Toppenish Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Toppenish, Washington
Lattitude: 46.3807
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 4 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.4 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.4 hours per day
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 Toppenish, Washington.
Sunlight hits the earth directly at the equator. This is why the equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The latitude of Toppenish is 46.4. Knowing the latitude of Toppenish 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.
Although most things are out of our control, like the sunrise, sunset or the weather, we can control the angle and the kind of mount we use for a solar panel. The angle of the solar panel, if using a fixed mount, should generally be around the angle that is equal to the latitude of the location to maximize output. In the northern hemisphere, panels angles should be lower in the winter months and higher in the summer months As a fixed mount is set, it is ideal to place it at an angle that will capture the most sunlight during the year. A 1-axis tracking solar mount will track the sun across the sky from sunrise to sunset, but the angle will remain the same throughout the day. A 2-axis solar mount will track the sun throughout the day from East to West, but the angle will also change automatically as the seasons change and the angle of the sun in the sky changes. Thus, a 2-axis will have a higher rating of peak sun hours compared to the 1-axis or fixed.
Looking at latitude, average peak sun hours and various data can obviously help when planning for your solar power needs. The one thing you can never fully account for is changing weather. Storms, rain, cloud coverage all have an impact on solar panel capabilities.
For Toppenish the number of average daily peak sunlight hours for a fixed solar panel is 4 hours. If you are using a more efficient 1 or 2-axis panel then the number will increase to 5.4 hours for a 1-axis panel and 6.4 hours for a 2-axis panel.
Helpful & Interesting
What are different types of energies?
In the simplest terms, energy is the ability to do work. Energy is also represented in terms of any source of usable power. In different ways, energy is used to do almost everything such as jumping, walking and the operation of machinery. For instance, the foods human consume contain energy which is stored in the body and converted into energy every time we engage in any duty or work such as sports. The stored energy is termed as potential energy while the working energy is termed as kinetic energy.