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Solar Generated Electricity: Effects of Sunlight Hours and Sun Angle (Part 6)

By Daniel Stouffer

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 26Jun2008
Word count: 832
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In the following article, we will get into details regarding how the sun angle effects solar energy production for residential systems as well as explain some of the common characteristics of home solar power. Interesting enough, we find reflected light can actually produce substantial amounts of energy. This is great news for areas of the country covered with snow for much of the year.

The Sun's Irradiance Throughout the Day

Many graphs and charts, found on the Internet via searching, show a solar cell module's output when it faces south throughout the 4 days following the fall equinox. These graphs most often show a bell curve of the power output, where peak production occurs around 12 to 1pm with a morning ramp-up and a decline as the sun goes down. This is due to intensity of light as well as deflection. As the days get shorter, the total irradiation falls as expected. The sun no longer is directly square with the panels, since it is lower in the sky.

Panel Tracking Devices for Home Solar Energy Systems

The best way to get around this decline in energy output is to place the solar array on a tracking device to keep it in direct sunlight for more time throughout the day. Take the example of a sunflower as a reference. The sunflower wakes up in the morning facing due East to catch the morning sun. As the day progresses, the sunflower turns its head to track as much sunlight as possible. Ever wonder why a sunflower gets so tall? They soak up as much sun as possible.

There are two different types of tracking systems for residential solar energy units. There are other more creative choices, like mounting on fences or poles, but the following are most common.

1) Horizontal or flat mount array favors the summer months when the sun is highest.

2) Fixed angle at the optimum tilt angle yields the most kWh for a fixed array over the course of the entire year.

These two types of tracking systems create dramatically more exposure and higher sun hours all year long, but still more in the summer months. This relates to the overall need to calculate and take into account the total amount of energy required per month and per year then average out to the highest electric needs on a monthly basis. All of this data is included with the solar energy sizing estimates.

There are single axis tracking solar systems that track the sun from east to west. There are also dual axis tracking solar systems that track both from east to west and up and down, following the sun's altitude and azimuth to optimize production throughout the season. In the winter, the sun is much lower in the sky than in the summer therefore solar energy systems that can tilt up or down have a greater chance of catching all of the sun's energy.

Forms of Sun Irradiance

The sun reaches the solar panels in various paths, not just directly from a sun's beam being directly overhead. Because of this fact, there may be good generation of solar electricity on even overcast days or when you would not think the sunlight is of proper intensity.

There are three types of irradiance. 1. Diffuse Irradiation: Scattered light comes from the whole sky. Diffuse is completely absent on a crystal clear day with no clouds or haze and is highly available on cloudy hazy days or in places with lots of smog.

2. Direct Irradiation: A beam of sun light goes straight from the sun to the solar module and directly interacts with the solar cells

3. Reflected Light (i.e. the Albedo effect): This is light that is reflected or scattered by the ground or nearby surfaces like trees or other buldings. Snow gives off a lot of this albedo light and grass or dirt gives off very little.

Sun Path Diagrams and Home Solar Energy Systems

A sun path diagram plots the position of the sun throughout the year. This is very useful when designing and installing solar arrays, to optimize the performance by determining the best angle and to avoid shadows from trees, vents, other buildings, etc. Taking into account the sun's path as it crosses your property will help you optimize and best determine where to place your solar panels and whether you may need a specific type of solar array tracking devices.

Expanding Options for Residential Solar Energy

New solar energy technology is continually coming to market that takes the idea of solar power to a new and simpler levels. Homeowners, while it is very useful to know the nuts and bolts of solar power systems, do not have to know the level of detail as presented in this article. New solar technology and home solar panel rental services provide energy efficiency and better control of power consumption. These solar power rental programs enable electric services that are more responsive, more reliable, and more renewable.

At Solargies, our mission is to spread the use of renewable energies as simply as possible. We provide U.S. homeowners the option to rent a solar electric system. We also offer entrepreneurs a no cost method to build their own solar energy business. Find out how at: => http://www.solargies.com/Solar_Energy_Business.htm

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