Riverton Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours
Solar Green Energy Summary for Riverton, Wyoming
Lattitude: 43.0416
Sunlight
Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6 hours per day
1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.1 hours per day
2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.2 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 Riverton, Wyoming.
Knowing the latitude of Riverton will help estimate average peak sun hours for your area. The latitude is used to accurately estimate the time of sunrise and sunset, thus giving you the total hours of daylight each day. Once you know the total hours of daylight, you can estimate the amount of peak sun hours based on a number of variables such as weather, time of year, the angle of the solar panel.
You will notice the difference in peak sunlight hours depending on the panel type. The more flexibility the solar panel has the efficient it can be throughout the day and the year. A fixed solar panel remains in the same position at all times. A 1-axis panel follows the sun throughout the day as it moves through the sky and eventually sets. A 2-axis panel not only tracks the daily movement, but also adjusts based on the sun's changing position in the sky throughout the year as the seasons change.
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.
In Riverton you can look at the average peak sun hours of a fixed solar panel mount, which will be 6 hours. This number iis an estimate based on data of previous years. With a tracking mount in Riverton you could theoretically increase the amount of peak sun hours per with a 1-axis mount, and get 7.1 hours, or a 2-axis mount and potentially increase your average to 7.2 hours.
Helpful & Interesting
Does Wyoming use hydroelectric power?
Wyoming has 16 of the largest U.S. natural gas fields, with two of the fields ranked in the top 10. Wyoming typically consumes less than one-tenth of the natural gas it produces, with more than half of that gas used by the state's industrial sector; mainly in the production and distribution of energy.