HOW MANY SOLAR PANELS I NEED

One of the first questions customer often ask is “How many solar panels do I need?” Find all the answers to this and other solar questions on our convenient solar FAQ page.

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Determining the number of solar panels an Oregon homeowner needs to power their home requires several different factors.

These factors include the amount of energy you use, how much of that usage you want to offset, how good the sun exposure is on your roof, and potential future increases in energy consumption.

As you can see, calculating the number of solar panels you need for your home or business is not easy to do on your own. The number of factors and considerations involved can be difficult to handle on your own. Thankfully, Green Ridge Solar can break down these factors and help you calculate the perfect number of solar panels you need and an estimated cost for installation.

Try out our Solar Calculator.

The average home in Oregon consumes 11,000 kWh of electricity per year. Depending on a number of factors, this would require approximately 18 t0 23 solar panels to power the home.

This is a simple diagram of a how a solar panel installation works.

Sunlight hits the solar panels, which convert the sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. This DC electricity is then sent through an inverter, which turns DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity.

This AC electricity is then sent into the home and used by electrical appliances. Any electricity that is not used is then sent onto the utility grid through a net meter. This net meter tracks the amount of electricity that is used in the house or sent out onto the grid.

 

Some homeowners and electricians might be tempted to install solar on their own. However, this can be a costly move.

Installing solar on your own means you are no longer eligible for most solar incentives, including federal, state, and local solar incentives. Those are huge savings that could have slashed the cost of your solar install.

Also, if you are not a solar installation professional, it can be easy to make small or major mistakes that could lead to your solar install not working properly. Even worse, it could lead to solar malfunction and potential property damage. 

One of the great things about solar panels is that they require little to no maintenance.

Solar panels contain no moving parts, which means there are almost no components that can wear out and fail. This contributes to the very long lifespan of solar panels.

On occasion, it might be a good idea to clean your solar panels, but this is normally taken care of by Oregon’s rainy weather.

The main maintenance required for solar installations are related to inverters and other peripheral parts. Thankfully, inverters are covered by warranties. 

Determining the number of panels that fit on your roof is an easy mathematical calculation. However, determing how many solar panels you need is a more important and complex question.

Solar panels come in various sizes, but the most common dimension for solar panels is around 60 inches by 40 inches. That provides a rough figure to determine how many solar panels could fit on your roof. Important factors to consider are obstacles that could interfere with the location and placement of solar panels, as well as local restrictions that require a setback along roof lines and other obstacles.

To determine how many solar panels you need on your roof.

The number of solar panels you need to run a 1000 to 2000 square foot home is not a set number. The count of solar panels you need depends on a host of factors.

Solar systems are custom designed for your home and household energy needs, not based on a home’s size. Factors such as appliances, number of occupants, and energy efficiency can have significant effects on the number of panels and costs of installing solar for your home.

For a free solar estimate, use our Solar Calculator or contact us for your free solar analysis.

Net metering is a powerful tool for Oregon residents to control their energy usage and save tons on their monthly utility bills.

Net metering in Oregon is a billing mechanism that credits energy consumers for any excess energy they send to the grid.

With net metering, solar homeowners and businesses will only be billed for the “net” energy they consume each month. This is calculated by subtracting the amount of energy produced from the energy consumed.

This means that when the solar panels are producing more than the house or business is consuming, the meter runs backwards.

If the solar panels produce more energy than the homeowners or business consume in a month, they will receive credits they can apply towards future energy consumption. However, it is important to know that energy credits expire on an annual basis.

Learn more about net metering in our blog article.

The ideal orientation for installing solar is a south-facing roof. However, you do not need a south-facing roof to install solar or for solar to make financial sense. East-facing and west-facing roofs are also good options for installing solar.

On average, east-facing and west-facing solar panels produce 15% to 20% less electricity than south-facing roofs. However, this can be easily offset by installing a few additional panels to cover that gap.

North-facing roofs are normally unfit for solar installations due to low solar production.

Read our full article on the topic to learn more!

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