How Much Electricity Do Solar Panels Produce Per Square Foot
A common size solar panel array is usually around 5kw and takes up around 400 square feet of space.
How much electricity do solar panels produce per square foot. How much energy does a solar panel produce per square foot. This is typical for residential solar panels being sold in the us in 2020. That translates to just over 15 watts per square foot. An array of this size can produce an average of 350 850 kwh of ac energy per month.
For a 300 watt solar panel with dimensions 64 inches x 39 inches 1 61 meters squared or 17 31 square feet the peak instantaneous electricity production per square foot at stc is 14 58 watts per square foot. Solar panels lose wattage as temperature increases and this is represented as a percentage loss per degree celsius. Because of the variables pinning down exact numbers is tough. Therefore it is very possible to generate enough energy to cover 100 of your needs.
For instance if you have a panel that puts out 265 watts and is 65 4 by 39 inches in size the energy produced per square foot would be around 15 watts. Simply put once you know how much power each panel puts out simply divide it by the square feet of the panel. The average sized solar panel takes up an area of 17 6 square feet and produces 265 watts under direct sunlight. But at 20 watts per square foot a system rated to produce 2 kilowatts would cover roughly 150 square feet while a 3kw system would take up about 225 square feet.