Solar energy has become increasingly popular as a viable renewable energy source that reduces carbon emissions, helps in the fight against climate change, and may even help you lower your electricity bill. So, you may have thought about whether it’s worth installing solar panels on your home or office. But you might be wondering, “how much energy do solar panels produce?”
To answer that question, let’s review how solar energy works and the different factors that affect solar panel output to help you make the best decision possible.
What Is Solar Energy?
Solar energy refers to a form of energy production that produces renewable energy from the energy given off by the sun. The sun bombards the Earth with more energy in a single hour than is used by our planet in an entire year. Solar energy systems are any of a variety of different technologies that exist to harness just a fraction of this staggering amount of power in order to do useful work.
To name a few prominent examples, solar energy can be used directly for electricity, to heat and cool spaces, and to heat water.
What Are the Forms of Solar Energy?
Solar energy is considered a form of clean energy that reduces emissions and protects against further global warming. Here’s a list of several common examples of solar energy.
Solar photovoltaics: Sometimes shortened to “solar PV,” photovoltaics refers to directly converting light into electricity. This is accomplished with silicon solar cells, thin-film solar cells, and related technologies (more in the next section.)
Passive solar technology: It’s possible to construct buildings in such a way that they naturally leverage energy from the sun. This is known as “passive solar.” An example would be building a home with a large south-facing window that allows warmth from the sun to heat the building during the day.
Solar water heating: One way to reduce your electric bill is by using the heat from the sun to generate hot water. There are many ways to do this, but perhaps the simplest is to have a water collector on the roof that is exposed to the sun, raising the temperature of the water it contains. This water then flows through the plumbing to wherever and whenever it is needed.
Solar process heat: For larger buildings that spend a lot of money on climate control, it’s possible to install a solar ventilation system to cut costs. This generally involves choosing a south-facing wall, mounting a black metal panel on it, and using that to preheat the air, which is then circulated in the building.
Concentrating solar power:Concentrating solar power setups are used at large power plants as an alternative to fossil fuels. These are constructed with a set of mirrors that concentrates the light from the sun onto a pipe or receptacle containing a fluid, which heats up and is used to generate power.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
In many parts of the United States, solar panels have become visible on the rooftops of homes and businesses. But how much energy do solar panels produce?
To start, let’s distinguish between the two basic types of solar panels: thermal panels (which concentrate heat from the sun) and photovoltaic panels (which utilize energy from the sun to generate electricity).
Photovoltaic panels are considered the best solar panel for homeowners and small businesses because they don’t require as much space and equipment, so we’ll focus on them.
Solar panels are generally made up of a patchwork of solar cells. These solar cells work by absorbing photons from the sun. This knocks electrons loose and generates direct current, which is then channeled into the building through an inverter.
Solar cells can be either monocrystalline or polycrystalline. The technical differences needn’t concern us here, but they do have a big impact on solar panel efficiency. The important thing to note is that monocrystalline solar cells tend to be high efficiency and more expensive, while polycrystalline solar cells tend to be cheaper and better suited to areas with a lot of sunlight.
Choosing the most efficient solar panels requires that you consider the specifics of your situation. If you’re operating a facility in an area that doesn’t get much sun and you can afford the extra expense, go with the higher efficiency ratings of panels constructed with monocrystalline solar cells. Otherwise, more affordable polycrystalline panels are probably a better option.
Is Solar Panel Installation Worth It?
If the conditions are ideal where you live, solar PVs could be a great way to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and embrace green energy.
It might be wise to hire a solar energy consultant to answer specific questions about the compatibility of your building, which panel manufacturers you should use, what solar panel size you need for your energy requirements, etc.
You’ll likely need to get a permit, so check local requirements before you get started. Also, while you’re at it, check for any incentives in place for homeowners who are thinking about putting up solar panels. If you’re worried about upfront costs, programs like these can help offset solar panels costs.
That said, solar panels can result in substantial savings in the long run. On average, a 6-kilowatt (kw) system costs between $13,000-$20,000, with annual savings of up to $1,500 if you can cover all your power needs through solar.
At those rates, it would take 8-13 years to break even on your initial investment. However, since solar panels last for as long as 30 years at full efficiency, you could save $25,000-$33,000 before you have to start thinking about a replacement.
In this vein, it’s also worth mentioning that different locations have net metering policies that offer the opportunity to sell any electricity you don’t use back to the power grid, resulting in further savings.
How Much Energy Does a Solar Panel Produce?
Given what we’ve learned so far, you might still be wondering how much electricity you can actually get with sunpower.
To start, let’s define kilowatt-hours, as this is how energy output or usage is measured. A kilowatt-hour is an amount of energy equal to 1,000 watts used over an hour. Depending on its power rating, a small bedside lamp might take most of a day to use a kilowatt, whereas your dishwasher might do so in 45 minutes.
With this context established, we can turn to answering our original question: How much energy do solar panels produce?
A single solar panel’s wattage will generally be in the range of 230-275 watts, and it will produce somewhere between 1-1.5 kWhs over the course of a day. If you’ve installed a whole solar panel system, you’ll need to multiply this figure by the total number of panels it contains in order to get an estimate of the total daily kWh of electricity it can produce.
The amount of energy produced by a given solar panel depends on many different factors, including the particular types of panels you’re using. For example, polycrystalline solar cells are less effective than monocrystalline solar cells.
Another important factor is weather conditions, especially sun hours. The amount of electricity produced by a solar panel depends on the hours of direct sunlight you get in your location. The higher the amount of sunlight, the greater the amount of energy output.
For example, according to the latest reports, San Diego, California, gets an average of 3,055 total hours of sunshine per year while Syracuse, New York gets 2,120 total hours of sunshine per year. As solar power relies on energy from the sun, how much power you should expect them to produce will depend on your total annual sunshine.
Energy Plans That Work for You
Find the plan that fits your life, not the other way around.
How Do You Store Solar Power?
Power production isn’t the only consideration when it comes to solar energy. In many situations, power won’t be used as soon as it’s produced, so you also need to know how to store that power for later.
The three basic ways of storing solar power are mechanical energy storage, battery storage, and thermal energy storage.
Mechanical energy storage involves using a mechanical process to store the energy produced by solar power. You might use solar panels to compress air, which is gradually decompressed later to release energy.
Battery storage involves using solar power to charge a battery, much as you would by plugging your cell phone into an outlet in your home. Later, when the power is needed, it can be supplied by the battery.
Thermal energy storage involves using solar power to heat up a medium like molten salt. This medium will then be stored in an insulated container, being used later for a task like boiling water.
Can a House Run on Solar Power Alone?
Do residential solar panels produce enough energy to power your home? As is so often the case, the answer is “it depends.”
Solar panels can be expected to manage a power output of around 1-1.5 kWhs in a day. To estimate how many solar panels you need to power a home for a year, let’s take the low side of this range to account for the fact that sometimes there will be extended periods of rain or cloud cover, which reduce the number of kWhs you’re getting from the sun.
On average, a typical American household requires about 11,000 kWh of electricity in a year. If we assume a given solar panel manages about 1 kWh per day, that works out to 365 kWhs per year.
Dividing average annual household energy requirements by the average annual kWhs produced by a solar panel, we get 11,000 / 365 ≈ 30 solar panels to completely meet a home’s energy requirements.
Bear in mind that there are dramatic variations in the amount of sunlight a home will receive in a year, so those are only estimates. You can probably make do with fewer solar panels in Hawaii than you can in a rainy stretch of the Pacific Northwest.
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need for 1,000 kWh Per Month?
If we assume your solar panel is producing about 1 kWh per day, it would yield about 30 kWhs per month. To find how many solar panels you’d need to produce 1,000 kWhs per month, you’d divide 1,000 by 30. Rounding up, that means you’d need about 34 solar panels to meet this energy requirement.
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need for 1,000 kWh Per Year?
If we assume your solar panel is producing about 1 kWh per day, it would yield 365 kWhs per year. To determine how many solar panels you’d need to produce 1,000 kWhs annually, we’d divide 1,000 by 365. Rounding up, that means you’d need about three solar panels to meet this energy requirement.
Are Solar Panels a Good Fit for You?
Solar panels are becoming a popular form of renewable energy not only because they promote a greener future with lower reliance on fossil fuels, but also because solar PVs are becoming more affordable as time goes on. Determining if photovoltaic cells are right for you means exploring your options, learning about any monetary incentives, reviewing the specifics of your situation (like the amount of sunlight you receive), and proceeding from there.
Whether you decide to get solar panels now, later, or never, there’s no denying that this option is here to stay as long as the sun keeps shining. In the meantime, you can promote a brighter future by using an electricity provider that offers a solar plan, like Tara Energy’s Solar Power Rewards.
Brought to you by taranergy.com
All images licensed from Adobe Stock.
Featured image
