How Many Solar Panels Do I Need For 1000 Kwh Per Month

How much power a solar panel can make depends on its size and place near the sun.

Most residential solar panels, like the Solar Earth INC Solar Panels, have power rates of 100 to 400 watts. If your 400-watt board gets four hours of the sun’s hottest hours daily, it can make up to 1600 watt-hours (Wh) of energy daily.

You can turn this into 1.6 kWh per day and increase that number by 30 days to get the output for the whole Month. In this case, a 400-watt solar screen makes about 48 kWh of electricity monthly. 

This estimate is based on the idea that the solar system is perfect, which is impossible. Your solar panel will not work well when it rains, snows, is dirty, or other weather conditions.

Solar panels sometimes collect their total amount of power, though. A solar array may lose 10 to 20 percent of its power because of weather and dirt. 

Let’s look at some reasons solar energy production is going down.

Temperature

Solar panels are generally tested at 77F (25C) to determine their power ratings. Right now, this is the best temperature for solar cells. 

Things are sometimes different in the real world, though. Solar panels won’t work as well when it’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. 

You can lessen the effects of bad weather by installing solar panels in the best way possible. Leave a space between the top and the panels to allow cool air to flow in hot places. You can also put fans over the hot boards to cool them down or move cold water near them to soak up some heat. 

In cold places, snow is the biggest worry. If it snows a lot where you live, you’ll need to either put in a heating system or clear away the snow by hand after a storm. Even a panel that is only partly covered could make the rest of the system useless. 

In snowy places, the slope of the solar panels is also very important. The best tilt is 53 degrees. If snow is on the panels, they might not take in full sunlight. Researchers have found that snow can cause as much as 1.6 to 5.3% of the sun’s energy to be lost yearly. 

Dirty Solar Panels

You want them to get as much sun as possible to get the most power out of them. When dirt and grime build-up, they can block a lot of sunshine from reaching the photovoltaic cells. Your panels will stay clean if it rains, but that’s not always enough. 

Check your screens often to make sure they are clean. If you see dirt building up, you should give them a hose-down. You can scrub the panels clean once or twice a year to keep them in great shape. 

Wiring and Inverters

Power loss is common in solar systems because of the other parts that make them up. A small amount of power can be lost on long wire runs, like the ones that go from the panels to the battery or from the battery to the rest of the house. 

Another thing to remember is that solar panels give off direct current (DC), but most homes use alternating current (AC). These factors mean that a DC to AC generator is needed in most home setups; these devices cause a slight power loss.