As the price of solar continues to drop and as many people continue to realize they can go solar with no money down; many solar considerers are on the fence because solar is still yet to go mainstream and the technology is now being demonstrated by innovators and early adopters.
While some solar considerers are changing their perception based on the experiences of the early adopters and information that is currently available today with the discovery of online solar tools. Online solar tools help potential solar buyers determine whether solar is good for them by the click of the mouse. Continue reading to find out more about these online solar tools.
The most common questions asked by most solar considerers are: can solar meet my energy needs? can solar power my appliances? lights, heating, computer, or television and so on. Innovators and early adopters of solar have demonstrated the answer to this question. These groups of solar adopters have demonstrated that solar panels are able to meet all or most of your energy needs based on your geographic location and the size of your solar power system.
Since solar is able to run your home or business; the question: Are solar panels worth it? is very relevant as with solar there is “no one size fits all solution” because there are very many variables that are considered when making the decision about whether to go solar.
These variables are site-specific and hence different for all households or businesses. In that regard, the amount of sunlight varies from place to place while solar panels come with different efficiencies while and how much of energy needs can be met with solar also vary based on these variables.
So, what are these variables that will determine how much of your energy needs can be with solar?
How many solar panels do I need?
The sizing of your solar panels system depends on your current energy consumption and the amount of sunlight hitting your rooftop. The most important thing to note is that solar power is not generated from the heat from the sun, but by the light hitting your roof and hence for people that live in cold climates, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have solar power to keep you warm and run your house.
All you need is light from the Sun that hits your solar panels to cause movement of electrons through a semiconductor material like silicon. Innovators and early adopters of solar power have demonstrated that you can get a good amount of solar power even on worst looking days.
So, how many solar panels do I need? Let start by saying an average U.S. household consumes 11,000 kWh per year and depending on your geographic location, design of your roof and the direction of your roof is facing; it is possible to generate this amount of electricity using solar panels.
You can actually run your household or business 100% on solar panels and the technology has proven that it is possible, however, this will come with a considerable cost because you will be required to buy battery banks to store excess solar energy which is collected during the day when the Sun is readily available.
The stored solar energy is then used at night when the sun goes down. EnergySage estimates that a typical homeowner will need between 28–34 solar panels of standard efficiency to power his/her home (dependent on the location and size of the roof.)
What will determine a household or business to run 100% on solar panels is the number of solar panels to be installed. Locations with a good potential of solar irradiation (sunlight) like California will require small solar panels system compared to areas like Boston that have less sunny days. Geographic locations will less sunny days need bigger systems or will require more efficient solar power systems if they were to run 100% on solar. Larger or efficient solar power systems mean more solar energy is harvested and hence such systems will cost more money to install.
How much rooftop space do I have to place my solar panels?
If you were to meet all your energy needs with solar panels, it means you need enough rooftop space to place your solar panels. However, this depends on whether you are willing to spend more money in buying energy-efficient solar panels and hence use less space on your rooftop. The more efficient your solar panels are, the less space is required, but the more money you will need to spend in order to go solar.
Although these days you can get your solar panels financed with no money down and therefore you can still enjoy these benefits without having to buy these solar panels. Learn more about going solar with no money down.
Decision online solar tools can assist you to decide about solar today.
It used to be very difficult to decide about solar until recently when decision online solar tools were developed by companies like EnergySage or Geostellar. There were many myths to debunk, as there was a general lack of adequate information about solar when it comes to its affordability, usability or to prove whether it works and can help families or businesses save money.
Also since the technology is still new; good case studies about where solar had worked were not easily available to help many potential buyers answer the question: Are solar panels worth it? Also getting reliable, qualified or licensed solar installers was not as easy, because there were no good reviews about them or pre-screened resources of installers that you could use to determine the best installers in your area.
Thanks to online solar tools that have helped to fill these gaps and nowadays at the click of your mouse it is now possible to get solar quote estimates. Also to make it even better these tools are free to use to start obtaining free solar quotes where you don’t have to put any money down to go solar.
These online solar tools will help you determine how many solar panels do I need? And when you register you will be able to determine the below factors for free.
How much sunlight is hitting your roof?
Cost of solar
How much can I save with solar energy?
Going solar with no money down
Get started today with EnergySage and start comparing which solar energy plan is right for you as there is “no one size fits all solution” because your solar energy potential and the size of your roof is different from any other.