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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 Skyland, Nevada.

Sunlight hits the earth directly at the equator. This is why the equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The latitude of Skyland is 39.0. Knowing the latitude of Skyland 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.

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.

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.

Since we know the latitude of Skyland we can take the average amount of total sunlight hours and estimate that with a fixed solar panel there would be an average of 6.1 peak sun hours per day. 8.3 hours per day with a 1-axis tracking mount that tracks the sun from sunrise to sunset, and 8.7 hours with a 2-axis tracking mount that tracks the sun everywhere in the sky.