One term that often stumps solar energy enthusiasts is peak sun hours, or peak solar hours. This might sound like a complicated term reserved for scientists and engineers, but actually, it’s a straightforward concept that plays an important role in the efficiency of your solar panels.
If you’ve been wondering what peak sun hours are, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we will explore this concept in detail and shed light on how it influences your solar energy output.
What Are Peak Sun Hours: A Detailed Explanation
The term peak solar hours doesn’t refer to the number of daylight hours, but is a way to measure solar energy. A peak solar hour is a measurement that indicates one hour with an intensity of sunlight of 1,000 watts per square meter.
That measurement is based on the average intensity of sunlight on the Earth’s surface when the sun has reached the highest point on a clear day, measured at sea level. Peak sun hours are the hours you can expect to get that intensity on your solar panels. It doesn’t refer to the moment (or hour) that the sun has reached it highest point – you’ll usually get multiple peak sun hours in a day.
If you’re in an area that gets five peak sun hours, it means you get the combined equivalent of five hours of sunlight at the maximum intensity of 1,000 Watts per square meter. The challenge is to find out your peak sun hours and optimize your solar array for it.
Why Are Peak Solar Hours Important: The Influence on Solar Power Production
The peak solar hours influence how much energy your solar panels can generate. In simple terms, the more peak solar hours, the more potential your solar panels have to generate power. This is because solar panels generate power based on the intensity of sunlight they receive, not merely the number of hours the sun is up.
To put this into context, let’s consider two locations: one with 3 peak solar hours and another with 6 peak solar hours. If you have the same solar panel system installed in both locations, the one in the location with 6 peak solar hours will generate twice as much electricity as the one in the location with 3 peak solar hours.
However, peak solar hours also dictate the optimal time for your solar panels to work. As the sun’s position changes throughout the day, so does the intensity of the sunlight your panels receive. This affects the amount of electricity your panels can generate.
Understanding peak solar hours for your location allows you to optimize your solar energy system and maximize its output. By knowing when the peak solar hours occur, you can also adjust your energy consumption habits to use more power during these hours, when your panels are generating the most electricity.
Understanding Peak Solar Hours: A State-By-State Guide
As we alluded to before, peak solar hours aren’t the same everywhere. They can vary quite significantly from one location to another. To further help you put this into practice, we’ve compiled a comprehensive state-by-state guide of peak solar hours, based on this map from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Some states, like Texas, have a wide range of peak solar hours, because of its varied geographical and climatic conditions. So, if you’re residing in El Paso, your solar panels might experience different peak hours compared to someone living in Houston. Conversely, in smaller, more climate-consistent states, the peak solar hours remain more or less the same throughout.
Our table below gives you the minimum, maximum, and average peak solar hours in your state based on the numbers for the whole year.
| High | Average | Low | |
| Alabama | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Alaska | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Arizona | 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Arkansas | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| California | 7.5 | 5.8 | 4.0 |
| Colorado | 7.0 | 5.8 | 4.5 |
| Connecticut | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Delaware | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Florida | 5.9 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| Georgia | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Hawaii | 7.0 | 5.5 | 4.0 |
| Idaho | 6.4 | 5.2 | 4.0 |
| Illinois | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Indiana | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Iowa | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Kansas | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 |
| Kentucky | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Louisiana | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Maine | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Maryland | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Massachusetts | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Michigan | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Minnesota | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
| Mississippi | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Missouri | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Montana | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| Nebraska | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| Nevada | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| New Hampshire | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| New Jersey | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| New Mexico | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| New York | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| North Carolina | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| North Dakota | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Ohio | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Oklahoma | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 |
| Oregon | 5.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Rhode Island | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| South Carolina | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| South Dakota | 5.9 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| Tennessee | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Texas | 7.5 | 6.0 | 4.5 |
| Utah | 7.4 | 5.7 | 4.0 |
| Vermont | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Virginia | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Washington | 4.0 | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| West Virginia | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Wisconsin | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Wyoming | 6.4 | 5.2 | 4.0 |
It’s important to remember that these figures are the average throughout the year. For comparison, we’ve taken the maps of February and August, where you can clearly see where the average comes from.
How Understanding Peak Solar Hours Influences Solar Panel Selection
Making the right choice in solar panels is an integral part of building a solar energy system that is efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable. If you’re wondering if peak solar hours affect your choice of solar panels, the answer is yes, in three ways.
1. Type of Solar Panels
Different types of solar panels, like monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film, each have varying efficiency rates and cost points. Knowing your peak solar hours can help you determine which type will provide the best return on investment. For instance, in areas with fewer peak solar hours, you might go for high-efficiency monocrystalline panels to maximize the solar energy captured.
2. Size of the Solar System
The number of peak solar hours can also dictate the size of your solar system. If your location has a high number of peak solar hours, you may not need as large of a system to meet your energy needs. In areas with fewer peak solar hours, you’d need a larger system to generate sufficient power.
3. Angle and Orientation of Solar Panels
The angle and orientation of your solar panels also play a key role in optimizing for peak solar hours. For example, in the Northern Hemisphere (all of the US), panels should face south to capture the most sunlight. Adjusting the tilt of your panels to match your latitude can further optimize for peak sun hours.
By understanding your peak solar hours, you can tailor your solar panel selection to your specific needs and environmental factors, which gets you optimal energy generation and cost savings. Remember, investing in solar energy is not just about purchasing panels and installing them. It’s about creating a system that works best for your specific circumstances, and peak solar hours are a significant factor in that equation.
Peak Solar Hours: Key to Cost Savings and Efficiency
How exactly does understanding peak solar hours translate into cost savings and efficiency? Let’s look into the connection between savings and peak solar hours.
Greater Efficiency
By aligning your solar panels’ orientation and tilt with the sun’s path, you get the most sunlight during peak solar hours. This results in maximized energy production, reducing reliance on the grid and reducing your electricity bill.
The higher your peak solar hours, the more energy you’ll produce, directly decreasing your utility bill. This is particularly important for net metering systems where excess electricity can be sold back to the grid.
Shorter Payback Period
By leveraging peak solar hours, you can generate more power and speed up your solar system’s payback period. This means you’ll reach the point at which your savings equal your initial investment quicker. From then on, it’s pure savings.
In the realm of solar energy, understanding and optimizing for peak solar hours is key to efficiency and cost savings. It allows you to make the most out of your solar investment, bringing both financial and environmental rewards.
How to Calculate and Optimize for Peak Solar Hours
Calculating peak solar hours and optimizing your solar setup may seem like a daunting task, but it’s simpler than it sounds. It’s all about understanding the sun’s path in your specific location and making a few strategic decisions about your solar panel setup. Let’s break it down:
1. Determine Peak Solar Hours
Use solar insolation maps like the one above or online tools that provide peak sun hour data based on your geographical location. Remember, this is the average number of hours your panels will receive the equivalent of full, direct sunlight in a day.
2. Orient Panels Correctly
Solar panels in the US should typically face true south. This alignment ensures they receive the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day.
3. Adjust Panel Tilt
Your panels’ tilt angle should be adjusted to match your latitude for maximum efficiency. This angle allows your panels to capture the most sunlight during peak solar hours on average throughout the different seasons.
Understanding peak solar hours in your area and optimizing your solar panel setup accordingly can maximize your solar energy production.
We hope that this guide to understanding the importance of peak solar hours has helped illuminate how they contribute to efficient solar power generation and substantial cost savings. For more information on going solar, check out our Facebook group.