Unalakleet Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Unalakleet, Alaska
Lattitude: 63.8961
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 2.8 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 3.5 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 4.5 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 Unalakleet, Alaska.
The latitude at the equator of the earth is zero degrees. This is where sunlight strikes the earth most directly. Due to the earth's curved shape, sunlight hits at a various angles depending on location. As latitude increases, the further you are located from the equator and more variance you see in sunlight hours. The latitude of Unalakleet is 63.9.
Depending on your output needs, to get more out of your solar panels you can either upgrade your technology, buy more panels, or buy different tracking type panels. A fixed solar panel remains fixed at one angle throughout the year. A 1-axis panel will produce more output because it follows the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset to maximize sun exposure. Even more productive is a 2-axis panel that not only follows the sun's path throughout the day, but also accounts for the more subtle sun changes throughout the year with the different seasons.
Although weather predicting technology has greatly evolved over time, it is still a rather unpredictable factor that will affect the amount of peak sun hours your solar power system will receive. Cloudy days for example will usually have lower peak sun hours that a clear sunny day. And areas that usually have more average sunny days per year will probably have higher peak sun hours that areas that are often overcast or stormy.
In Unalakleet you can look at the average peak sun hours of a fixed solar panel mount, which will be 2.8 hours. This number iis an estimate based on data of previous years. With a tracking mount in Unalakleet you could theoretically increase the amount of peak sun hours per with a 1-axis mount, and get 3.5 hours, or a 2-axis mount and potentially increase your average to 4.5 hours.