Are you considering getting solar panels installed at your home or establishment?
Getting solar panels is a small step closer to reaching a world that uses clean energy. However, for many, it’s a big step, especially considering the cost of solar panels.
Before you decide to get solar panels for your home or business, you should learn everything about it. In this guide, we’ll answer the question of how much energy does a solar panel produce. Keep reading to learn how much power you can get from solar panels.
Contents
Features of Solar Panels That Affect Its Electricity Production
Many people find that using solar panels is one of the best ways to shift to clean energy. Today, over 2 million solar installations are in the US. Because of its popularity, you can find different solar panel brands and models in the market.
Before you buy solar panels, you need to understand their wattage first and why it matters.
The wattage of the solar panel is its most important feature. It has the largest impact on the amount of power the solar panel produces. The higher the wattage of the solar panel, the more electricity it will produce.
At standard test conditions, a solar panel’s peak wattage is the amount of DC it produces. This condition is when 1000 megajoules of solar radiation per square meter fall on the panel. This is also when the panel is at a cell temperature of 77 F.
Understand that these conditions don’t occur often in real life, so don’t expect to get the max wattage. Don’t focus on wattage, but also consider the overall cost of solar panels.
The size of a solar panel will also affect its energy production. Larger solar panels tend to have more solar cells or smaller squares that make up the panel. The more solar cells a solar panel has, the larger the energy output.
Other Factors That Affect the Electricity Produced by a Solar Panel
A single solar panel for residential use can create between 250W and 400W per hour. However, you won’t always see your solar panels producing the ideal energy levels. Sometimes, you’ll collect lesser energy because of certain factors.
These factors include external conditions like your location.
One of the advantages of solar energy is that it’s viable in most places in the world. If you live in an area where you get a lot of sun like California, you’ll get more from a solar panel system. Alaska is a great spot for solar energy, especially during its 24-hour daylight season.
Solar energy is a great alternative for more conventional sources of energy, especially in far-flung areas. If the sun can reach your place of dwelling, then you’ve got a good chance at a clean energy source.
Another external factor that affects the energy solar panels produce is the weather. For example, if the place where you live is always sunny, you’ll collect a lot of energy. During rainy, snowy, or stormy days, you’re less likely to see much power generation from solar energy.
How Much Energy Does a Solar Panel Produce?
All solar panels produce a certain amount of DC power under standard test conditions. A solar panel output gets conveyed in Watts. This unit represents the panel’s power production in ideal sunlight and temperature.
With that said, how much energy does a solar panel produce?
The answer depends on the wattage of your solar panel and how long it gets exposed to direct sunlight. Again, you also need to consider the factors that affect energy production that we mentioned earlier.
Let’s say you live in California, and you have a premium solar panel with a wattage of 290W. In one day, you got up to 6 hours of direct sunlight with your solar panel. To calculate how much energy you got for that day, you multiply the hours of exposure to your wattage.
Six hours times 290 watts is equal to 1740 Watts-hours or a little over 1.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh). To put this in perspective, a video game console uses 40-140 Watts to operate. Your washing machine uses between 500 Watts and 1 Kilowatt to operate.
If you want to calculate the power output per month, calculate your daily power consumption by 30. Our example from earlier will equal 51 kWh/month in this case. This means if you get at least 6 hours of daylight exposure each day for a month, you’ll get 51 kWh of clean energy.
Why Learn the Energy Output of a Solar Panel?
Knowing how much energy your solar system produces isn’t only a matter of choosing the right model. If you want to know your solar panel energy savings, you need to know how much energy you’re getting from it. This way, you also get to see if calling a solar installation company is worth it.
Knowing how much energy you’re getting from a solar panel can also help you become an energy-saver. To know if solar energy is a reasonable choice, you must be more aware of how much energy you use at home. When you are aware of your energy use, you can take steps to reduce the use of appliances and electronics.
While it helps to know how much energy your solar panel system can produce, don’t forget efficiency. It’s not enough to get solar panel installation of large solar panels on your property. You also need to get brands that have high efficiency.
Start Your Journey as a User of Clean Energy
We hope you now know the answer to the question of how much energy does a solar panel produce. We also hope you enjoyed learning how to calculate the energy output of your solar panels in a day.
Do you want to learn more about the top benefits of solar panels other than being a form of clean energy? Learn about them and more in our other guides now.
