How Much Electricity Do Solar Panels Produce?
Home owners who install solar panels gain available energy from sunlight and savings on their electricity bills. By using renewable photovoltaic energy, homeowners can also reduce their carbon footprint. However, the amount of electricity a solar panel can produce depends on a number of factors: brand, system size and cleanliness all play a role in determining how much renewable energy can be generated. Here we discuss the energy potential of a standard solar panel system and the importance of maintaining your solar equipment to ensure it is efficient.
How is Solar Electricity Production Calculated?
Most solar panels these days are grid-connected. This means they generate and use electricity during the day and connect to the state distribution system after the sun sets. Grid-connected solar panels are measured in size by kilowatt (kW). Solar panel systems are advertised as 4kW, 5kW, 6kW, 10kW and so on. Depending on your electricity requirements, you will need to choose a system capable of producing the correct amount of energy. Homeowners may use the approximation below as a rough guide to how much electricity their solar unit can produce.
1 kW = 4kWh of Electricity Per Day
The above formula can be used to estimate how much electricity a solar system is capable of producing. For example, a 10kW system is capable of producing 40 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity on a day with plenty of sunshine. The estimate is a rough one because the environment the solar panel is located in will have a big impact on whether the figure is consistent. On cloudy days, or in regions with less sunshine, less kilowatt hours of electricity can be manufactured. In particularly sunny regions, more energy potential is available.
Considering the formula above, homeowners can calculate how much energy potential they need their solar system to have by looking at their previous bills. For instance, if your household uses 36kWh of electricity per day you will need a 9 kW system to produce this much energy – 36kWh/4 = 9kW.
It may be tempting to install a bigger system and sell the surplus energy back to the grid for a tariff. However, the tariff rate for solar systems is exceptionally low. Homeowners can benefit more, if they choose to install a bigger system, by also installing a battery to store the surplus electricity for days with poor weather.
Keeping Your Solar Panels Clean
Solar panels with reduced surface area will produce less energy than their more-exposed counterparts. It is therefore crucial to keep solar panels clean using the method described here. Doing this maximises the energy potential of your photovoltaic system and, by doing so, saves you money in the long-term.
Contact Solar Proofing Sydney Today
Keeping your solar panels clean from dirt, leaves, bird droppings and sticks can produce as much as 5-10% more electricity on a good day. If you have recently installed solar panels at your site and want to safeguard them against detritus, call Solar Proofing Sydney to set up bird-repellent guards on the perimeter of your panels. We also perform solar panel cleaning duties; recommended twice per year. Call us on 0468 433 829 to chat about how we can make sure your solar panels save you as much money as possible.