Bethel Island Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Bethel Island, California
Lattitude: 38.0289
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.8 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.8 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.7 hours per day
Looking at the average peak sunlight hours in Bethel Island is a valuable number for determining your solar power setup. Peak sunlight hours are only the hours a day in which the sunlight is strong enough for the solar panels to do their job. Not every hour of sunlight was created equal. For example, solar panels do not provide much use during early sunrise and sunset, and therefore you should not look at total hours of sunlight in a day, but instead focus on peak sunlight hours. Using this number will provide a much better estimate of your needs for setting up panels in Bethel Island, California.
If you’re using a fixed axis and fixed tilt solar panel, the ideal angle of the panel mount should be set at an angle equal to or close to the latitude of the location of the panel. Latitude is a valuable measurement to use when figuring how many daylight hours and the angle of the sun in the sky for your location. Since at locations with a higher latitude the sun will find itself at more variable angles in the sky throughout the year it is important to set the angle of the panel correctly and efficiently capture more peak sun hours. In the Northern Hemisphere the sun will be at lower angles in the Southern sky in the winter, and higher angles during the summer months, so the angle of the panel is crucial when trying to maximize output.
Throughout the day the sun obviously moves throughout the Bethel Island sky. The suns position in the sky also changes throughout the year with the seasons. A fixed solar panel does not accommodate for these changes. However, a 1-axis panel rotates and follows the sun’s path during the day. A 2-axis panel both follows the sun’s daily path as well as the seasonal differences
Peak sun hours are greatly affected by weather patterns. Cloud coverage is a huge factor in peak sun hours per day because heavy cloud coverage will diminish the power of the solar insolation. You can use historical climate data to estimate average cloud and weather coverage, but it will obviously vary slightly from year to year.
For Bethel Island the number of average daily peak sunlight hours for a fixed solar panel is 5.8 hours. If you are using a more efficient 1 or 2-axis panel then the number will increase to 6.8 hours for a 1-axis panel and 7.7 hours for a 2-axis panel.
Helpful & Interesting
How much power does a 5kW solar system produce?
A 5kW solar system will generate approximately 20kWh per day, depending on your location and a variety of other factors. The average home in Australia uses about 16kWh per day. Note that this does not mean installing a 5kW solar power system will automatically give you a $0 electricity bill, as most households use the majority of their electricity at night when the sun isn't shining