kVA unit may cap at 10,000–13,000 W. See MPPT limits.
Battery
Overnight energy in the profile above is about 17 kWh. Nominal LiFePO₄ needed: 17 ÷ 0.9 ÷ 0.92 ≈ 20.5 kWh → 48 V 300–400 Ah LiFePO₄ (15–20 kWh). In tubular terms that is 37.8 kWh nominal, or 16 × 12 V 200 Ah batteries, which is why lithium is the practical choice at this size.
Ah_48V = 20.5 × 1000 ÷ 48 = 428 Ah
Two 5 kVA hybrids in parallel are often cheaper than one 10 kVA unit and give redundancy; check that both the inverter model and the battery BMS support parallel operation. Chemistry, DoD and cycle-life detail: solar batteries; runtime at your own load: calculator.
Cost, itemised
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Inverter, 10 kVA 48 V hybrid (or 2 × 5 kVA parallel) | ₦1,200,000 | ₦2,200,000 |
| Panels, 16–20 × 550 W | ₦1,840,000 | ₦3,300,000 |
| Battery, 48 V 300–400 Ah LiFePO₄ (15–20 kWh) | ₦3,200,000 | ₦7,000,000 |
| Mounting, cable, breakers, SPD, earthing, combiner | ₦350,000 | ₦900,000 |
| Installation labour | ₦250,000 | ₦600,000 |
| Total | ₦6,840,000 | ₦14,000,000 |
A quotation should itemise exactly like this, with model numbers. If it does not, you cannot tell a ₦5m system from a ₦12m one. What the labour line buys is on the installation page; whether it pays back against your generator is on solar vs generator.
ZEUS does not sell or install equipment and has no commercial relationship with any brand or retailer named on this page.
Who it fits
Large family homes, duplexes, small offices, clinics, restaurants and shops with several ACs, and anyone replacing a 7–10 kVA diesel generator.
Solar arrays produce lethal DC voltages in daylight and cannot be switched off at the panel. Battery banks can deliver thousands of amps into a short circuit. Installation, wiring, earthing and commissioning must be done by a qualified installer or licensed electrician to the manufacturer's instructions and the Nigerian Electrical Installation Standards (IEC 60364-based). ZEUS explains how systems work so you can specify and check them, not so you can wire them yourself.
FAQ
How many panels does a 10 kVA solar system need?
For 28 kWh/day: 19 × 550 W in Lagos, 19 in Abuja, 15 in Kano, sized on the worst month. Packages that quote fewer are sized on annual averages or on the north.
How many batteries for a 10 kVA inverter?
The 48 V bus needs 4 × 12 V batteries in series or a 48 V lithium pack as a minimum. For the overnight load here you need about 21 kWh nominal of LiFePO₄ (48 V 300–400 Ah LiFePO₄ (15–20 kWh)).
Can a 10 kVA solar system run an air conditioner?
Yes: one 1–1.5 HP inverter AC into the evening, or two to three with a 15–20 kWh bank. Non-inverter ACs draw 3× at start and are marginal.
How long does a 10 kVA system last?
Panels 25+ years; inverter 8–12 years; LiFePO₄ battery 8–15 years at one cycle a day (tubular 3–5). Budget for one battery replacement and one inverter replacement over the panels' life.
Sources
- SolarDecide — 5kVA system cost breakdown, Lagos/Abuja dealers (Apr 2026) — solardecide.com/blog/5kva-solar-system-cost-nigeria-2026
- Mercury Direct — 5kVA inverter guide, prices and batteries (2026) — mercurydirect.com.ng/5kva-inverter-guide-nigeria
- Kara.com.ng — 2026 solar price list (retailer blog) — blog.kara.com.ng/2026-solar-price-list-how-much-does-a-5kva-system-cost-in-nigeria-today
- Solar Energy Supply Stores — panel, battery and inverter price lists (25 Aug 2026) — solarenergysupplystores.com/solar-panel-price-in-nigeria
- Rayspark — lithium battery price guide (2026) — www.rayspark.com.ng/guide/lithium-battery-for-solar-price-in-nigeria
- BusinessDay — What it costs to install solar in Nigeria today — businessday.ng/energy/article/what-it-costs-to-install-solar-in-nigeria-today
- Global Solar Atlas 2.0 — Solargis, World Bank / ESMAP; PVOUT monthly layer, data v2.2.68 (Apr 2026) — globalsolaratlas.info