You can harness the power of the sun's rays to charge your electric vehicle. Here's how many solar panels you'll need to do it.

A typical home needs about 17 to 30 solar panels. The actual number of solar panels depends on the home's energy use and amount of sunshine the roof gets.

Once you have an estimate of your daily electricity consumption, you can use your location's solar energy potential to calculate how many panels you'll need to power your tiny home.

The number you end up with is the number of years it will take for your panels to "pay for themselves." Here's another look at the formula: (Total solar system costs - rebates) / Electricity bill ...

Solar power for RVs is taking off, so if you're looking to add some solar panels to your vehicle, it can take some math to figure out exactly what you need.

With support from Define Solar, based in NJ, homeowners can explore customized strategies to enhance their solar readiness and increase long-term energy savings. How to find out your sun number ...