How Much Solar Power my Rooftop Energy System can Produce?
Do you know how much solar power your rooftop energy system generates? Many homeowners are curious about how much free electricity and money their roof can generate with solar panels on the rooftop.
In this article, We’ll go over how to determine the amount of solar energy you may create with a rooftop energy system. Also, we will highlight how beneficial it is for a homeowner if the rooftop solar produces more electricity.
How to calculate the electricity generation by Rooftop Energy System?
The obvious answer is “The more than your house needs”. According to the calculations, If every square foot of roof space on the average American home is utilized, roughly 97 solar panels can be installed on a roof. Resultantly, your rooftop energy system can generate about 31 kilowatts (kW) of electricity.
In a nutshell, when you consider that the average American home uses roughly 10,600 kWh of electricity per year, you’ll need more than five times that amount to run your entire home on solar.
Rooftop Solar Panel System Power Calculation Process
To get a calculated number, several factors need to be considered let us assume:
- The roof size is 1,700 square feet (Average U.S. roof size)
- Solar Panels of 17.5 square feet, having 320-watt power
- The average sun hour is 5 hours per day
Firstly, you need to figure out the number of solar energy panels that can fit on your rooftop. Now let’s assume that you can use all of your roof space for installing a rooftop energy system. That is 97 panels (1,700 square feet divided by 17.5 square feet per panel).
When we multiply that number of panels by each panel’s 320-watt power output, we get a system size of around 31 kW. Finally, when you consider total solar hours throughout the year, 31 kW amounts to around 80,000 kWh of production each year (31 x 5 hours x 365 days).
Solar Power Generation by State
Of course, many assumptions we make for each solar panel setup vary. Geographic location is one of the most important differentiators. It directly affects the number of hours of quality sunshine your solar panel system will receive. We selected 5 hours a day as our average above–how here’s that number (and our final estimate) changes across the country. While, we assume a 1,700-square-foot roof and 320-watt solar panels:
Solar Power Generation by Rooftop Size
Roof size is another method to analyze solar power generation potential in case of rooftop energy system. The below graph compares solar generating potential dependent on roof size, using the same parameters as before: 320-watt solar panels, 17.5-square-foot panels. And also considering solar panels on every accessible inch of roof space.
The final assumption is significant since, in reality, you can’t use every square inch of your roof for solar. Likewise, Solar Panels can’t run all the way to the edge of your roof, and you’ll almost certainly have obstructions like vents or chimneys to contend with.
Factors Influence the Electricity Generated by your Rooftop Energy System
· How much SPACE available on your roof?
Space estimation depends upon the number of solar panels you need to install for fulfilling your power needs. Most of the panels are about 6.5 feet x 3.25 feet.
With Solar SME FREE consultation, you can know exactly about the number of required solar panels.
If your roof is not in a triangle shape, or there are barriers like dormers, chimneys, ventilation pipes skylights, etc., Solar SME experts can still make it possible to install solar on your rooftop. Our experts can work around such splitting the panels up a replacement and utilizing every possible part of it.
· How much SUNLIGHT your roof receives?
As we know, solar panels use sunlight to produce power for the home. Sunlight is the central input for a solar home to generate energy for the home. That is why it is essential to have an idea about the amount of sunlight receives. The more sunlight it receives, the more power your solar panels will generate. Resultantly the more savings you will achieve.
To analyze your roof whether is a good candidate or not, you can use a free solar panel suitability checker tool like Google’s Project Sunroof. After that, you can consult with some solar company to inspect the orientation, angles, or shading aspects. This helps to analyze the required sunlight requirement for fulfilling home needs.
· What is the ANGLE or PITCH of your roof?
Solar Panels’ Direction and Pitch play a vital role in the work efficiency of solar panels. The right direction leads to receiving good sunlight and producing much power for your home. If the panels are at the wrong angle, not receiving a good amount of light, they may not be work as efficiently.
According to the energy experts, the solar panels facing towards the South gets more sunshine than other direction. You can install panels in other directions also but maybe it requires some more solar panels or high-power panels to meet the home energy needs.
- Is the roof of your home having SHADE?
Before installing solar panels, you must observe the shading around your roof. It is necessary because any shadow over your roof reduces the total amount of daily sunshine hours.
Shade is usually provided by trees and, in some cases, other structures. The great news is that trees can often be trimmed or cut. Preferably, direct sunlight can reach the roof from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You can consult with Solar SME for the inspection. Our site surveying team employs satellite technology to rapidly identify potential shading problems and provide solutions. They will assist you in determining your home’s winter and summer sunlight exposure capacity to decide whether there is enough to power your home regularly.
Why not take a further step with Solar SME FREE Solar Consultation? Our energy experts are always available to help you through this. And if we determine that there is insufficient space, you will be able to balance a portion of your energy usage and standardize your costs. In either case, with the prospect of significant savings on electricity bills, it never hurts to inquire!
