Saint Helen Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours

Solar Green Energy Summary for Saint Helen, Michigan

Lattitude: 44.3579

Sunlight

Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 4 hours per day

1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.4 hours per day

2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.5 hours per day

If you put your solar powered math calculator in your backpack it will turn off from the lack of sunlight needed to power the device. As you slowly open your backpack and begin to let sunlight in, the calculator will eventually turn on when the amount of sunlight is enough to power the calculator. Similarly, peak sun hours refer to the hours of they day where the sunlight is strong enough to power a solar panel. This is different from total sunlight hours, which is simply the amount of hours in a day when there is any sunlight.

The equator has a latitude of zero while Saint Helen has a latitude of 44.4. Any city located on the equator will receive the most sunlight throughout the year because the sunlight arrives at a perpendicular 90 degree angle to the earth at the equator. The further you are from the equator the more your daily sunlight hours can vary.

Depending on your output needs, to get more out of your solar panels you can either upgrade your technology, buy more panels, or buy different tracking type panels. A fixed solar panel remains fixed at one angle throughout the year. A 1-axis panel will produce more output because it follows the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset to maximize sun exposure. Even more productive is a 2-axis panel that not only follows the sun's path throughout the day, but also accounts for the more subtle sun changes throughout the year with the different seasons.

Looking at latitude, average peak sun hours and various data can obviously help when planning for your solar power needs. The one thing you can never fully account for is changing weather. Storms, rain, cloud coverage all have an impact on solar panel capabilities.

Using the latitude of Saint Helen along with historical data of sunlight and weather patterns we can estimate that a fixed mounted solar panel will receive an average of 4 hours per day in this area. That number can be increased with better technology including add a 1-axis or 2-axis tracking mount, which would increase the average peak sun hours per day to 5.4 hours and 5.5 hours, respectively.


Helpful & Interesting

A geyser is a vent in the Earth's surface that periodically ejects a column of hot water and steam. A lava fountain is an example of the amount of heat stored in the Earth. Geysers, lava mountains and hot springs are all natural examples of geothermal energy.


Solar Businesses in Saint Helen, Michigan




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