Solar panels have seen a meteoric rise in popularity in recent decades and the technology is proliferating across households and industries. This has led to an increase in environmentally responsible human behavior and the desire to reduce electricity bills by exchanging traditional sources of electricity with a more natural source, sunlight.
Anyone who is on the verge of making a shift in the way of energy consumption might be probably wondering, how many solar panels it takes to power a house. To calculate how many solar panels you need, you need to know the following factors:
1) Know your Average Energy Requirements: Your average household’s power requirement can be calculated from the old utility bills. So, refer to your electricity bills for the past 12 months, and calculate your average usage (kWh) over that period. Once you get your house average power consumption it’s time to know your average monthly solar power generation. The average monthly solar energy generation varies from around 80 kWh to 140 kWh.
2) Calculate your Potential Solar Power Usage: Next, you need to decide how much of your current usage you want to offset with solar panels, is it 100%, 80%, or 50%. Once you calculate this, multiply this percentage with your daily kWh usage.
3) Climate and Amount Sunlight in your Area: Peak sun hour is during which the intensity of sunlight is 1,000 watts per square meter. Peak sun hours are not the same and approximately you might get 4-5 hours of sunlight but your peak sun hours will be around 2 or 3. However, if you live in cold countries then there are fewer sun hours.
4) Efficiency of the Solar Panels: The quality of the solar panel makes a huge difference. Not all solar panels are the same, the Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels come in a range from about 150 watts to 370 watts per panel, depending on the panel size, cell technology, and efficiency i.e., how well it is able to convert sunlight into energy.
5) Physical Size of the Solar Panels: Before calculating the physical size and weight of a panel, first you need to understand whether your roof can support the desired number of solar panels to get to your target energy output. Every solar panel is made up of individual solar PV cells which come in a standard size of 156 mm by 156 mm (6 inches long and 6 inches wide).
Therefore, most solar panels for rooftop solar installations are made up of 60 solar cells, while the standard for commercial solar installations is 72 cells and can go up to 100 cells or more.
Conclusion:
Knowing the answers to the above-listed points will give you an exact idea of the ideal number of solar panels to power your home. But most importantly, a straightforward inspection by solar panel installation professionals can better help you determine the viable number of solar panels for your house.
Need help to determine the number of solar panels required for your house? Connect withSolar Today, the best, full-service solar provider in Melbourne with all-in-one residential and commercial solutions backed by the most affordable pricing, quality and personal customer service.
