Determining Your Solar Needs: What Type of Panels and How Many?
If you’re thinking about going solar, you probably have some questions. Does it matter how much sunlight you get in your area? How much electricity will you need to generate? What type of panels should you buy and how many? Go over the answers to these questions below.
What Type of Panels Do You Need?
There are three main types of solar panels, each with different qualities:
1. Monocrystalline Panels
These glossy, dark black solar panels are the most efficient type — and also the most expensive. They have an attractive appearance that pairs well with many different design schemes.
Monocrystalline panels generate the most power per square foot. Consider these panels if you have a higher budget and want the most efficient solar panels on the market.
2. Polycrystalline Panels
You’ve probably seen polycrystalline panels on rooftops. Also called multicrystalline panels, these blue solar panels are moderately efficient and less expensive than their monocrystalline counterparts.
They’re a good option if you have a tighter budget but don’t want to sacrifice too much in the efficiency department.
3. Thin-Film Panels
With a lower cost than either type of crystalline panel, thin-film solar panels are the least expensive option and have a short life span. They’re not very efficient, so they require much more space than crystalline panels.
Using them on homes is rare since their low efficiency means you’d need a lot more than would probably fit on your roof. They’re more commonly used on solar farms.
How Many Panels Do You Need?
It’s time to do a little math.
1. Determine Your Energy Usage
How many kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity do you use per year? You can probably find this info on your electric bill. Divide the number by 365 to get your average daily energy usage. Or, divide your monthly average by 30 to get the same number.
Your average daily usage is significant because you’ll use it to calculate your solar needs.
2. Decide How Much Solar Power You Want
Do you want your solar panels to cover your entire electricity bill or just part of it? Is there a solar buyback program in your area that will purchase excess electricity from you? Do you have a solar battery to store extra power?
There’s no point in generating extra electricity that goes nowhere because that means you paid for more solar panels than you needed.
3. See How Many Hours of Direct Sunlight You Get
This factor will vary depending on where you live. You’ll get more direct sunlight the closer you live to the equator and if you live in a place with lots of sunny days. There are calculators that can help you determine how much sunlight your house gets.
4. Do the Calculations
Here’s the formula you need — kWh per month / (average hours of direct sunlight per day * 30) = kW solar system.
In plain English, you’ll need to multiply the hours of direct sunlight you receive by 30. Then, you’ll divide the kilowatt hours of electricity you use per month by that number. This will tell you how many kilowatts you’ll need your solar panels to generate.
For example, a 6 kW solar system is a set of solar panels that produce 6 kWh of electricity for every hour of direct sunlight they receive. If you get six hours of sunlight per day, you’ll get 36 kWh of electricity per day.
Does that sound like the right amount of energy to cover your bill — or come close to covering it — without generating extra electricity? If so, proceed to the next step.
5. Figure Out How Many Panels That Equates To
Let’s say you determined you need a 6 kW solar system. Now, convert it into Watts by multiplying it by 1,000.
In other words, you need a 6,000 Watt system. If you’re planning on buying 300 Watt solar panels, divide 6,000 by 300 to determine you need 20 solar panels. Or, let’s say you want to buy 350 Watt panels. You’d divide 6,000 by 350 to get 17, which means you only need 17 solar panels.
How to Tell Which Solar Panels You Need and How Many
Now that you have a basic idea of what types of solar panels exist and how many you’ll need, you can start looking for solar providers. This is the first step towards reducing your carbon footprint and lowering your electric costs in the long run.