1. Your average energy requirements
2. Current energy consumption in watts
3. Your area’s climate and sun exposure
4. It is important to evaluate the efficiency of solar panel.
5. The dimensions of the panels you are interested in
The question “How many panels are you requiring?” can be answered easily. Consult a professional installer to get a free home solar assessment.
How much solar energy will you need?
To find out how much energy your home requires, take a look at your utility bills. Calculating the number of solar panel required is as easy as multiplying your household’s average energy use by the peak sunlight hours in your region. Divide this number by the panel’s power. To determine the range, you can choose between low-wattage (150W) and high-wattage (315 W) examples. A 17-42 panel could produce 11,000 kWh/year, for example. Factors such as your roof size and the amount of sun that your roof receives are important.
An experienced solar installer can handle these calculations. To help you determine how many panels you will need, you can use a calculator.
How many Watts are you using now?
Look at your electric bill to see the average usage. You will see “Kilowatthours (orkWh) Used” on your electric bill. Note the time it took (usually 30 days). You can check your bill to see if it does not include kilowatt hours used.
For calculations, we need hourly and daily consumption. Divide your monthly, 365, and 30 day averages to find your hourly electricity consumption. The answer will be given in kW. (In case you aren’t clear, a Kilowatt-hour is the power consumed at any moment multiplied with its total duration.
A small home in mild climates might use around 200 kWh per month. A home in the south, where air conditioners are the main source of energy consumption, might use as high as 2,000 kWh. An average American residence uses approximately 900 kWh per year. This is approximately 30 kWh per person. Or 1.25 kWh/hour.
Your daily average energy consumption is the key to calculating your solar needs. This is the number of kilowatt hours your solar system should produce if you want to supply most, if certainly all, your electricity needs. Solar panels are not able to operate at their peak efficiency 24 hours per day. Solar 101 – What Does Solar Energy Do? Weather conditions can affect the efficiency of your system. Experts suggest adding 25% to your daily energy goal to ensure you have the clean, renewable energy that you require.
How much sunshine can you expect in your area?
The amount of energy your home can produce depends on where you live. You will experience more peak sunlight hours if you live in Phoenix than if your home is in Seattle. This doesn’t mean homeowners in Seattle can’t go solar. They would only need more panels.
The Renewable Data Center offers information about sunlight in major cities and states.
To convert from watts, divide your hourly usage by 1,000. Divide your hourly power generation by the number of peak sun hours in your area. This will calculate the amount of energy your panels need to produce an hour. A home in the United States with an average of 900 kWh/month would need 6,000 Watts.
What factors influence the efficiency of a solar panel?
This is where quality matters. There are many kinds of solar panels. Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are most commonly used in residential settings. They can produce power from 150 watts up to 370 watts, depending on the size of the panels and their efficiency (how efficient a panel converts sunlight into electricity) as well the technology used. They are stronger and more resistant to corrosion. Microinverters can be mounted on each panel to maximize power conversion at source, as opposed one large inverter.
These differences in efficiency and quality make it difficult to choose the right solar panel for you. The principle behind efficient panels is that they produce more energy. To get the same amount energy, you’ll need less solar panels. Conventional solar panels can produce 250 watts per module with different levels of efficiency. Multiply your hourly power consumption to determine how many panels you’ll need.
