How to Determine the Right-Sized Solar Panel
Solar panels come in various sizes and determining the right size for your home is crucial for desired system performance. Solar-panel size depends on your energy use and the amount of energy you want to produce. Solar energy can be used to power a few of your household appliances or it can be used in conjunction with your current energy supplier to maximize your energy efficiency. In some states, homeowners receive rebates for solar systems as with the California Solar Initiative. Determining the right-sized solar panel only requires gathering some information and some simple math. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Measure the amount of energy you will need to power your home. Study your electricity bills for the past 12 months. If you do not have them or some are missing, then you can request copies from your energy provider or you can search for them online if an online account management service is provided.
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Identify the total kilowatt hours used on each bill. Kilowatt hours are generally in the hundreds. There will be a marked difference for winter and summer months due to increased energy consumption depending on your region. In Southern regions, bills for the summer months may be higher due to the increased use of air conditioning and fans. In Northern regions, the bills for the winter months may be higher due to increased use of heating appliances.
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Add together the kilowatt hours used and divide by 12 to calculate the average kilowatt hours used per month.
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Determine the average hours of monthly sun received by your home. The Solarbuzz website states that sunny locations such as Los Angeles receive approximately 5.5 hours of sunlight per day. The average sunlight received monthly in such a sunny location could be 165 hours.
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Calculate the kilowatt size of solar panels required for your energy needs. Divide the average kilowatt hours used per month by the average hours of sunlight received monthly. If you only require enough solar energy to power a few appliances, then use the corresponding percentage of your average kilowatt hours used per month.
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Measure the size of your roof. Roof measurements must be exact to ensure you choose the right-sized solar panel. Smaller roofs will require solar panels with a higher production of watts per panel.
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Determine what size and how many panels you need to produce the required amount of energy for your household. Multiply the kilowatt system size by the number of solar panels necessary to generate one kilowatt. Choosing a smaller solar panel that outputs fewer kilowatts will require the installation of more panels then if a slightly larger panel were selected.
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Tips & Warnings
Use an online calculator to determine the solar panel size that you require. Online calculators can be more accurate as long as you enter the information correctly.
Ensure you have enough roof space to accommodate the required number of solar panels as the wrong size or limited panels can result in a poor performance of your solar panel system.
References
- How to Solar Panel: How to Determine the Right Size of Solar Panel
- Home Solar Power Hour: Solar Panel Sizing Tips for Residential Solar Systems
- Solar 4 Power: Determining Your Solar Power Requirements and Planning the Number of Components
- Solar Buzz: Fast Solar Energy Facts
- Go Solar California: The California Solar Initiative
Resources
- Photo Credit Solar panels on roof image by kuhar from Fotolia.com
