How Much Electricity will Solar Panels actually Make?

From the view of the nearest sidewalk a 14 PV panel solar system may not look huge, but the kwh output could surprise you. For houses which are already energy efficient and not surrounded by shade, this size system will make an impact. Looking at the math involved and assuming a solar panel rating of 200 watts per panel, that would mean a 2.8kW system. In most locations, that could produce between 350-500 kwh per month. That is substantial amounts of clean energy which will make you happy when the electric bill arrives. Take a look at what a 2.8 kw system of solar looks like:

For many residential houses, the south and south-west angles that these solar panels need to have is not going to be an eye-sore, and even if a neighbor complains, ask them if they are worried about their carbon footprint. By decreasing the demand on electricity from the local electric company, every solar house is doing the neighbors a big favor.
During the summer months it should be expected that the solar panels will be making more electricity compared to winter months, that you should have already guessed. Some people do clean their solar panels with water occasionally but that is really not necessary.

Excellent Examples of Good Looking Residential Photovoltaic Solar Cells and Solar Hot Water Systems:

Last week I was on the look out for some nice photos to share with everyone, and I came across a home that really caught my eye.  You can see from the pictures that this home is definitely part of the green and clean energy revolution, and with both solar electric and solar hot water system running next to each other, there is a great chance that the energy bills at this house are lower than the neighbors.

What was most fascinating to me was that a home that is in a relatively expensive part of town, (you can see in the background a few of the Oracle Towers down on Redwood Shores), was willing to take a chance and go solar in such a high profile location.  So many homeowners that obviously have the money to afford solar electric systems still decide not to go solar because they are worried about what their neighbors might think of the solar panels.  And that’s entirely understandable.  Some people feel that solar panels can make a house look terrible and its correct.  But on the flip side, and this home is proof positive, solar panels and solar hot water systems can also make a home look incredibly amazing and beautiful.

What most of the population fails to recognize is that most homeowners are not trying to make a fashion statement in terms of coming up with the new trend for good looking houses by adding solar panels.  Instead, most homeowners are interested in finding ways to create longterm savings in terms of their energy bills and also benefiting from doing something good for the environment which might allow our planet to survive for many generations other than our own.

In my opinion, the time is starting to change however, solar installers are becoming more educated on different ways to integrate solar panels to the roofs of houses.  And let us also give credit to the manufacturers of the solar panels too.  They have come a long way in producing high quality, efficient, solar cells that can also look very good on the roof of a home.

A nice family sized solar system and a nice hybrid car, this family is definitely helping to minimize their carbon footprint. It looks to be about a 3GS solar system. This should produce about 385 kwh of electricity per month in this part of California.