Analysis Of Solar Power Needs
Solar panels are an excellent investment for your homes, but only if theyre installed correctly, there could be little to no issues.
However, if theyre installed incorrectly, you could be living a nightmare for more than 20 25 years.
Homeowners first need to know the number of solar panels they will require to run the house.
There are scores of solar panel calculators in the market.
All you need to do is just enter a few basic details and they will tell you how many solar panels your home will require.
The next step then is to hire a solar installer that is reliable, trustworthy, and someone on whom you wont regret spending money.
Randomly walking into a store and purchasing expensive solar panels for the whole house is not a smart thing to do.
Salespeople usually dont have all the required knowledge on solar panels.
They just focus on selling the number of pieces as fast as they can.
Its always better to consult solar panel experts and consulting firms who can provide you with correct information and guide you in the right direction.
You can do some research, read reviews online, receive quotes from multiple installers, consider multiple solar panel brands and designs, check the installers qualifications and license, and ask about warranties and safe financing options.
How Many Solar Panels Will I Need For My House
Estimating The Size of Your Solar Energy System is Not As Difficult As You Might Think.
The first question most people ask when considering solar for their home is, How many panels will I need for my house? The answer depends on a few basic factors and a little math.
Utility companies in New Jersey will typically only allow customers to install a solar system big enough to offset their homes last 12 months of electrical usage. Solar energy systems are designed by our solar engineers with enough panels to generate that same amount of electricity as you have used in the past 12 months.
A few factors impact the efficiency of the design and contribute to the overall number of panels required for the house, but the solution is effectively a Demand and Supply configuration. You can learn more about these factors in our article: Is My House A Good Candidate For Solar?
How Big Are Solar Cells
Lately, manufacturers started to experiment with different individual solar cells sizes in order to reach higher solar panel efficiencies and performance.
Nowadays, the market is dominated by two solar cell sizes:
- 5 W x 5 L
- 6 W x 6 L
The 5 are mostly used by Sun Power in their 96-cells panels, making that panel to look like a common 60-cells one.
You May Like: How To Convert Solar Power To Electricity
Why Such A Big Range
With both these budget and premium examples, we give a pretty big range in the number of solar panels needed. Why is that?
The main reason is that the amount of electricity that solar panels will generate depends heavily on the amount of sunshine you get in your city. It helps to be further south, but local climate is just as important. There are many dry climates in the northern United States that have higher solar radiation than cloudier cities that are further south. Map of solar radiation in the United States
The ranges we give – between 16 and 25 premium solar panels to generate enough electricity for an average 2,000 square foot house – were calculated based on houses located in the cloudy northwest and the very sunny southwest . These two cities are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to incoming solar radiation, measured as Direct Normal Irradiance.
Most cities in the continental United States lie between these two extremes and receive an average amount of sunlight, making them perfectly viable for home solar. Check out the map above.
What Are The Main Disadvantages Of Solar Panels
Schalk said thats a hard question to answer without asking another question: Compared to what?
One of the main disadvantages of solar energy is that its inherently tied to the cycle of the sun, Schalk said, and its exact output depends on things like weather and cloud cover. Without larger and more advanced battery storage options, which are being developed, electricity cannot be produced at night. That means that solar power cannot be a stand-alone source, Cohen said, and needs some supplemental generation which often comes from fossil fuels.
Solar power, especially at the utility scale, also requires a larger footprint to produce the same amount of electricity output as some other sources, such as a traditional fossil fuel plant, Cohen added. It can sometimes be difficult to find that much aggregate space to set up a solar farm, or to find an area where the grid is robust enough to handle the new energy.
Still, Schalk said he sees these as differences from traditional energy sources, not disadvantages.
Solar energy is different from our legacy energy sources, he said, but I view those differences as opportunities to shape our energy system into something thats clean, just and equitable.
Don’t Miss: Does Granite Come In Solid Colors
How Much Does A Solar Installation Cost
This can vary depending on the company, but for an average installation, it can run you between $15,000 and $30,000.
Many solar companies offer incentives and financing. There are a ton of other financial benefits that come along with installing your home:
- Electricity rates have risen across the nation and are higher now than they have ever been
- You can save thousands on electricity bills and will only continue to save more over time
- The resale value of your home skyrockets. Many home buyers now are searching for homes that come with a solar system already installed
- The government offers a massive tax credit when it comes to solar systems. Some states also offer a rebate program
- The systems come with a warranty that secures your investment for at least 25 years
Number Of Residents And Amount Of Energy You Use
Households with more members normally use a higher amount of electricity, and this also means they need more solar panels to increase energy production.
Electricity usage is a very important factor, as it determines how much power must be generated by your solar panel system. If your home uses 12,000 kilowatt-hours per year and you want to go 100% solar, your system must be capable of generating that amount of power.
Read Also: Is Solar Really Worth It
The Climate Of Your Area
Well, as you might imagine, a home in a temperate climate uses less energy than somewhere colder or hotter.
In hot climates, fans do not suffice, and people turn to A/C to have a comfortable temperature around.
So, having the A/C on for most of the day will consume more energy than with a fan, right? So, having A/C at home means that you will need to install more solar power.
A small home in a mild climate area uses around 200 kWh per month. But if you go south where the A/C power demand occupies a large share of the energy consumption, that figure could go up to 1700 Kwh.
Same story goes to heating.
How Much Roof Space Is Needed For Solar Panels
The average solar installation will require between 335 and 405 square feet of roof space. To find out how much roof space your solar system needs, just multiply the number of panels you need by 17.55 square feet, which is the area of most residential solar panels sold today.
If you have limited roof space, you may need to get high-efficiency panels, or panels with a higher power output so you can install fewer panels while still covering your energy needs.
Also Check: How Do I Get Solar Panels For My House
How Many Solar Panels Does It Take To Power A Tiny Home
| Comments
All About Tiny Houses is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
There are a lot of ways to power up your tiny house, but most of the tiny housers choose solar panels. Not only are solar panels more conservative but they are also perfect for off-grid tiny houses. But how many solar panels does it take to power up a tiny home? Many are asking, and nows the perfect time to finally lay the answers straight.
The number of solar panels you need to power your tiny home depends on a few key factors, including your location, size of your roof, orientation and shading of your roof, number of appliances, and you electric usage.
Clearly, theres no definite answer to tell you how many solar panels you need. It depends on the variables presented above. So now, lets dig deeper into these variables to help you out.
But first, let us talk about how beneficial solar panels are for tiny houses.
Heating Your Home With Solar
Exterior heat pump unit installed on a metal base with sound dampening hardware
Do you have a roaring, monstrous sounding boiler firing your home today? Dread the idea of putting such a monster into your new home as well as a tank full of toxic, climate-damaging fuel? Well, good news! Your solar-powered home of the future needs no oil or gas at all!
This is all possible thanks to modern heat pumps. Modern cold-climate heat pumps work by using a refrigeration process similar to the way your homes refrigerator works. Warmth is extracted from the ambient outside air and transferred into your home. Since the heat pump is moving, not creating, heat, it is highly efficient. Powered by solar, a heat pump can heat your home for the equivalent of around $1/gallon for oil!
While its possible to keep drafty old homes warm with heat pumps, they are far more effective when used in a tight, well-insulated house, hence our recommendation that you build one!
If you build a good quality house, then you can heat primarily with heat pumps, and install a small backup system to supplement the heat pumps during periods of extreme cold weather.
Since heat pumps are powered by electricity, you can use solar power you bank in the summertime as your fuel source in the winter!
Watch our quick video on solar heating and cooling:
Also Check: How Much Does It Cost For Solar Panels
Why Is Solar Panel Important To Society
As you have already learned about how solar panels generate electricity, yet you have to know about how much great solar panel is to our society. The use of sunlight by turning it into electric energy through solar panels have many benefits. Solar panels help to reduce the expense which is needed to generate electricity.
Solar panels are also very clean because it produces power with no pollutions. Also, it avoids air pollution. Solar panels are very much emissions free. Thus solar panel is very safe for the environments and society. The solar panel usually converts the suns energy to the electricity without any source of fuel.
Solar panel also helps a lot to decrease the needs and wants of nuclear power. Mainly solar panel reduces the financial expense of the electricity. And you know that sunlight energy is independent and you can use that as much as you want. So people need power and solar panels are providing electricity without any pollution or expense.
So now, you think how much principal is the solar panel to our society. Yeah, you guessed the right thing, Solar Panel is a lot important to our community as it is saving people by saving the renewable energies as well as reducing the chances of air pollutions.
Some More Information about Solar Panel
Final Thoughts
Thank You.
So How Many Solar Panels Do I Need
Once you know the system size you need, you can check your panel wattage to figure how many panels to purchase for your solar array. Multiply your system size by 1,000 to obtain watts, then divide this by the individual wattage of each solar panel.
Most of the best solar panels on the market have an output of around 330W to 360W each. The output of less efficient panels can be as low as 250W.
So, if you need a 10-kW solar installation and you’re buying solar panels that have an output of 340W, you’ll need 30 panels. Your formula will look like this: 10,000W / 340W = 29.4 panels.
If you use lower-efficiency 250-watt solar panels, you’ll need 40 of them panels.
Keep in mind that, although the cost of solar panels is lower if you choose a lower-efficiency model over a pricier high-efficiency one, the total amount you pay for your solar energy system may come out to be the same or higher because you’ll have to buy more panels.
Recommended Reading: Do Solid Core Doors Reduce Noise
How Many Kwh Can Your Solar Panels Produce The Complexities Of Production Ratios
The amount of power your solar energy system can produce depends on how much sunlight exposure your roof receives, which in turn creates your production ratio. The amount of sunlight you get in a year depends on both where you are in the country, and what time of year it is. For instance, California has more sunny days annually than New England. But in either location, youll be able to produce enough power to cover your energy needs and say goodbye to your utility billsif you live in an area that gets less peak sunlight hours, youll just need to have a larger solar array system installed at your home. Thus, production ratios differ according to geographic location and a lower production ratio means youll need more solar panels to get the amount of energy production you need.
How Much Does A Solar Panel Cost
Prices have been coming down steadily over the years. The total cost will depend on how many kilowatts of power your array will generate. According to consumer reports, after solar tax credits are accounted for, the cost for a solar panel system on an average-sized house in the U.S. in 2021 ranges from $11,000 to $15,000.
You May Like: How Does Residential Solar Power Work
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need For My Home
Its no use installing just one solar panelyoull need more than that to reap the financial benefits of a solar panel system. While the answer isnt always so simple, weve put together some example cases to help you understand, at a high level, how many solar panels you need to install an effective solar array.
How Do Solar Panel Works
Mainly, in short, the solar panel is such kind of a machine who absorbs the energy from the sunlight to generate electricity.Solar panels contain lots of modules. And each module is measured using its DC power, and their range starts from 100 watts to 365 watts.
If you buy a solar which contains the single blade, they wont be able to provide lots of power. But if you want to go for a solar panel which includes multiple modules, which can be a reason to give lots of energy. Nowadays the price of the solar panels is very much low compared to before. And thats because to save the fossil fuel, which is also a lot helpful to generate electricity.
Many people around the world know the usage of the solar panels in fact, there are millions of people who are using cosmic electric energies in different ways. But I already told you before that some people dont know about the usage of the solar panels or what is solar panel etc. Are you one of them as well?
Well! Dont be afraid or ashamed of it, by knowing that you dont know much about solar panels. Because like you there are also other people who are facing the same situation, so you are not alone. In this article, I am about to discuss many things about solar panels. But my primary target of this article is the number of solar panels needed to power a house.
Read Also: Are Solar Panels Tax Deductible
Will Your Roof Take It
The estimated number of solar panels needed is only one side of the story. It is also important to determine how much roof space you have for your solar array. The average roof space required for 1 kW is about 100 square feet when you use standard residential solar panels.
If you have a lot of roof space available, you can get off with buying larger but less efficient modules, which can be significantly cheaper. However, if you have a small roof, then you might need to spend more money on more efficient modules.
Not all your roof area might be factored into this equation. Here in the US, a southern-facing roof free of shade and obstructions is the best place for solar panels. Side-ways facing roofs can also be used, but they will be less efficient and require more panels.
Electricity Usage For Air Conditioning
There are many places in the country where air conditioning is nearly a necessity, such as the Southeast where it gets both hot and very humid in the summer. Meanwhile, few homes in the Northwest have central air conditioning, and at most might have a window unit or two for the few weeks where its uncomfortably hot.
A central air conditioner is a big energy hog, drawing a few thousand watts of power while operating.
Read Also: What Size Solar Panel Do I Need
How Net Metering Works
Let us assume that you are gone in a vacation with your family. The solar system still generates energy when youre gone but since you are not using it, its being automatically sent back to the grid and you get credits for it. As a result, your electricity bill will decrease according to how many credits you have.
Knowing the answers to the above questions will give you a good understanding of the number of panels needed to achieve your daily energy production goals and will allow to calculate in a realistic range solar panels needed for your home.
