San Luis Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours

Solar Green Energy Summary for San Luis, New Mexico

Lattitude: 35.7009

Sunlight

Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 6.4 hours per day

1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 8 hours per day

2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 8.2 hours per day

Peak sun hours is arguably the most important number to consider before installing your solar panels. Unlike total sun hours, peak sun hours are calculated by looking at the amount of sunlight hours in a 24 hour period that is strong enough to be absorb by a solar panel. One way to imagine peak sun hours is to think about a solar powered calculator you owned in school. If you covered the solar panel with your finger, or tried to use the calculator in the dark, the calculator would not work. As you slowly exposed the calculator to light the calculator would eventually turn on and be usable. The same is true with peak sun hours; these are the hours that your solar panels receive enough sunlight to work. Looking at the average peak sunlight hours of 6.4 per day can help you determine the amount of solar panels you need to install to power your home or business in San Luis, New Mexico.

The latitude at the equator of the earth is zero degrees. This is where sunlight strikes the earth most directly. Due to the earth's curved shape, sunlight hits at a various angles depending on location. As latitude increases, the further you are located from the equator and more variance you see in sunlight hours. The latitude of San Luis is 35.7.

You will notice that the average peak sun hours for San Luis change based on the type of panel being used. The reason for this is quite simple. A fixed panel does exactly what it sounds like, remains fixed in one position at all times. A 1-axis and 2-axis panels have axis that allow them to rotate. The 1-axis rotates with the sun's daily east to west movement while a 2-axis also adjusts for seasonal changes.

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.

We can take the latitude of San Luis and use that number to know the amount of total sunlight hours in the region from sunlight to sunset and estimate that with a fixed solar panel, San Luis will receive 6.4 average peak sun hours per day. This number can be increased to 8 hours by using a 1-axis tracking mount, or 8.2 hours from a 2-axis tracking mount.


Solar Businesses in San Luis, New Mexico




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