Chula Vista Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours

Solar Green Energy Summary for Chula Vista, California

Lattitude: 32.6281

Sunlight

Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.1 hours per day

1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 7.2 hours per day

2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 8.5 hours per day

Peak sun hours is one of the most important criteria to examine when considering installing a solar power system. Peak sun hours are different than total sunlight hours in a day because the strength of the radiation of the sun varies throughout the day. For example, during sunrise and sunset the solar insolation from the sun is less powerful than at noon. For a moment of sunshine to be considered a peak sun hour the intensity needs to be at least 1 kilowatt per square meter. This means that a square meter of your solar panel should be receiving 1 kilowatt of energy from the sun. This number is used because it is an amount of light that allows a solar panel to produce output efficiently and not under perform due to lack of sunlight power.

The latitude of the location is important for measuring peak sun hours. The latitude determines how much overall sunlight there will be in a day. With a given latitude, time and date, one can accurately determine when sunrise and sunset will occur. Areas with latitudes closer to the equator will have a more consistent range of solar insolation throughout the year. Whereas areas closer to the poles will have a greater variance during the summer and winter months due to their higher latitudes.

They type of solar panel you use has an affect on the average peak sunlight hours. Some panels allow for movement, so they can track the sun as it rises in the east and sets in the west, or as the seasons change and the sun's path changes. A fixed panel remains fixed and does not have the ability to rotate, whereas a 1-axis and 2-axis panel can adjust with the sun.

Weather is a big determinate of average peak sun hours each day. There are many aspects of weather that can increase or lessen the peak sun hours in a day in a particular location. For example cloud coverage is a crucial variable. And more importantly, what type of cloud coverage; thin scattered clouds will have less diminishing power on the solar insolation than thick rainy storm clouds. Sometimes long periods of sunny days are rare in certain locations, this would increase average peak sun hours for that time-frame

Since we know the latitude of Chula Vista we can take the average amount of total sunlight hours and estimate that with a fixed solar panel there would be an average of 6.1 peak sun hours per day. 7.2 hours per day with a 1-axis tracking mount that tracks the sun from sunrise to sunset, and 8.5 hours with a 2-axis tracking mount that tracks the sun everywhere in the sky.


Solar Businesses in Chula Vista, California

333 H St #5000
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 600-0050
Visit Website



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *