Fowler Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Fowler, Colorado
Lattitude: 38.1296
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.8 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.6 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 8.8 hours per day
Peak sun hours is one of the most important criteria to examine when considering installing a solar power system. Peak sun hours are different than total sunlight hours in a day because the strength of the radiation of the sun varies throughout the day. For example, during sunrise and sunset the solar insolation from the sun is less powerful than at noon. For a moment of sunshine to be considered a peak sun hour the intensity needs to be at least 1 kilowatt per square meter. This means that a square meter of your solar panel should be receiving 1 kilowatt of energy from the sun. This number is used because it is an amount of light that allows a solar panel to produce output efficiently and not under perform due to lack of sunlight power.
Although you can easily predict sunrise and sunset hours each day to the minute, looking at latitude can help with your solar planning. The closer you get to the equator the closer your latitude gets to zero. Sunlight hours on the equator are consistent throughout the entire year. Places further from the equator can have large variance in daily sunlight. For example higher latitudes can have very long summer days with lots of sunlight and very dark winters. The latitude of Fowler is 38.1.
Throughout the day the sun obviously moves throughout the Fowler 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
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.
In Fowler you can look at the average peak sun hours of a fixed solar panel mount, which will be 6.8 hours. This number iis an estimate based on data of previous years. With a tracking mount in Fowler you could theoretically increase the amount of peak sun hours per with a 1-axis mount, and get 7.6 hours, or a 2-axis mount and potentially increase your average to 8.8 hours.
Helpful & Interesting
What are some examples of potential energy?
An example of an object with potential energy would be an apple sitting on the edge of a building 50m above the ground. A bullet fired from a gun is an example of mechanical kinetic energy, while the gunpowder before firing is an example of chemical potential energy.