Home » Solar Turbine » North Dakota » Harwood

When trying to calculate your solar power needs there are a variety of factors to consider. Panel type and location, electricity needs, number of panels needed etc. One key to figuring out the math is factoring in the average peak sunlight hours in a day. Unlike total sunlight hours, peak sunlight hours are only when the sun is strong enough to power your solar panel. Using this number can help determine your needs to power your home or business in Harwood, North Dakota.

Sunlight hits the earth directly at the equator. This is why the equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The latitude of Harwood is 47.0. Knowing the latitude of Harwood can help you plan for your solar panel setup, as the larger the latitude the more variance you will see throughout the year for total daily sunlight hours.

They type of solar panel you use has an affect on the average peak sunlight hours. Some panels allow for movement, so they can track the sun as it rises in the east and sets in the west, or as the seasons change and the sun's path changes. A fixed panel remains fixed and does not have the ability to rotate, whereas a 1-axis and 2-axis panel can adjust with the sun.

Weather is one of the major culprits that will cause inconsistent total peak sun hours for any given day. The sunrise and sunset will always be predictable every day, but the weather is hard to predict and cloud coverage can greatly diminish the efficiency of a solar power system on any given day. On the bright side, a location that is known to have cloudy weather a majority of the year could have unexpectedly more sunny days, so it can go both ways.

For Harwood the number of average daily peak sunlight hours for a fixed solar panel is 5.3 hours. If you are using a more efficient 1 or 2-axis panel then the number will increase to 5.8 hours for a 1-axis panel and 6.3 hours for a 2-axis panel.