The number of solar panels required for producing 2000 kWh per month depends on which type of solar panel we have installed, the wattage of the solar panel, and peak hours of sunlight in a day. In this article, we’ll go through the details of these topics and will solve our query of how many solar panels do I need for 2000 kWh per month.
Calculation of the number of solar panels
- In the first step, we have to convert the monthly usage of 2000 kWh into the daily usage by dividing it by the number of days in a month which is 30. The daily energy usage will be (2000 kWh per month / 30) which is equal to 66.67 kWh per day.
- In the second step, we have to find out the peak hours of sunlight we get in our area. Each city in the US gets a different hour of sunlight in a day which will affect the performance of the solar system.
- In the third step, we need to calculate the size of the solar system in KW which is calculated using the daily kWh hours usage and dividing it by peak hours of sunlight in a day.
- In the fourth step, we have to convert the KW size of the solar system into watts by multiplying it by 1000.
- In the fifth step, we have to calculate the number of solar panels required, which is solar system size in watts divided by the efficiency level of a solar panel and panel size in watts. To put it simply, the number of solar panels required is equal to the {size of the solar system in watts/ (Efficiency level X Watt of the solar panel)}.
The efficiency level of solar panels is the level at which the solar cells convert the percentage of the sun’s energy into electrical energy. Therefore, it gets affected by the angle of the solar panel, the dirt, and snow on the solar panel, etc.
If we install the 100 W of solar panels
Here is the number of solar panels requirement for each city in the US, if we install 100 watts of solar panels:
| City | Daily Requirement | Peak Hours of Sunlight in a Day | Size of Solar System in kWh | Size of Solar System in Watts | Efficiency Level | Number of Solar Panels Required (100 W) |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 66.67 kWh | 6.5 hours | 10.26 kWh | 10,256.41 W | 0.80 | 128 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | 66.67 kWh | 6.5 hours | 10.26 kWh | 10,256.41 W | 0.80 | 128 |
| Los Angeles, California | 66.67 kWh | 5.6 hours | 11.90 kWh | 11,904.76 W | 0.80 | 149 |
| Denver, Colorado | 66.67 kWh | 5.6 hours | 11.90 kWh | 11,904.76 W | 0.80 | 149 |
| Austin, Texas | 66.67 kWh | 5.3 hours | 12.58 kWh | 12,578.62 W | 0.80 | 157 |
| Miami, Florida | 66.67 kWh | 5.2 hours | 12.82 kWh | 12,820.51 W | 0.80 | 160 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 66.67 kWh | 4.6 hours | 14.49 kWh | 14,492.75 W | 0.80 | 181 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | 66.67 kWh | 4.6 hours | 14.49 kWh | 14,492.75 W | 0.80 | 181 |
| Hartford, Connecticut | 66.67 kWh | 4.4 hours | 15.15 kWh | 15,151.52 W | 0.80 | 189 |
| Cleveland, Ohio | 66.67 kWh | 4.1 hours | 16.26 kWh | 16,260.16 W | 0.80 | 203 |
| New York, New York State | 66.67 kWh | 3.79 hours | 17.59 kWh | 17,590.15 W | 0.80 | 220 |
| Seattle, Washington | 66.67 kWh | 3.57 hours | 18.67 kWh | 18,674.14 W | 0.80 | 233 |
If we install the 200 W, 300 W, and 400 W of solar panels
Here is the number of solar panels requirement for each city in the US, if we install 200 watts, 300 watts, or 400 watts of solar panels:
| City | Peak Hours of Sunlight in a Day | Size of Solar System in Watts | Efficiency Level | Number of Solar Panels Required (200 W) | Number of Solar Panels Required (300 W) | Number of Solar Panels Required (400 W) |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 6.5 hours | 10,256.41 W | 0.80 | 64 | 43 | 32 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | 6.5 hours | 10,256.41 W | 0.80 | 64 | 43 | 32 |
| Los Angeles, California | 5.6 hours | 11,904.76 W | 0.80 | 74 | 50 | 37 |
| Denver, Colorado | 5.6 hours | 11,904.76 W | 0.80 | 74 | 50 | 37 |
| Austin, Texas | 5.3 hours | 12,578.62 W | 0.80 | 79 | 52 | 39 |
| Miami, Florida | 5.2 hours | 12,820.51 W | 0.80 | 80 | 53 | 40 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 4.6 hours | 14,492.75 W | 0.80 | 91 | 60 | 45 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | 4.6 hours | 14,492.75 W | 0.80 | 91 | 60 | 45 |
| Hartford, Connecticut | 4.4 hours | 15,151.52 W | 0.80 | 95 | 63 | 47 |
| Cleveland, Ohio | 4.1 hours | 16,260.16 W | 0.80 | 102 | 68 | 51 |
| New York, New York State | 3.79 hours | 17,590.15 W | 0.80 | 110 | 73 | 55 |
| Seattle, Washington | 3.57 hours | 18,674.14 W | 0.80 | 117 | 78 | 58 |
Conclusion
Therefore, whenever calculating how many solar panels do I need for 2000 kWh per month in each city of the US, we have to know how much sunlight we get. The solar panels need to be properly maintained and cleaned once a year so that they work at their full efficiency. Also, they should be placed at such an angle that they get rays of the sun directly on the PV cells of the surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size solar system do I need for 1500 kWh per month?
The step-by-step calculation to find the size of the solar system is:
– First, converting the monthly usage into daily usage which is (1500 kWh/ 30) = 50 kWh.
– Suppose the peak hours of sunlight in my area is 6 hours a day.
– Then the size of the solar system will be (50 kWh/ 6 hours) = 8.33 kWh or simply 8,333 watts.
How many solar panels does it take to generate 1000 kWh per month?
The step-by-step guide to finding the number of solar panels are:
– Converting the monthly usage into daily usage which is (1000 kWh/ 30) = 33.33 kWh.
– Assuming the peak hours of sunlight is 5 hours a day and the efficiency level of the solar panel is 70% or 0.7.
– The appropriate size of the solar system will be (33.33 kWh/ 5 hours) = 6.67 kWh or 6,666.67 W.
– The number of solar panels required if we install the 400 W of solar panels is 6,666.67 W/ (0.7 X 400 W) = 24.
How many solar panels do I need for 2500 kWh?
The step-by-step solution to find the number of solar panels are:
– Suppose 2500 kWh is the daily usage, the peak hours of sunlight is 5.5 hours a day and the efficiency level of the solar panel is 90% or 0.9.
– The required size of the solar system will be (2500 kWh/ 5.5 hours), or 454.55 kWh, and in watts it is 4,54,545.45 W.
– The number of solar panels required if we install 10,000 W of solar panels is 4,54,545.45 W/ (0.9 X 10,000 W) = 51.
How many solar panels does it take to produce 10000 kWh?
To find the number of solar panels we need to follow these steps:
– Suppose this is the yearly usage and converting this into daily usage will be (10,000 kWh/ 365) = 27.40 kWh.
– Suppose the peak hours of sunlight is 4 hours a day and the efficiency level of the solar panel is 50% or 0.5.
– The kWh of the solar system will be (27.40 kWh/ 4 hours) = 6.85 kWh which equals 6,849.32 W.
– The number of solar panels required if we install the 500 W of solar panels will be 6,849.32 W/ (0.5 X 500 W) = 27.
How many solar panels does it take to make 4000 kWh?
The step-by-step calculation to find the number of solar panels are:
– Suppose this is the monthly usage and converting it into daily usage will become (4000 kWh/ 30) = 133.33 kWh.
– Assuming the peak hours of sunlight is 7 hours a day and the efficiency level of the solar panel is 75% or 0.75.
– The size of the solar system will be (133.33 kWh/ 7 hours) = 19.05 kWh or 19,047.62 W.
– The number of solar panels required if we install the 600 W of solar panels will be 19,047.62 W/ (0.75 X 600 W) = 42.
This article is better than others because it has covered all the calculations that a reader could have searched for in a tabular form and in a step-by-step way. Also, the FAQs help the reader find the answer to some more queries.
