How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t so easy to find. All kinds of variables come up in this seemingly simple calculation: the intensity of the lick, variations in the size of the Tootsie Pop itself, the weather, and more.
Predicting how much solar power it will take to power your house is a lot like expecting how many licks it will take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Different variables can affect how much energy solar panels can generate, so there’s no simple answer.
That’s why we’ve created this article to answer the question: “How much solar power do I need for my house?” First, we will give you an overview of many variables that can affect solar power generation. From there, we’ll discuss the average amount of solar panels needed to power your home and how to get the most out of your solar panels.
Let’s get started.
The factors that affect solar power production
On any given day, there are a lot of different factors that can affect solar power production. They include:
- Sunlight hours
- Weather conditions
- The tilt of your panels
- Where your panels are located
- The efficiency of your solar panels (their power rating)
Other factors include the age of your panels and elements that create very tiny variations over time, like how clean your panels are.
How much energy does your home need?
Power generation is only one of the factors that determine how many panels you’ll need – and remember that power generation may vary from day to day. The other chief factor is power consumption – you’ll need at least as much power coming in as the amount you’re consuming (and, at times, you’ll probably need more).
You can calculate how much energy your home uses by looking at the bill from your utility – they’ll often tell you how much energy you use in a month (which you’d divide by 30 to get your daily use) or in a quarter (which you’d divide by 3, then by 30 to get your everyday use). According to the Energy Information Administration, the average US household uses about 877 kWh/month.
There are, of …….
Source: https://thumbwind.com/2021/10/14/how-much-solar-power-do-i-need-to-run-my-house/