Thompson Springs Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Thompson Springs, Utah
Lattitude: 38.9636
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.4 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.7 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 8.6 hours per day
It goes without saying that throughout the year the amount of sunlight in any given day is going to vary. The time of year and weather will have a strong influence on daily sunshine. Looking at the average amount of peak sunshine hours in a day during an entire year stretch is a valuable exercise when trying to determine the amount and type of solar panels you need to install to power your business or your home. 6.4 peak sun hours means that in Thompson Springs on average there are 6.4 hours a day where the sun is strong enough for solar panels to harness its energy. This number is less than the amount of total sunlight hours in a day because there are times during the day (ex. sunrise and sunset) where the sun is not strong enough to benefit solar panels.
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 Thompson Springs is 39.0.
They type of solar panel you use has an affect on the average peak sunlight hours. Some panels allow for movement, so they can track the sun as it rises in the east and sets in the west, or as the seasons change and the sun's path changes. A fixed panel remains fixed and does not have the ability to rotate, whereas a 1-axis and 2-axis panel can adjust with the sun.
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.
We can use previous years of data to estimate the amount of peak sun hours in Thompson Springs. A fixed tilt mount for example will receive 6.4 average hours per day. For more efficiency for your system in Thompson Springs you could use a 1-axis tracking mount and increase your daily peak sun average to 7.7 hours, or even further with a 2-axis panel to get an average of 8.6 hours.
Helpful & Interesting
How many watts does my refrigerator use in a day?
For example if the annual kWh rating is 875 kWh, divided by 365 days will give you about 2.4 kWh per day, which means the average wattage (accounting for all factors) is about 100 watts. Click calculate to find the energy consumption of a refrigerator using 180 Watts for 24 hours a day @ $0.10 per kWh.