Solar Panel Kwh Per Square Foot
The average sized solar panel takes up an area of 17 6 square feet and produces 265 watts under direct sunlight.
Solar panel kwh per square foot. Sunpower solar panels are the most efficient you can buy. For instance if the surface area is 1 500 square meters and the rating of the panel is 250 watts you would divide 250 by 1 500 and then multiply by 100 to find the percentage for this example the solar panel in question would have an efficiency rating of 16 67 250 1500 x 100 16 67. Sizing a solar panel system to your home s electric usage can be done by taking look at your energy bills over a year. 1 our maxeon solar cell technology combines a strong copper backing with ultra pure silicon and a light trapping glass surface that ultimately makes our panels 30.
From the example of a standard residential polycrystalline solar panel we used above we know that if one 275 watt solar panel is 18 85 square feet then 1 kw 1000 watt of panels will require 3 63 of such solar panels and so will take up 68 42 square feet. A common size solar panel array is usually around 5kw and takes up around 400 square feet of space. Energy information administration in 2018 the average monthly electricity consumption for a home in the united states was 914 kwh per month or about 30 5 kwh per day and 11 000 kwh per year. Solar panels cost 1 77 to 2 20 per watt and a 6 kw solar panel installation for the average home costs from 10 626 to 13 230 after the 30 federal solar tax credit.
An array of this size can produce an average of 350 850 kwh of ac energy per month. How many solar panels are needed to power an average house. A home that consumes 1 000 kwh per month will normally need between 20 and 30 solar panels. To put that into perspective a typical household uses about 897 kwh per month.
But every home is unique and could use more or less power than the average home. In order to find a range for number of solar panels we compared arizona and maine s solar panel production ratios 1 31 and 1 61 the highest and lowest in the u s. You need to divide the number of watts at which the panel is rated by the total surface area of the panel. To understand how much solar power is produced per square foot it s helpful to know what solar panels are made of.
Get free estimates from solar installers near you or view our cost guide below. According to the u s. That translates to just over 15 watts per square foot. That s enough energy to power some small appliances without too much issue but if you want to cover the energy used by your property s climate control systems or large cooking appliances you ll need more solar panels.
How many solar panels do i need for 1 000 kwh per month. Solar panel systems are measured in terms of kw. The exact number changes depending on the specifications of the chosen panel model as well as the sunshine available at the project site. Given 1kw of panels produces 1642 kwh per year in ca and 1kw of panels takes up 68 42.
Solar energy costs 0 08 to 0 10 per kwh to produce on average depending on your location.