How many solar panels are needed to run a house?
How many solar panels are needed to run a house?
Solar PanelS, In the USA, I would say about 8 kilowatts of nominal output would be enough to provide all your power needs during peak sun hours almost every day. In the UK I estimate this figure to be around 12 kilowatts, but I will explain why this is the case shortly.
The reason is that solar panels Henderson are rated in watts rather than kilowatts. Megawatts is that all the energy they produce is instantaneous. The next figure of merit really used by consumers to judge their solar power system’s utility is watt-hours. Which is the number of watts in hour times the number of hours in a day. More watt hours means more useable power.
To further complicate things, when it comes to sizing solar panel systems for homes or small businesses, there are actually two competing factors that need to be resolved based on your site location and needs; peak sun hours (which is the same as saying “hours of peak sunlight”) and annual usage. As you might guess, these two figures are not always in harmony with each other.
For instance, if the weather conditions at your home site are typically flat and cloudy, you will need more panels than if you have lots of suns nearly every day. And just to keep us on our toes some more, let’s consider that all of this is dependent upon one key factor; how big your roof is!
When sizing a solar panel system for your home, it is likely that most people won’t know offhand what their peak hours or energy requirements are per year; they certainly don’t make it easy to figure out. The reason why solar companies selling systems over the phone can give you better. Answers than you can find on the internet is that they know where your sun hours are and what size system is likely to work for you.
Here’s how it works.
Generally, solar panels are sized in terms of “watts per square foot”. This means that if your available roof space is 1200 square feet, then about 12 kilowatts will be enough except on the rarest of occasions. However, this also means that you will need an inverter that is big enough to convert all those solar watts into usable electricity at any given time; I would suggest this should be a minimum 3-kilowatt inverter.
Now for the complicated bit… If your home has lots of electronic gadgets like I do, they all have to be plugged in at the same time. The total wattage of all these plus any other appliances you have will need to be lower than your inverter’s capacity so that it doesn’t trip out every time someone switches something on or off. I would suggest a minimum 3-kilowatt inverter for your needs.
But even with such a large inverter, if you plug in too many devices and keep them running at the same time. It will still overload and shut down; this is bad practice, as it is guaranteed to damage both your equipment and your warranty. This means that you need to know exactly what equipment your family uses day by day and plan accordingly about how much power they consume at peak times of use. For instance, if you have a couple of big-screen TVs together with DVR, plus high-end computers and other gadgets, this will likely be more than your inverter can handle.
So after all this analysis.
The answer to how many solar panels are needed to run a house is really up to you! You need enough panels to collect all the available solar power you will. Will need between late morning and early afternoon when your ACs kick in. If they aren’t running much at that time of day then perhaps 8 kilowatts may suffice. But if you have air conditioners to cope with as well then 12 or even 13 kilowatts would. Be better to ensure that your ACs will always work during hot times of the day. The added benefit of getting a larger system is that you will have extra power available. to run more appliances as well as any future additions you might make.
Here’s one last quick tip;
Do NOT install a large inverter and undersize your wiring. If you have just put in a huge 3 kW inverter, then your wiring should be able to handle it. The smaller the wire, the higher its voltage drop will be, so this may trip out your equipment further down the line because the voltage level has dropped too much. This means that if you have a 10 kW inverter but only 12 gauge wire from the panels to the inverter, then you are probably going to overload it sooner or later!
In concluding, think about what all of your appliances consume together. And buy an inverter that is big enough for this. Just remember that the more panels you have, then the greater your excess energy storage will be!
Solar Panel Brands
Switching to solar energy will change your way of living. Besides its monetary benefits, you’ll be able to adapt to its green influence. You’ll be more environmentally aware of how you treat your planet. But whether you care for the earth or you just want to cut your electricity bill. You’re still wondering whether to get them or not. If you want to know more about Solar Panels Henderson and how they work, here are some facts.
Solar panel shops are now springing up all over Henderson NV; there were only a few to choose from last year but those days are well. And truly behind us as we see exponential growth in home solar power systems.
Just like any product comparison, for instance, online forums can be an invaluable source of advice if you want real opinions about what is out there rather than just marketing hype from retailers. Who may or may not tell you what you want to hear!
