Solar energy is increasingly being used as a source of energy for businesses and homes. In this way, we are hearing more and more about it every day and several questions arise on the subject, like how much energy does a solar panel produce.
Therefore, the general public, for not having such a vast knowledge, ends up getting a little “lost” in relation to the subject — and one of these questions is around solar panels, for example: how much energy does a solar panel produce, how the panels work, is it a good idea to look for solar panels for home, among other questions.
Thus, in today’s text, we will talk more about solar panel and answer the main questions. Follow with us and learn more. Let’s get to the text!
Importance of solar energy
The best known source of energy is the electrical energy generated by hydroelectric plants. Although it works very well, it is not considered a renewable way of producing energy, mainly due to the fact that it needs large amounts of water, which sometimes proves to be unsustainable.
In this way, more and more people are looking for other ways to generate energy, privileging renewable sources. As a result, more and more ways of generating energy through renewable sources are gaining prominence, such as wind in wind energy and sunlight in solar energy.
How does solar energy work? Explained easily
Both energies are used extensively. However, solar energy has to show itself better for residential installations, as it works according to the size of the house, without needing a large turbine, as in wind energy, which ends up being a better option for companies, farms, among other larger places. that make the investment a good option.
However, this does not mean that solar energy is “cheap”, but in comparison it is one of the cheapest ways to obtain alternative energy.
In addition, investing in solar energy proves to be smart, as in most cases the savings generated in the electricity bill practically pay for the installation and due to its long lifespan, it proves to be quite efficient to save money.
Welcome to this whole new world, solar energy brings together several factors that contribute to its popularization: it does not harm the environment and saves money, at least in the medium to long term.
Facts that arouse more and more people’s desire to know more about solar energy and also about the solar panel, which is basically the main component behind solar collection systems.
The sun as an energy source
The sun has been, since the beginning of humanity, something shrouded in a lot of mystery and fascination. That’s because, he was always shining in the sky during the day. In this way, several peoples worshiped the sun and sought an explanation for it.
And not only that, it was its clarity that allowed humanity to evolve. That’s because everything happened during sunny days, and at night, people hid, precisely because they didn’t have light and solar heat.
Jumping further down the timeline, it becomes increasingly clear that the sun is fundamental to life, whether it’s warming humans or helping to develop agriculture among other things.
If we look at it coldly, the very creation of electrical energy, in a way, sought to replicate sunlight. Even before, where people basically used fire to light the houses and streets.
Of course, in addition, electrical energy allowed many other things, such as keeping electrical equipment, machines in companies on, and basically, it helped to develop everything we know today. Bringing more and more technologies.
However, the human being’s quest to understand and enjoy the sun is undeniable.
Skipping over a few hundred years and centuries, we reach the point where human beings learned to use the sun’s rays as a source of energy.
Culminating in the creation of the solar panel and other components of the generation system. Bringing the possibility of using the sun as a renewable source of energy.
What is a solar panel?
The solar panel is the main component of a solar power system. This is because the panel is responsible for capturing the sun’s rays and converting them into electrical energy.
Solar panels, also known as solar panels, are basically “mirrored” rectangular structures responsible for receiving sunlight on them.
In general lines they are placed on top of roofs, facilitating the incidence of sun. Because they are placed on roofs, they usually have a certain inclination between 30º and 60º, which facilitates solar capture at times.
There are some “double” plates that capture sunlight from both sides. However, the most used are those that capture energy only on one side.
Its operation basically consists of capturing the sun’s rays during sunny periods. Inside the plates, the technology is responsible for converting the sun’s energy into direct current electrical energy, sending it to the energy network that supplies the home or business.
As we know, the equipment and the electrical network of homes and businesses operate on alternating current.
Before going straight to appliances, lamps and outlets, the energy passes through the converter, another very important device in a solar energy system. Where electrical energy in direct current is converted into electrical energy in alternating current, making it compatible to be used.
How much energy does a solar panel produce?
To answer how much energy a solar panel produces, you need to understand some technical details.
Energy is basically measured in kilowatts, or kW, and kilo watt-hours, or kWH. You shouln’t worry about that, the correct question is how many kW and kWh a solar panel can generate.
For this question, several criteria are considered:
Panel power
The power of the board corresponds to the ability to capture and convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy. That way, the more power the board has, the more energy it will power overall.
Installation area
As we are talking about solar energy, the sun is one of the main factors. It’s important to keep in mind: depending on the location, the ability to capture energy will be greater or lesser.
Therefore, certain areas will benefit even more, as they will guarantee greater incidence of solar, in addition to facilitating capture.
Seasons
Climate issues are also very important when thinking about energy production. This is because places with a lot of rain generate moments of shading, where solar panels lose the ability to capture the sun’s rays satisfactorily.
A common mistake is to think that solar energy has to do with heat. However, luminosity is much more important, since it is from sunlight that energy is produced.
However, it is common for months with more sun, such as summer, to be more productive to maximize energy generation.
Thus, the more sun, the more results, but it does not mean that a sunny day at 40ºC generates more energy than a day with the same amount of sun, but at 25ºC.
The determining factor is how much sunlight the solar panel is able to absorb and consequently turn into usable energy. Even more so that the temperature is not only related to the sun, but also to factors such as humidity and vegetation.
However, it is 100% correct, that the more sunlight, the greater the amount of energy generated. Therefore, the amount generated will vary greatly depending on the day, the season, among other determining factors.
Size and dimension
The size of solar panels will also dictate a lot about power generation. In this way, a larger solar panel will have more area to capture energy and, consequently, will generate more energy.
Of course, we are also talking about cost. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the correct size very well.
This is because when using a much larger size than you need, this will generate a much higher cost to install and, consequently, may not prove to be interesting from a financial point of view.
Number of plates
This is one of the most determining factors, because it is not possible to have a solar capture system with just one solar panel.
For this reason, when installing, it is necessary to check the necessary amount of solar panels to be able to generate the necessary amount of energy.
Power generation capacity of a solar panel
A 200 Wp solar panel produces an average of between 24 and 40 kWh per month, which is between 800 and 1300 Wh per day.
On top of that, it produces between 100 W (0.1 kW) and 165 W (0.16 kW) per month, with a consumption of around 8 hours a day.
All this taking into account the above criteria, where a privileged location will have the absorption capacity about 20% more efficient. In addition, the daily period of peak sun will be decisive for this equation.
As seen above, cloudy and rainy days will compromise the power generation capacity of solar panels.
Solar energy production calculations
Read below the calculation of monthly consumption and how many kWh and kW are produced by a solar panel in Brazil, as an example. If you want to check the numbers for United States, we recommend this Forbes text.
How many kW does a solar panel produce?
A 200 kWh solar panel produces about 0.27 kW, while 330 kWh plates have a generation capacity of about 0.45 kW. 400 kWh plates produce approximately 0.55 kW and 660 kWh plates produce approximately 0.91 kW.
To calculate how many kW a solar panel produces, it is possible through the monthly consumption volume (kWh) divided by the number of hours used, which on normal days are between 6 to 8 hours a day, 4 days a week, 4 weeks a week. month.
How many kWh does a solar panel generate?
A single 100 Wp panel has the possibility to generate between 12 kWh and 20 kWh per month.
However, energy losses must be considered in the calculation of monthly consumption, considering that systems with off-grid batteries lose about 35% of energy and on-grid systems, lose approximately 20%.
In this way, it is necessary to establish a parameter, such as an average of approximately 150 W on a 1 square meter panel.
After that, it is necessary to multiply the result by the solar irradiation rate of the region, thus having the value corresponding to the daily generation of energy.
How many Wh is produced by a solar panel?
Based on a panel with a capacity of 100 Wp, its daily production will vary between 400 and 650 Wh. For a solar panel with a capacity of 200 Wp, the result will be double, and so on.
Thus, it is quite simple, always varying between 4 and 6.5 times the amount of Wh in relation to Wp. Always taking into account the climatic and location factors that we pointed out above, which greatly alter the energy generated by the solar panel.
Is solar energy renewable?
Yes, it is! The sun is an — almost — inexhaustible source of energy. This star in the center of our galaxy will keep providing energy for billions of years until it dies, so, you don’t need to worry about that.
Attention!
Now that we understand in general terms about the function and energy generation of a solar panel, it is necessary to bring up a very important subject: the specialized workforce.
As we have seen above, the capacity of the solar panel varies a lot and it is necessary to have correct calculations to ensure that the solar energy system generates a sufficient amount, while not generating unnecessary extra expenses.
In this way, all stages of the installation of a solar energy system must be carried out under the care of trained professionals. In addition, it is also necessary to seek quality equipment to ensure the best results.
That’s because only qualified professionals will ensure that all steps work. That way, it won’t do any good to have the best system in the world, if it is misused, placed in a bad place or even if it is poorly installed.
Bearing in mind that, in general, the value of equipment and installation is divided by 50% each.
So, it is common for people to look for savings at one end. Where almost always, it ends up being left over for the workforce.
Don’t make this mistake.
If you are looking for a solar panel for your home or business, you have to worry a lot about the workforce. Look for the best professionals and guarantee great results for your pocket.
