Do I Get Enough Sun For Solar Panels

Solar energy works by capturing the sun s energy and turning it into electricity for your home or business.

Do i get enough sun for solar panels.

With solar panels your rooftop can generate your own power give you energy freedom. In a state with strong peak sunlight a panel with lower efficiency will likely do the trick. By calculating the average daily solar insolation. Our sun is a natural nuclear reactor.

Solar panel efficiency typically ranges from 15 to 20 percent but high end solar panels like sunpower can offer efficiency levels as high as almost 23 percent and above. Solar panels are rated in watts just like your light bulbs except in the case of solar panels they produce rather than consume electricity. Solar can t change the weather. Solar panel dimensions are on average about 3 by 5.

It releases tiny packets of energy called photons which travel the 93 million miles from the sun to earth in about 8 5 minutes. Solar energy production is based on the panel size multiplied by the number of sun hours your roof receives. In most parts of the us there are enough peak sun hours to make getting solar panels a worthwhile investment. Although your panels may get an average of 7 hours of daylight a day the average peak sun hours are generally around 4 or 5.

This will be at solar noon for north facing panels. Solar radiation peaks at solar noon when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky. East and west facing roofs are also a good option because they get a lot of sun. It is best to check when this is at your location as it usually won t be at 12 o clock on the dot.

The number of peak sun hours you get per day increases the closer you are to the equator and typically during the summer months. How are you financing your solar panel system. Whether you choose to buy or lease your solar panels will have a major impact on your system s long term value. If your only available roof area for solar panels are north facing or you don t have much unobstructed room for.

You will want to check the power output when the sun is directly over the panels. This nrel solar resource page provides an insolation map for the entire country. There s even less sunlight in germany than in any state in the u s. Or at least as directly over them as it will get on that day.

But having electricity during an outage gives you peace of mind and a value beyond money. If you have enough to make a purchase in cash you ll save more than with any other option but even with a 0 down solar loan your savings could still be in the tens of thousands. While solar leases and power purchase.