With the increasing cost of conventional energy sources and the ever-rising gas prices, more and more people are looking to alternative energy for their home. One such source is solar power. You may have heard of it, as it has been getting a lot of attention in the media as of late, but what is it and how much energy does it produce? Let’s take a look.
What is Solar Power?
Solar power is the production of electricity using solar panels. Essentially, solar power is an alternative to traditional energy sources like coal, gas, or nuclear energy. Depending on where you live, the levels of solar radiation can vary greatly. For this reason, the amount of energy your solar panels generate will also vary. In general, northern areas receive a lot more sun than southern areas. This means that solar panels placed north will produce more energy than those placed south. The levels of solar energy at any particular location can be determined using a solar energy calculator, such as this one from Solarguide.com. The amount of energy your solar panel produces is typically expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh is equal to 1000 Wh or 1000 Joules. If you have a panel capable of producing 10 kWh per day, you can consider it a small power plant for your home. Large solar power plants are capable of producing up to 20 or 30 kWh per day. This article will tell you how much energy your average solar panel produces in order to better understand the role it can play in your home.
How Much Energy Does a Solar Panel Produce?
As mentioned above, the amount of energy your solar panel produces will depend on a number of factors. Some of these factors are:
- The latitude of your location
- The altitude of your location
- The season of the year
- The time of day
- The clouds and sun coverage
- The orientation of the solar panel
- Whether the panel is new or not
- How many hours of sunlight per day
Depending on your location and what time of year it is, you can use a solar calculator to determine how much energy your solar panel will produce. For example, if you live in Florida and the sun is up by 9:00 am, you can expect that your solar panel will produce about 5 kWh per day. During the day, the cloud coverage is at its peak, so you’re good to go. If you live in a more northern location and the sun isn’t up as early, you might only be able to generate 2 kWh per day on average. Keep this in mind as we go over the different scenarios below.
Scenario 1: A Sunny Day In Florida
Let’s say you’re in Florida and on one of those lovely, warm spring days where the temperature is rising and the air is feeling fresher. If you have solar power, you can rejoice and enjoy your new-found energy source because that’s what you’ll be generating. Your solar panels will be working hard to provide electricity to power all your electronics, including your air conditioning. If you live in an area where the weather is warm, you can maximize the energy your panel produces by keeping it tilted towards the sun. In this case, you can produce about 8 kWh per day on average. If you live in a colder climate where the sun doesn’t rise as high in the sky, you might only be able to generate 4 or 5 kWh per day on average.
Scenario 2: The Middle of Winter In Canada
Let’s say you’re in Canada and it’s the middle of winter. The temperature stays consistent for the most part, so you don’t need to worry about your air conditioning running out of power. Still, it’s dark at night, so you’ll want to make sure your panel is fully illuminated in order to generate enough electricity to keep your home warm. In this case, you can expect to generate between 3 and 5 kWh per day. You can further increase your energy generation by keeping your panel oriented towards the sun and pointing towards it. This way, you’ll ensure that the sunlight reaches all parts of the panel, increasing the electricity it generates. If you live in a colder climate where the sun doesn’t rise as high in the sky during the winter, you can be certain that your solar panel will be working hard to keep up with your home’s energy needs. This can bring your total daily energy generation to between 5 and 7 kWh.
Scenario 3: High Sunlight In the Northwest
Now, let’s say you’re in the northwest and it’s a bright, sunny day. If you have solar power, you can be sure that your panels will be working hard to provide your home with electricity. Since it’s a sunny day, you’ll want to make sure that all of your electronic appliances, including your air conditioning, are using energy efficiently. This means that you’ll want to limit how much they’re using so that you can save money on your monthly electricity bills. Still, since it’s a bright sunny day and the sun is high in the sky, you can be certain that your solar panel will be working hard to generate a lot of energy. In this case, you can expect to generate between 10 and 12 kWh per day. You can further increase your energy generation by keeping your panel oriented towards the sun and pointing towards it. This will ensure that all the sunlight is being captured by the panel, resulting in more energy being generated.
Which Region Gets the Most Out of Its Solar Panels?
While we’re on the topic of regions with high solar energy generation potential, let’s take a look at which one gets the most out of its solar panels. According to Solarguide.com, the regions with the highest overall potential for solar energy are:
- Northeast
- Midwest
- Southwest
- Southeast
- Northwest
- Canada
- New Zealand
If you live in one of these regions and has solar power, then you can be certain that your panels will be working hard to generate energy day after day. Just make sure that you’re keeping them clean because dirt and dust can cause major problems for the efficiency of your panel.
Conclusion
Depending on where you live and what time of year it is, you can determine the amount of energy your solar panel will produce each day. Using this information, you can then determine whether or not solar power is a viable option for your home. If you live in one of the regions where solar energy generation is commonplace, then you can be certain that your solar panel will be working hard to generate energy for your home.