How Much Power Can A Solar Panel Produce?

Posted by rohit on October 7th, 2019

Very often we ask this question to ourselves, how much solar power does commercial solar panels produce per square foot? This question goes to the heart of figuring out what size of commercial solar panel system you need. The price of a photovoltaic solar system depends on the kilowatt hours of the system or how much commercial solar power can be produced by the panels.

How Much Energy Can Commercial Solar Panels Produce?

In most of the systems, solar cell technology combines a strong copper backing with ultra-pure silicon and a light-trapping glass surface. As compared to conventional panels, these panels are 30 percent more efficient at generating energy.

So, you might think, if a solar panel, 3-and- ¼-feet wide by 5-and- ½- feet long, is rated to produce 360 watts, then per square foot must produce about 20 watts. Well, that’s not true. The real test of any solar system comes when we get to know how well it works in real world conditions. Only a well designed solar system can handle temperature, spectrum, angle and amount of light aptly and thus, produce the maximum amount of power per square foot.

Temperature

Many people associate solar energy with heat as heat is associated with sunlight, but if there is too much heat, the solar system may not work effectively. If the temperature goes beyond 77° Fahrenheit, there will be a drop-off in power production. However, some solar systems are designed in a way that they minimize these losses in energy production.

Spectrum

If you think that solar panels don not work on cloudy days, the you are wrong. There is a wide spectrum of light during the day time. Some of it is visible and some of it is invisible, like infrared and ultraviolet light. Clouds may block a lot of light, but they do not block the entire spectrum. So, even if you have fewer solar panels to suit your daily power need, you will be able to produce sufficient energy.

Angle

Every solar installation is different, as your office building will have a specific orientation to the sun. A solar installer usually installs solar panels facing south to capture the most direct sunlight. But the sun rays always hit at different angles at different time. Some solar panels are built with "anti-reflective glass," which allows the light to enter the panel and bounce back into the solar cell, in order to harness as much power as possible.

When you get the solar panels installed, you should get a system that generates the highest amount of power you can afford. The more power is generated, the faster you can pay off the system and start saving the maximum amount of money.

commercial solar, commercial solar panels