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Peak sun hours is arguably the most important number to consider before installing your solar panels. Unlike total sun hours, peak sun hours are calculated by looking at the amount of sunlight hours in a 24 hour period that is strong enough to be absorb by a solar panel. One way to imagine peak sun hours is to think about a solar powered calculator you owned in school. If you covered the solar panel with your finger, or tried to use the calculator in the dark, the calculator would not work. As you slowly exposed the calculator to light the calculator would eventually turn on and be usable. The same is true with peak sun hours; these are the hours that your solar panels receive enough sunlight to work. Looking at the average peak sunlight hours of 6.2 per day can help you determine the amount of solar panels you need to install to power your home or business in Eagar, Arizona.

Sunlight hits the earth directly at the equator. This is why the equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The latitude of Eagar is 34.1. Knowing the latitude of Eagar 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.

You will notice that the average peak sun hours for Eagar change based on the type of panel being used. The reason for this is quite simple. A fixed panel does exactly what it sounds like, remains fixed in one position at all times. A 1-axis and 2-axis panels have axis that allow them to rotate. The 1-axis rotates with the sun's daily east to west movement while a 2-axis also adjusts for seasonal changes.

There are more variables than latitude that can change average peak sun hours. Weather patterns and geography will influence solar insolation that reaches your system. Thick grey storm clouds for example will block out a lot of the sun to the point where there may be no peak sun hours in the middle of the day when the sun is usually very powerful. Trees and mountains can deflect the sunlight, so be sure your solar panel is selectively placed.

In Eagar you can look at the average peak sun hours of a fixed solar panel mount, which will be 6.2 hours. This number iis an estimate based on data of previous years. With a tracking mount in Eagar you could theoretically increase the amount of peak sun hours per with a 1-axis mount, and get 8.3 hours, or a 2-axis mount and potentially increase your average to 8.7 hours.