You’ve settled on SunPower as your photo voltaic supplier; now, it’s time so that you can decide the variety of photo voltaic panels wanted in your family’s power calls for.
Whereas photo voltaic panels are extremely useful, they do carry hefty value tags. As such, you have to set up the variety of panels you’ll require.
Doing so can really feel considerably overwhelming — figuring out the place to start out is tough. However relaxation assured your time can be effectively spent. The very last thing you need is to be a sufferer of miscalculation.
Happily, we’ve appeared into the matter for you!
On this article, we enable you to decide the variety of SunPower photo voltaic panels you’ll want by figuring out key elements that type a part of the decision-making course of.
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How Many SunPower Photo voltaic Panels Do I Want?
A mean family makes use of 11,000 kWh in a yr. If this family is situated in a state like Arizona with 5.7 hrs price of Peak Solar Hours, a 5kW photo voltaic system ought to suffice. Utilizing SunPower A-series 420 W panels, you’ll possible want between 13-15 panels.
However how did we get to this quantity? Let’s have a look.
A number of variables play a job in figuring out the variety of SunPower photo voltaic panels wanted. These embody:
- Your family’s electrical energy demand (kWh).
- Location
- Photo voltaic panel choice (energy rankings and know-how)
Home Energy Wants
To find out your family’s power wants, you have to seek the advice of your power invoice supplied by your electrical energy supplier.
Then be aware down the annual utilization (in kWh) as you’ll want it for the following steps.
Supply: MoxieSolar
Alternatively, decide the wattage of every of your home equipment and multiply that determine by the variety of hours it could run in a month.
Decide Location
Location performs an enormous function in figuring out the variety of SunPower photo voltaic panels you’ll want.
Right here, we introduce the idea of Peak Solar Hours that can assist you calculate the electrical potential of 1 location vs. one other.
A Peak Solar Hour is an equivalency unit that helps us measure the time (in hours) when the solar had an depth of 1 kW/m2.
Supply: GreenSarawak
Now, discover out your state’s Peak Solar Hour (PSH), and be aware it down.
Please be aware: our group has already put collectively the PSH for various states within the U.S.
Photo voltaic Panel Choice
Photo voltaic panel choice additionally dramatically influences the variety of SunPower photo voltaic panels your family will want.
SunPower has turn out to be a family identify with its full photo voltaic panel options for U.S. households.
It has a variety of merchandise, from panels to batteries and even monitoring software program.
Panel-wise, the corporate boasts a stable vary of various photo voltaic panel sequence, together with:
| M Collection | A sequence | X sequence | E sequence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wattage | 420 W -440 W | 390 W – 420 W | 327 W – 370 W | 320 W – 327 W |
| Effectivity | 21.7% – 22.8% | 21% – 22.5% | 20.4% – 22.7% | 19.4% – 20.4% |
| Cell Sort | Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 6 | Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 5 | Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 3 | Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 2 |
| Guarantee | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years |
Please be aware: SunPower is pricey in comparison with different photo voltaic panel choices, with its value averaging round $4.2 per watt. That being stated, its merchandise are top-notch!
SunPower Photo voltaic Panels Required — Time To Crunch The Numbers
We are going to use the next variables:
- Home power requirement: the 11,000 kWh (U.S. common)
- Location PSH: Arizona with 5.7 h (PSH worth)
- SunPower photo voltaic panel chosen: M-series 440 W photo voltaic panel
SunPower Photo voltaic panels wanted = Home Annual Power wants (in kWh) / (PSH hours x one year x Rated Photo voltaic Panel Output (in kW))
For our instance, we’ll want 12 M-series photo voltaic panels (440 W) for a family in Arizona that makes use of 11,000 kWh yearly. This can be roughly $22,000 for the entire set up course of from Solar Energy.
Now it’s time so that you can give it a go!
Associated Studying: SunPower Vs. Sunrun: Which do you have to select?
Which Photo voltaic Panel Collection Do I Want From SunPower?
As talked about earlier than, SunPower has a whole lot of choices to select from amongst its totally different choices. The corporate has 4 sequence of panels based mostly on nameplate capability and photo voltaic cell know-how, together with:
- M Collection: that is essentially the most superior SunPower photo voltaic panel providing with the very best nameplate capability. It has the very best effectivity (22.8%) and comes with factory-integrated microinverters, which immediately convert D.C. into A.C. Moreover, M-series has the very best energy output for any SunPower residential photo voltaic panel available in the market. Lastly, these panels include Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 6 photo voltaic cells which can be 5% bigger than Gen 5 photo voltaic cells.
- A Collection: this is without doubt one of the most regularly used panels. They arrive with Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 5 photo voltaic cells which can be 5% bigger than Gen 3 photo voltaic cells however smaller than Gen 6 photo voltaic cells.
Supply: SunPower
- X Collection: these panels include Monocrystalline Maxeon Gen 3 photo voltaic cells with a nameplate capability as much as 360 W and an effectivity ranking that exceeds 22%. The cells are smaller than A-series and M-series however present price financial savings.
- E Collection: the E-series is the “normal” SunPower photo voltaic panel sequence, the most cost effective SunPower possibility in the marketplace. These panels have an effectivity ranking of 20%, higher than the 18% market common.
General, the M-series is essentially the most environment friendly, offering an effectivity ranking of twenty-two.8%.
Nonetheless, all SunPower panels have long-term output effectivity (~90% output on the finish of 25 years).
Associated Studying: 5 Finest SunPower Photo voltaic Panels You Can Purchase
Are SunPower Photo voltaic Panels Price It?
Are SunPower panels well worth the price ticket? Let’s revisit what they price vs. the competitors.
A SunPower photo voltaic panel can price wherever between $3.30 to $ 4.80 per watt. This interprets to $16,500 to $24,000 for a 5kW residential system. This price could even enhance if you happen to go for the leasing possibility.
A mean photo voltaic panel prices about $2.68 per watt, which interprets to $13,400 for a similar system (33% to 92% dearer).
So, if you happen to’re engaged on a good finances, SunPower could also be out of your vary. Nevertheless, suppose you’re searching for a producer that gives a tailor-made match for your home, a long-term guarantee, and a system that delivers the desired output even after years of use. In that case, SunPower is the best way to go!
Closing Ideas
We hope this text has helped you identify the variety of SunPower photo voltaic panels wanted in your residential property.
