Peak Sun Hours and Your Residence

Most of us intuitively know that there is more sunlight on average in a state like Arizona as opposed to Ohio which has very cold, snowy and overcast winter season. While this does not mean that solar power is impractical in areas with less sun light, it does mean that some careful planning will be required to construct an effective system.

Solar panels are oriented differently depending upon where they are installed. When located in the southern hemispher, solar panels are directed at "solar north." Conversely, panels located in the northern hemisphere the panels are directed at "solar south." The actual angle is dictated by the geographic location and latitude of the installation.

The amount of solar energy that can be captured is measured as the amount of full sunlight per m2 (that is meter squared). The term Peak Sun Hours actually means the average amount of sun light that can is received per day over the course of a year.

Peak sun is defined as 1000W/m2. A watt is a measure of energy. One hour of full sun light produces 1000Wh per m2 which equals 1kWh/m2. Said plainly, this is the amount of solar energy that can be received on a cloudless summer day on a surface that is 1 meter by 1 meter.

In order to plan for an installation you need to find out what the number of peak sun hours are for your location. There are a variety of sources for this information, including the following site:

http://solar4power.com/solar-power-insolation-windo.html