How Much Do Solar Panels Output Per Square Foot

For a 300 watt solar panel with dimensions 64 inches x 39 inches 1 61 meters squared or 17 31 square feet the peak instantaneous electricity production per square foot at stc is 14 58 watts per square foot.

How much do solar panels output per square foot.

60 cell solar panels are typically 5 4 feet tall by about 3 25 feet wide and have a power output in standard test conditions of between 270 watts to 300 watts depending on the exact efficiency of the cells in them. 5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh. The average cost to install solar panels is from 10 626 to 26 460 after tax credit for a 6kw to 12kw system to power an entire house. But at 20 watts per square foot a system rated to produce 2 kilowatts would cover roughly 150 square feet while a 3kw system would take up about 225 square feet.

The average cost of installed residential solar power systems is currently 2 64 per watt a typical 6kw system costs 11 722 after claiming the 26 solar tax credit. The average sized solar panel takes up an area of 17 6 square feet and produces 265 watts under direct sunlight. For the sake of example if you are getting 5 hours of direct sunlight per day in a sunny state like california you can calculate your solar panel output this way. This is typical for residential solar panels being sold in the us in 2020.

That translates to just over 15 watts per square foot. In a 6 kilowatt solar installation made up of 20 solar panels the panels alone will weigh approximately 800 pounds 20 panels x 40 lbs. Solar panel cost data 2020 updated. Most solar panels last for 50 years have a 25 year warranty and start generating a return on investment after 8.

Because of the variables pinning down exact numbers is tough. Based on our calculation above we know that this same system measures at 352 square feet which works out to a weight of 2 3 pounds per square foot 800 pounds 352 sq ft. The average solar panel payback period is 7 to 12 years and solar energy saves 600 to 2 000 per year on electricity costs.