How Efficient Is A Solar Water Panel

Solar water heating can provide you with about a third of your hot water needs you could save between 55 and 95 per year on your fuel bills systems need little maintenance and the costs of it are very low most solar water heating systems come with a five to 10 year warranty lowers your carbon.

How efficient is a solar water panel.

The graph illustrates this variation for different types of solar panel. For the sake of example if you are getting 5 hours of direct sunlight per day in a sunny state like california you can calculate your solar panel output this way. High quality solar panels can exceed 22 efficiency in some cases and almost reach 23 but the majority of photovoltaic panels available are not above 20 efficiency. The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range.

Right now sunpower manufactures the most efficient panels on the market the series x which boast a whopping 22 8 efficiency rating. The higher the number the more energy efficient. In fact solar hot water heaters can usually cut your water heating expenses by anywhere from 50 to 80. Use the solar energy factor sef and solar fraction sf to determine a solar water heater s energy efficiency.

15 kwh day on a sunny summer day 7 kwh day on a sunny winter day typically water heating requires an energy input of 6 10 kwh day. There are a few other solar panel manufacturers that produce premium efficiency panels which all clock in with efficiencies above 20. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency. If a solar panel has 20 percent efficiency that means it s capable of converting 20 percent of the sunshine hitting it into electricity.

The solar energy factor is defined as the energy delivered by the system divided by the electrical or gas energy put into the system. Most solar panels are between 15 and 20 efficient with outliers on either side of the range. Solar water heaters require a hefty upfront investment in some cases around 5 000. The efficiency of a solar panel will vary depending on the temperature difference between the panel and its surroundings.

Positioning to maximise solar heat absorption. However after installation a solar hot water system will slowly start to pay back their value in the form of lower utility bills. Swhs are widely used for residential and some industrial applications. 5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh.

The graph shows the efficiency of solar panels as the average temperature inside the panel increases from ambient at the left hand side.