Residential Solar Power Systems Solar Panel Kits for Home Use. If you are planning to install a Photovoltaic Solar Energy System, then figure out how much solar energy you can expect your panels to absorb, based on the average daily solar radiation for your area. Step 1 Calculate the Potential Solar Radiation Power. Do you know how much installing solar panels for solar energy costs Southern View Energy can give you a quote. 3 thoughts on How much do Solar Panels Cost for your Home solar panels melbourne January 12, 2011 at 925 pm. Thank you for sharing the information with us. How much do solar panels cost This is undoubtedly the question were asked the most, and unfortunately it has no straightforward answer. We decided to pull together.
For most parts of the United States, an average of 4 5 k. Whmday can be achieved, though in some regions it is possible to achieve up to 8. To find the output for your area, please refer to this map put out by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL Resource Assessment Program. In the delineation k. Whmday, the k. Wh stands for kilowatt hour, with m being the area of the absorber, or in this case, the photovoltaic cell, put into square meters. Solar panels, on average, work at about 7 to 1. The Most Recommended Solar Panels Are Therefore, if you live in an area with an average solar radiation of 4. Whmday, and you have a total surface area of 1 m corresponding to 1. Whday 3. 15 Wattday estimating an average solar panel efficiency of 7. Step 2 Determine Your Average Energy Usage. Once you know how much energy you can expect to get from the sun, you can determine about how much energy you will need based on your current monthly energy consumption. If you dont have copies of your last 1. Energy Information Administration here. According to the chart, a consumer who lives in New Jersey, for instance, will use an average of about 7. Whmonth in electricity, while one in Alabama may use as much as 1. Wh of energy per month. Step 3 Calculate the Number of Panels Needed. Now that you know how much solar radiation is available and how much of it can actually be utilized by a solar panel, you can calculate how many photovoltaic solar panels you will need in order to replace your current source of electricity. You will need to find out the exact size of each cell in square meters, as well, which can probably be found on the website of, or in literature from, your manufacturer of choice. If we assume an average energy usage of 1. Wh per month, we will calculate Solar radiation x Surface area of the panels in m x 0. Estimated solar panel efficiency x Average days per month 3. We will then divide that number into 1. The average energy usage of 1. Wh per month. For example, in an area with solar radiation of 5 k. Whmday, with a solar panel of 2 m, the equation would be 5 Solar Radiation x 2 Surface Area of standard solar panels x 0. Solar Panel Efficiency x 3. Average n of days per month 2. Wh produced per panel each month. To cover at 1. 00 the month Kw usage of 1. Kw divide 1,0. 002. Here a more detailed description of how many 8. W solar panels are needed to power a homeStep 4 Calculate Upfront Cost vs. Long term Savings. For nearly everyone, the upfront cost of a photovoltaic solar system will be a major factor. However, with the yearly utility savings and the government incentives, it can be well worth the initial investment. A lot will depend on the size of the system you install. Considering a single 2 m of solar panel can generate 2. Whmonth and your electricity company charges an average of 2. Wh, you would save about 5. Solar panels could let you save 5. If that system costs 2. Governmental rebates Tax Credits may let you covercut the cost by 5. It would take you about 1. Kw Month it will cover at 5. In areas where the k. Wh cost is higher, the savings and pay off period could be significantly reduced, allowing you to pay off the system in less years. Here you can read more about the cost of solar panels, find all solar energy incentives here and find more info about solar leasing. How do I sell Solar Energy to a Utility Company This is available for grid tied solar systems. If youve taken or are thinking of taking the energy efficient step of installing solar power at your home or business, know that this move can be cost effective, too. The initial investment for a solar panel system can be quickly paid for by selling your surplus energy to a utility company. The government requires 4. District of Columbia to purchase surplus power from consumers. The way to take advantage of this process, and the subsequent rate you will receive for your surplus energy, varies by state. Here is a quick guide to getting the most out of your extra solar generated energy. Here more on how to sell solar energy to a utility company and how much to sell energy back to the grid. Step 5 Plan the Photovoltaic System Placement. Latitude. Angle of optimum. Key West, Taipei5. Houston, Cairo5. Albuquerque, Tokyo6. Denver, Madrid6. Minneapolis, Milano6. Winnipeg, Prague7. Above a nice table on solar panels orientation for winter months. A good rule of thumb to use when determining the correct tilt of solar panels is to find out the approximate latitude of your area and set the panels at an angle equal to that latitude. This should maximize the amount of solar radiation absorbed all year. If the southward facing roof on which the panels will be installed is slanted beyond the angle of your areas latitude, then the panels should be lifted at the bottom edges, in order to achieve the best radiation angle, whenever possible. For flat roofs, any of the four sides can be elevated to match the latitude angle. Here you can read more tips to find solar installers and photovoltaic system reviews. The Most Recommended Solar Panels Are Read more on. Solar Panels Cost Guide Prices Calculations. An average home in the United States requires approximately 2. Wh of electricity every day. An array able to produce this much power must 4 k. W or larger based on 5 sun hours per day. The average cost of a solar system of this size is 1. In This Guide. Average Cost and Factors that Affect it. To determine how much it would cost you to get PV panels installed to cover part or all of your electricity bill, you need to determine the following How many kilowatt hours does your home use per monthHow much roof area do you have to install panels on How many sun hours does your location get per day on average How much can you afford to invest in offsetting your energy bill Sun Hours Per Day Insolation for United States Click to EnlargeFor a more accurate estimate, here is a much more detailed map of solar energy potential http energy. Cost Per Watt by Country. Comparing worldwide prices 2. W residential solar power system was 4. Japan, 7. 7. 0 in Germany and from 5 1. United States based on a report by Renewable Sustainable Energy Reviews. Factors that Affect the Cost. Prices vary based on building and system configuration, the type and brand of equipment used and what company does the installation. The type and quality of panel as well as the size of the array affects the final price of an installation. Manufacturers price their products based on their efficiency and longevity. Panels that retain their efficiency longer are usually more expensive. Monocrystalline units are the most costly but generate the most watts per area, so you will need fewer panels and not as much space. Building integrated panels are also on the expensive end, but they are a good choice if appearance is important. You location can also have a big impact on the final price of a solar energy project. Federal and local governments in many countries offer financial incentives to make buying and installing systems more affordable. Prices also depend on local weather conditions. Due to limited sun hours per day, the cost per kilowatt installed is higher than in sunnier countries like Mexico. Grid Tie versus Off Grid Installations. Grid tie solar installations are connected to the utility companys power lines. If the home or business needs more electricity than it can produce it draws energy from the grid and if it is producing excess electricity, it injects it into the electrical grid. Electricity added to the grid is credited to the homeowner or business electricity bill. When power is drawn from the grid, this electricity credit is reduced. This process is called net metering and is accomplished with a bi directional or smart meter. There are also grid tied installations that reserve power in a battery backup that is used during power outages. They charge the batteries so that continuous power is available, even if the utility grid is down. When the outage is fixed, net metering resumes. System Size WattsMonthly Generation. Cost Range. 10. 00 3. Note This data does not take tax, installation, battery backup systems or racking into consideration and are before deducting any rebates or tax credits. They are based on 5 hours of insolated sunshine per day. Off grid systems are usually implemented in locations that are too remote to receive service from a utility. These systems can generate AC power that can run regular appliances and electric devices. They store power in batteries that are used to supply power when sunlight is not available. Those that generate DC power are used to power remote telecommunications gear, appliances used in boats and recreational vehicles as well as farm equipment. DC is less expensive than AC because it does not require an inverter. AC systems can power common home appliances. System Size Watts DCMonthly Generation. Cost Range. 20. 0 6. Note This data does not take tax, installation, battery backup systems or racking into consideration and are before deducting any rebates or tax credits. They are based on 5 hours of insolated sunshine per day. Payback Period Breakdown. The decision to install a solar energy system is often driven by environmental concerns andor economic incentives. Either way, it offers an ROI in line with other home improvement and remodeling projects. To calculate the payback period for the project, first find out the final installed cost per watt, the electricity cost per k. Wh in the area, and the average number of sunlight hours in the location. Once you know this information, you can use the graph below to figure out approximately what the payback time would be. The following chart displays how the value of electricity generated cents per k. Wh and the cost per watt paid to install a system dollars per watt affect the payback period. The less expensive the system was to put in and higher the electricity rate is in the area, the shorter the payback period is. For example, if the average electricity rate in your area is 0. Wh and the system was 4 per watt to install, then you can expect the payback time to be just under 1. Payback time can be affected by financial incentives, the financing rates and weather conditions. Locations such as the UK, Germany and Japan get much less sunlight as low as 2. Financial Incentive Programs. The US federal government, the UK government, and many other governments around the world offer business and residential tax incentives and rebates on the purchase and installation of solar energy systems. The federal tax credit covers a substantial portion of the cost of installation. State and local governments and local utilities also offer rebates and credits to help defray costs. Depending on your location, financial incentives and rebates can cover between 1. Details for the 3. Many countries have also enacted feed in tariffs that help guarantee a reasonable rate of return on renewable energy projects, which encourages the development of and investment in renewable energy sources. These programs typically involve owners being paid a much higher rate per watt they add to the grid than the price they pay for buying electricity from the grid. They essentially sell all the power they produce to the utilitygovernment at a high price and buy back what they need at a much lower cost. Some banks allow solar system installations to be rolled into a mortgage or offer special rates and terms to finance installations. Over the last 2. 0 years, the cost of these systems has decreased by a factor of 7. As the residential and commercial demand for solar panels increases and the efficiency of the technology improves, they will continue to drop and overall return on investment will rise. For more information, visit the US Department of Energys Sun. Shot program. How Solar Panels Work. A solar panel is a packaged, connected series of photovoltaic solar cells that generates electricity. Solar cells are typically made of silicon and use the photovoltaic effect to convert the energy of sunlight photons directly into direct current DC electricity. An inverter is then used to convert the DC power to AC alternating current power, which is the kind of power used by the electrical grid and almost all non battery operated electrical devices whatever you plug into the outlets in your home. Due to the relatively low efficiency of current cell technologies, each panel can only produce a small amount of power. Most installations require an array of panels. The size of the array of panels required to produce a given amount of power depends on the panels efficiency. To produce 3. 00 watts of power, a 7 efficient 3. The highest efficiency available for commercial units is approximately 2. Every panel is given a DC power output rating based on the results of standard testing. They typically range in rating from 1. They are also subject to about 0. Most carry a warranty that guarantees 9. Photovoltaic modules are usually either thin film or crystalline cells on wafers of refined silicon and are protected from the elements by sheets of glass and metal frames. Silicon is used because it is a semiconductor. When the suns radiation a photon hits a silicon atom, it can be absorbed and cause the emission of an electron. When many electrons are emitted inside a semiconductor, an electric current is produced. Silver or copper conductors draw the small currents off the entire array of cells and direct them into one output.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2017
Categories |