Solar panels are a great investment for your home. They can reduce your energy costs by letting the sun power your house and cut down on the need to pull electricity from the grid. As you look at your options from Unbound Solar, it’s important to ask how many watts does a solar panel produce and compare the answer with your power needs.
As you start your solar panel journey, make sure you understand what factors could impact your system’s output. Not every setup is the same and you may have to make adjustments.
Consider the climate your home is in. Areas that don’t get a lot of sun throughout the year will be less ideal for maximum solar production. High trees or odd elevations that keep light from your panels also play a role. The angle and direction of your roof impact the total amount of energy created.
Let’s talk about what you can expect from a single panel. Any panel you buy will come with a power rating. This is an estimate of how much wattage you should get from each panel during an hour of peak sunlight. Most panels put out anywhere from 250-400 watts per hour of peak sunlight, with the majority of offerings coming in close to 370 watts, although we can offer even higher ratings.
According to the source EcoFriendlyHow, a single 300-watt panel can power small appliances and lighting systems well. It may be able to power a larger appliance such as a refrigerator for a shorter amount of time.
Going solar usually involves getting an entire array of panels, not just a single one. That means you will be multiplying the amount of power generated. Take the wattage rating, multiply that by the number of peak sunlight hours you get and then by the number of panels you have to see how much power you can expect in total.
As an example, two 400-watt panels that get five hours of sun a day would produce 2,000 watts a day each, or 4,000 per day in total. Those 4,000 watts translate into 4 kilowatt hours, which is the unit of measurement used for energy usage.
You can see your previous kilowatt hours used on old electric bills. The average household uses more than 10,000 kilowatt hours per year. To cover all of your energy needs, you may need quite a few panels. You can reduce the number by investing in higher-rated products from Unbound Solar. Our experts can also help determine if you need more due to lighting conditions.
Building a solar panel setup doesn’t have to be difficult. Taking the time to ask how many watts does a solar panel produce and comparing it to your usage needs will allow you to get a great system that reduces your energy dependency. Call or email Unbound Solar for a quote for your home today.
This content was originally published here.
