One of the most important properties of a solar panel is how much energy it can produce. After all, that’s what they were made for!
Potential solar panel owners usually have a goal of how much energy they want to generate. It may be 100% of their household needs, or it may be only 50%. In any case, there are many factors that affect the energy production capacity of solar panels and the number of panels required.
With the cost of solar energy dropping by more than 60% over the past decade, it’s becoming more feasible for home and business owners to install solar panels on their property. In this post, we’ll explore how solar panels work and generate energy.
First, let’s review the basics.
How Does a Solar Panel Produce Energy?
Solar panels work by allowing particles of light called photons to knock electrons out of atomic orbits. Electrons are captured in the form of electric currents on conductors, and this electricity is harnessed and stored. The area where this reaction takes place is called a photovoltaic cell or solar cell.
A solar panel (or module) is made up of hundreds or thousands of these cells, and multiple solar panels make up a solar array. These arrays connect to existing power grids and battery storage so that the generated energy can be routed appropriately.
Key Solar Panel Terms: kW, kWh, DC, and AC
To fully understand numbers, we need to understand some basic units.
Kilowatt (kW): This is a unit of power, equal to 1,000 watts. The electrical energy produced by a solar panel or solar array can be expressed in watts or kilowatts. Kilowatt hour (kWh) – A measure of electrical energy equal to 1,000 watts consumed in one hour. kWh is used as the unit of account for energy consumed by individuals. One kilowatt hour equals 3.6 megajoules.
Direct current power (DC): This is the form of power that is initially generated by the panel.
Alternating Current (AC): Most consumer electronics use alternating current. Direct current generated by solar panels is converted to alternating current for consumers to use efficiently throughout their homes.
How Much Energy Does A Solar Panel Produce?
To measure the amount of power a solar panel produces, you need two numbers:
Panel solar power (measured in watts)
The maximum number of hours of sunshine per day for your area (in hours)
The power of a solar module ranges from approximately 250 to 450 watts, depending on the model. Output power in watts indicates the amount of energy the panel can produce per hour under standard test conditions.
400W panels will be considered the norm in 2022, so we’ll use that power for this example.
Peak sunshine hours is a measure of how much sunlight a solar panel can utilize. This varies from over 5.75 hours a day in the Southwest to less than 4 hours a day in the northernmost part of the United States. Check here for peak sunshine times in your area.
We use 4.5 hours in this example because most of the United States gets more than 4.5 hours of sunshine per day.
To calculate how much a solar panel produces per day for him, simply multiply the solar panel’s output by the maximum hours of sunshine.
400 W (power) x 4.5 hours = 1,800 watt hours per day
To convert to standard kWh measurements, simply divide by 1,000 to see that a 400 W panel can produce 1.8 kWh per day.
How much energy does a solar panel produce per month?
As you can see in the example above, a 400W solar panel with 4.5 hours of peak sunshine per day can generate 1.8 kWh of power per day. Multiplying 1.8 kWh by 30 days shows that the average solar panel can generate 54 kWh of electricity per month.
In sunny states like California, Arizona, and Florida, where there are about 5.25 hours (or more) of sunshine per day, an average 400W solar panel can generate over 63kWh of electricity per month.
For comparison, the average US household electricity consumption is 893 kWh per month, ranging from 537 kWh per month in Hawaii to 1,200 kWh per month in Louisiana.
Therefore, a 6.7 kW solar system is required to cover 100% of the power consumption of an average household with 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. (6.7 kW x 4.5 hours of sunshine per day x 30 days per month = 893 kWh per month). This requires 17 solar modules with an output of 400 W.
In a sunny location with a peak of 5.25 suns per day, a 5.67kW system consisting of fourteen 400W solar panels is all that is needed for 100% balancing.
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Things That Affect Solar Panel Production
To get an accurate picture of how much energy a solar panel can produce, we need to consider several factors, such as the type of panel and its environment.
As I said above, the biggest factors are how many hours of sunshine per day he gets at peak and the power output of the panel. But panel design also plays an important role.
Monocrystalline solar panels
- Higher efficiency
- More expensive
- Better performance in high temperatures and shady conditions
Cover Your Electricity Needs with Solar
In summary, an average 400 W solar panel with 4.5 hours of sunshine per day can generate about 1.8 kWh of electricity per day and about 54 kWh per month.
Solar panel production depends on panel output and available sunlight. Also, the amount of power required from the panel depends on your energy usage and goals. Some homeowners want to offset their electricity consumption by 100%, while others are happy with less.
In any case, in most of the United States, power from solar panels is cheaper per kWh than grid power. The sooner you switch to solar energy, the sooner you can reap the benefits of long-term savings and price stability.
