Scranton Solar Power Information & Peak Sun Hours

Solar Green Energy Summary for Scranton, New York

Lattitude: 42.7406

Sunlight

Fixed Tilt Sunlight Hours: 4.3 hours per day

1-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.4 hours per day

2-Axis Tilt Sunlight Hours: 5.6 hours per day

The average amount of peak sun hours in a day is a different and more useful number as it relates to solar panels than total sun hours. Total sun hours are exactly what you would expect; the total amount of hours that the sun is out during a 24 hour period. Peak sun hours, on the other hand, are the total number of hours in a day where the sunshine is strong enough to to be absorbed and used by solar panels. Sunlight early in the morning or late at night is often not strong enough to count toward peak sun hours. Because of this, total sun hours will always be more than peak sun hours. Looking at the average peak sun hours in Scranton throughout the year can help you better estimate the amount of solar panels you will need to power your business or home.

The equator has a latitude of zero while Scranton has a latitude of 42.7. 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.

Although weather predicting technology has greatly evolved over time, it is still a rather unpredictable factor that will affect the amount of peak sun hours your solar power system will receive. Cloudy days for example will usually have lower peak sun hours that a clear sunny day. And areas that usually have more average sunny days per year will probably have higher peak sun hours that areas that are often overcast or stormy.

In Scranton you can look at the average peak sun hours of a fixed solar panel mount, which will be 4.3 hours. This number iis an estimate based on data of previous years. With a tracking mount in Scranton you could theoretically increase the amount of peak sun hours per with a 1-axis mount, and get 5.4 hours, or a 2-axis mount and potentially increase your average to 5.6 hours.


Solar Businesses in Scranton, New York




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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