When to Use Solar Gereration System？

• April 15,

• Solar

People are turning to solar energy as a feasible option for powering their homes and businesses as energy costs rise. When building a solar system, it&#;s important to understand how and when solar panels function best so that you can determine whether you&#;ll get the most out of your investment.

Click here to get more.

When the sun is shining, solar systems work best. However, the intensity of the sun&#;s radiation varies. It changes depending on the region, the days of the week, and the seasons.

Solar panel design and performance

The quality and efficiency of solar panels play a vital role in determining the total quantity of solar panels. Another feature is micro inverters, which can maximize power conversion at the source. Some panels absorb more sunlight, while others are thicker and more resistant to cracking and corrosion.

Solar panels will provide more electricity as their efficiency improves. Because the panels produce more watts, the number of solar panels on the roof is reduced. It is possible to use larger, less efficient panels at a cheap cost when the roof area is large. There are several factors to consider when choosing the right panels for a small roof area.

Similar solar systems may produce various quantities of energy depending on the quality and efficiency of the system. Because the days are longer and the sun is higher in the sky during the summer, the same system can create twice as much electricity.

For a solar system to perform optimally, it must be installed by a qualified installer. Solar panel installations that aren&#;t up to par will reduce energy production, lowering the return on investment.

Time of the day Solar panels work best

Photovoltaic cells, or solar cells, turn sunlight into electricity. Solar panels create electricity all day, but only when the sun shines directly on them, they produce the most. The ability of solar panels to generate electricity is determined by the angle at which the sun&#;s rays strike the modules.

When the sun is shining, solar systems work best, and hence solar power generates energy by that time of day. The strength of the sun&#;s radiation varies with the brightness and angle of the sun throughout the day and seasons, affecting the quantity of electricity your solar power system generates. During the day, the peak solar generation occurs between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The peak sun hour occurs when solar irradiance reaches a power density of 1,000 watts per square meter. Daylight hours are not the same as peak sun hours. Solar radiation peaks at midday, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky.

The amount of sun obtained by the solar panels is determined by seasonal differences along with the location of the house and the position of the solar panels.

In this way, more electricity will be created by your solar panels. The light intensity will decrease as the afternoon proceeds into the evening, and solar power output will be nil as the sunsets. So, in general, the optimal period to install solar panels is between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, depending on where you reside and the time of year, the actual hours and timings will change slightly.

Have you read: Will Solar Panel Work at Night?

Number of hours a solar panel works each day

Solar panels work and create electricity during daylight hours in the spring, summer, winter, and fall. The amount of solar power created, on the other hand, changes greatly throughout the day and over the seasons.

The angle and sunshine vary throughout the year; during the day, so will the output of your solar panels. The days are longer, and there is often more sun in the summer than in any other month, especially in comparison to the winter. In general, the months of October through April will witness the highest solar panel electricity generation.

During the winter, days are significantly shorter than during the summer. This means that the solar system will be on for a shorter period each day, producing less average electricity each day.

Working in morning hours

At sunrise, photovoltaic (PV) cells generate an electrical current, which continues until the sunsets. This sends a signal to the rest of the power system that electricity is available from the panels. Solar-generated electricity will nearly always take precedence over grid-supplied electricity. Solar power generation will be used if needed, but if additional power is needed, it will use electricity from the grid if additional power is needed.

Working during the night

The PV cells have no work to do after the sunsets. However, this does not indicate that the solar-generated energy that has been stored throughout the day has vanished.

A system owner can save money by utilizing the electricity stored in the capacitors indicated above during the evening and nighttime hours. Evenings are often the most expensive times of the day for energy usage. The system will switch to grid-sourced electricity once the capacitors have used up all of their stored energy. It&#;s easy to see that today&#;s solar power generation system is specifically built to make the most of both solar-generated and grid-supplied electricity.

Orientation

The optimal time to use solar power in terms of energy production and the number of hours it is working at its greatest efficiency is determined by the orientation of your panel.

Solar panel location and orientation are just as crucial as the type of solar panel that works in a particular setting. When the Sun&#;s rays strike the solar panel perpendicularly, the greatest energy is captured. Orienting solar panels in the right direction and tilting them will help them produce the most energy by exposing them to the highest sunlight intensity for the longest time. Solar tracking devices allow some solar arrays to follow the Sun, considerably increasing energy production.

If you need help determining the ideal time to use solar electricity for your property, or if you have any other solar-related questions, call Waaree Energies now and get the best estimates.

You can also read: What Should Be The Best Angle For A Solar Panel Installation?

Understand when your solar panels produce the most electricity and how to make the most of it.

Why is this important? Because maximising the solar electricity you use from your rooftop solar is the best way to lower your electricity bills and reduce the carbon footprint of your household. 

Relying less on electricity imported from the grid and using clean (and free!) solar energy is the first step towards energy freedom. 

Here are three things to consider when using your solar panels to ensure their full potential: 

1. When your solar panels are producing the most electricity 
2. How to make the most of your solar electricity 
3. When (and why) to use solar monitoring

&#;

How to determine when your solar panels are producing the most electricity

Check the orientation of your solar panels

The position of your solar panels will determine what time of day they are producing the most electricity. Like the windows that fill your home with the best natural light, the ideal orientation for solar panels is north. 

North-facing solar panels will give you the biggest window of solar electricity for your home. 

However, if your solar panels are facing east or west, don&#;t worry! They will still be generating solar energy and reducing your electricity costs. Their window of solar power will just be slightly different. This is important to know if you want to maximise solar electricity usage in your home. 

Use your solar at the best time of day

The best time of day to use solar-generated electricity is during the middle of the day when the sun is the strongest, usually between 9am - 3pm. These peak times can vary depending on the orientation and tilt of your panels but also where you live and the time of year. Check which direction your rooftop solar panels face to find when they produce the most energy (you can ask your solar installer or retailer if you're unsure!). 

North facing panels will produce the most between 9am &#; 2pm while west facing panels generally reach their peak output between 2pm - 5pm

While these are general indications of when your solar panels will be producing the most electricity, the best way to track your solar energy output is by using a solar monitoring app. 

Daily solar production view in the Solar Analytics dashboard

Qianyun supply professional and honest service.

&#;

What is the best time of year to use solar?

It&#;s not just you who has less energy in winter; even your solar panels feel that seasonal shift when it gets cold outside. 

Depending on where you live, and your proximity to the equator your solar panels will produce more or less electricity in winter compared to summer. The further away you live from the equator, the more drastic the seasonal changes will be. 

According to Solar Analytics data from the last seasonal year, if you live in NSW, the average solar production during winter drops to about 64% of what&#;s generated in summer. 

Interested in the seasonal shifts in your state? Check out this table to see the differences.

This means that you should be more mindful of how much electricity you use from your solar system in winter as it is producing less electricity than in the summer months. 

&#;

What else can affect your solar?

Clouds

Have you ever wondered how cloudy days affect the amount of solar your system generates? It may be less than you think. We took a look at how clouds affect your solar energy production here. A  smart monitoring system can help you track those variations and adjust your electricity usage accordingly 

Shading

Sometimes a small amount of shading can have a dramatic impact on your solar panels and reduce the amount of electricity they are producing. Shading from trees and nearby buildings could be what's affecting your solar electricity output if you have noticed a slump. Keeping nearby trees pruned will be your best bet in limiting shading to your solar panels. Although it can be tricky to quantify the amount of solar output lost to shading, the best option is to install a smart solar monitoring system, like Solar Analytics, to calculate the amount of energy lost due to shading. 

&#;

How to make the most of your solar electricity

Load shifting - It can save your household on bills

Once you know when your system is generating the most electricity, the next thing you should consider is how to maximise this free electricity for your home. 

Start looking at the energy habits of your household and identify the appliances (especially the power-hungry ones) you could schedule to run during the day when your solar system is producing the most energy. Set your appliances with timers such as washing machines or dishwashers to run during the middle of the day so that they use solar electricity instead of electricity from the grid. 

This is called load shifting.

Why does using more solar lower your bill?

You might be thinking, my unused solar electricity is sold back to the grid isn&#;t that a good way to lower my electricity costs? 

While this can help offset your electricity bills, the smarter option is to gobble up as much of that solar energy as possible for your own use. You are paid far less for the electricity you export than the electricity you import from the grid. 

State-Specific Variations: Electricity Expenses and Solar Feed-In Tariffs

It&#;s true that different energy plans on the market vary greatly.As of the NSW average: 

• Cost of electricity imported from the grid is 28.5c/kWh
• Solar feed-in tariff rate for solar electricity exported to the grid is 6.2-10.4c/kWh

These average costs vary by state, if you a/.re interested in the electricity costs and feed-in tariff rates for your state, find out more here. 

This means the average cost of electricity can be three to four times that of the solar feed-in tariff rate. 

But the cost of solar electricity? FREE!

Check out more tips on how to lower your power bill or even eliminate it.  

&#;

How solar monitoring can help you make the most of your solar without the hard work!

What is solar monitoring?

Solar Monitoring helps you to understand your solar system and make the most of it. It captures data to help keep you informed when it comes to your energy production and performance.

Not only can solar monitoring help you to identify if your system is working properly, it can also help solar experts to diagnose and solve any problems with your system.

Read more about solar monitoring. 

How will solar monitoring help you?

Without solar monitoring, knowing when and how to use your solar is just a stab in the dark. 

The power of solar monitoring: A smarter, greener home

Using a solar monitoring system will take the guesswork out of optimising your home energy production and consumption, helping you save money and strive towards a greener home. 

A good quality solar monitoring system, like one from Solar Analytics will help you: 

• Understand when you produce and use electricity including how much you import and export to and from the grid
• Track your big energy loads and understand when it&#;s best to use them 
• Make sure your solar system is performing at its best taking into account shading and local weather
• Track your savings over time
• Find the right electricity plan based on your household electricity usage, showing you how much more you could save each quarter

The Solar Analytics Dashboard will provide all of this in a user-friendly dashboard helping you save on average an additional $500 per year!

&#;

Key takeaways

So now you&#;ve got a handle on the best times to use solar power you're one step closer to lower electricity bills and a greener home!

Here is what you need to remember if you want to maximise your solar power:  

1. Find out what times of day your solar panels are producing the most electricity 
2. Make the most of your solar electricity - Shift your home appliance use to when the sun is shining 
3. Install a good quality solar monitoring system with Solar Analytics

&#;

Want more information on Solar Gereration System? Feel free to contact us.