What Affects Your Solar Energy Output?

Solar technology has been around for a while, but it wasn't until recently that the technology has advanced significantly enough to be implemented in a large scale with a relatively smaller price and higher efficiency. You might want to buy solar panels to start making energy in your home, but you need to know how much energy they will produce and at what price in order to make a good investment.

Many factors are responsible for the final power output of your solar system, and it is important to know them to predict your system's performance. Some factors are variable and others are fixed, but you can take steps to predict them. Here are some of the most important:

Weather is crucial in determining your final power output and the bad part about it is that it is variable. Sunny days are great but sometimes it is cloudy or hazy and that will block some of the sun rays thus making you lose a percentage of your available energy. This might seem obvious but the time of the day is a huge factor too. Your system will perform best at noon, and won't produce any power at night; as simple as that.

The solar panel maximum rated power is the most important factor to consider in your system. They are rated when the sun is at its maximum power under clear skies and properly tilted right in the equator, and although this power output might not be applicable in your area, it will give you a nice estimate of the capacity of your system. Max rated power can range from 5 to 250 watts, so it is important to determine the size and amount of power you require.

Your geographical location is another factor that affects your solar system performance. The closer to the equator the more energy you have available, so at the poles the intensity of the sun rays will be so low that your system will be very inefficient.

When you install your system you have to decide a tilt angle. Depending in your location the tilt angle will be different, but choosing the optimal angle is crucial to make the most of your system; failure to do so will result in decreased efficiency and power output.

There is plenty of data available that will help you set up your system correctly. There is historical solar data in most parts of the world that will help you predict your system performance, and with this, you can also calculate your return of investment.