What Direction Should Solar Panels Face?

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Are you considering a solar panel for your home? If so, one of the first few questions you will probably ask yourself is “what is the best direction for solar panels to face so they will produce maximum power?”

Typically, your solar panel company will help you with the placement, but the general rule is if you are in the U.S., you should have your solar panels facing true south.

The more sunlight that reaches your solar panels, the more electricity you can generate and the more you will be able to save on your electric bill.

If your roof doesn’t face the south…

Don’t panic, if your roof faces east-west instead of north-south you have a few options. You could increase the solar collector area by using more solar panels or larger collectors. Another option is to place the panels somewhere other than your roof. You could mount panels on a south-facing wall or even on the ground. This is more unusual but it gives you easy access to the panels so you can clean or repair them easily.

Worried about not getting enough sunlight?

If you decide to place your panels on the ground instead of the roof, you could always look into placing your panels on trackers which adjust the position of the panels though out the year to maximize the amount of sunlight.

Now that you know the direction your solar panel should face, give Solar Solutions a call at 915-581-0461 today so we can answer any questions you may have regarding solar energy.

New Homes in Miami Require Solar Panels

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As the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source out there, solar power is the energy of the future. Because of its many benefits, more and more individuals and companies are going solar. And just this month, South Miami passed a law requiring that anyone buying a new home or renovating their existing one install solar panels.

The Whats

Under South Miami’s new law, any homes being built that are larger than 1,100 square miles will need to install solar panels. Any home renovations that replace or extend more than 75% of the building are also subject to this law and thus require the owners to install solar panels.

South Miami is the first city in Florida to pass a law of this kind, and the fourth in the country. The law will go into effect on September 18.

The Whys

Lawmakers and government officials cite looking toward the future as their reasoning for passing this new legislation. As South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard explained the night the measure passed, “Solar reduces the cost of home ownership, it makes houses sell faster, it returns more to a builder, it makes local jobs, and most importantly, it reduces carbon emissions today to help our children and grandchildren have a better future tomorrow.”

Looking to install solar panels for your own home or business? With more than 30 years of experience in the solar energy field, Solar Solutions will provide you with superior panels and installation! Contact us today to learn more about our services.

 

Drones and Solar Panels?

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Sometimes there are broken solar panels on solar farms, but a new company, Measure, has come up with a revolutionary idea to fix this issue.

To help make solar energy more efficient, drones might be utilized to help identify broken or improperly installed solar panels.

Harjeet Johal, a vice president of the drone company says that sending employees out to manually locate busted panels is incredibly difficult, labor intensive and costly. To find 200 panels in a 200 acre farm would take a couple of weeks where as a drone can spot dead panels in seven hours.

How does the drone spot broken panels?

A drone can be partially or fully defective or wired improperly. The drone company uses both visual and infrared panels to tell which panel is functioning or not. Solar panels convert sun’s rays into electricity and not heat. However, if a panel is broken, it will get very hot compared to the rest of the panels because it is absorbing all of the sunlight, which causes it to stand out to an infrared sensor on a drone.

Why do panels sometimes break?

You don’t hear of solar panels breaking very often, but it can happen. It could depend on the panel manufacture, the life of the plant, the environment, the weather and other factors. But the most important rule regarding solar panels is to not touch them. Always have an experienced employee from Solar Solutions inspect your panels and repair or replace them if need be. Give us a call today at 915-581-0461; we will be sure to meet all of your residential and commercial solar energy needs!

World’s Largest Floating Solar Panels

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China once had a reputation as a coal-guzzling, smog – blanketed polluter. However, that is changing fast. China invests more in wind, hydro and solar power than any other country and recently, China switched on the world’s largest floating solar power plant.

Where is it located?

The floating solar power plant is located in the city of Huainan. The power plant has a capacity of 40 megawatts, which is enough to power a small town or more than 15,000 homes and it floats over a flooded former coal-mining region.

Advantages of floating solar arrays

Floating solar panels have been in use for a little over a decade and have several advantages; the cooling effect of the water the panels float on makes them more efficient and they don’t take up any valuable space on land. Floating solar panels not only increase clean power, but they also reduce evaporation of water for drinking or irrigation by intercepting sunlight before it hits a reservoir’s surface.

China may have achieved a seemingly impossible renewable energy goal and we are intrigued. Solar power is gaining traction around the globe, and if you are interested in the process, give Solar Solutions a call at 915-581-0461, we are one of the most experienced solar power companies in Texas and New Mexico.