The amount of power a 4.5 kW solar system generates depends upon the weather as well as the rooftop conditions. In this blog, you will get all the necessary information required to understand how much power a 4.5 kW solar system will generate for your power consumption. Let us start first with weather conditions.
Weather: A state with higher peak sun hours generates more solar power as compared to a state with lower peak sun hours.
Here, peak sun hours differ from hours of daylight. The peak sun hours are described as the time in a day when the intensity of sunlight is highest in a specific area. In other words, it is hours in a day when solar panels generate the highest amount of power.
Although your panels receive an average of 7 hours of sunshine each day, the average peak solar hours are often between 4 and 5. Moreover, one kW of solar system can generate 4-4.8 kWh of power per day for the state with 5-6 peak sun hours and the same will generate 2.5-2.8 kWh per day for the state with 3.5-4 peak sun hours.
Rooftop Condition: In the USA, a solar system installed on a south-facing rooftop generates more power than any other direction-facing rooftop. And the reason behind this is that the USA is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the earth and in Northern Hemisphere the SUN is always along the southern part of the sky.
Moreover, the rooftop incline angle also affects the power generation of solar power plants. Compared to solar systems put on rooftops with a 20–30 degree inclination, those with a greater incline angle produce less power.
Another factor that will affect the power generation of your 4.5 kW solar system is the shadow-free area. Any amount of shadow on panels will lower the solar system's ability to generate electricity and it lead to a higher return on investment time.
The solar panels that received lower irradiance than the rest, acted as loads and caused a drop in current, power, and efficiency. For efficient panel performance, non-uniform shading conditions must be avoided to the maximum possible extent.
You must first do a solar survey to ensure the rooftop solar system's potential to generate power. A proper solar survey is the first step in installing a solar system on your rooftop.
Calculating power generation of a 4.5kW solar system in the USA.
To calculate how much will a 4.5 kW solar system generate in the USA. We must assume that the rooftop is 100% shadow-free and south-facing. Now, refer below map of the USA showing the peak sun hours in different states of the USA.
Also, see the below map of the United States to see how much power a 1 kW solar system would generate every day.
From these two maps, you can calculate how much power any size of solar system can generate in any part of the USA. You may screenshot or download these two maps, but these images will be lost in your gallery, therefore I recommend bookmarking this blog article so you never have to search the internet for this information again.
Furthermore, for a state with 5-6 hours of peak sun hours, 1 kW of solar system can generate 4.5 kWh of power per day; hence, 4 kW of solar system will generate 18 kWh (4x4.5) of power per day.
In addition, for a state with 3.5-4 hours of peak sun hours, the same solar system will generate 12.6 kWh (4x2.8) of power per day. With the information, you can calculate how much power 4kWh will generate in a month or in years.
You can also use the reverse calculation of the same method to find out how many solar panels are needed to generate 2,000 kWh per month or 3,000 kWh per month
How much power does a 4.5 kW solar system produce?
In the USA for a shadow-free and south-facing rooftop, a 4.5 kW solar system will generate 540 kWh per month or 6,480 kWh per year for the state with 5-6 peak sun hours. Whereas, the same solar system will generate only 378 kWh per month or 4,536 kWh per year for the state with 3.5-4 peak sun hours. Get a FREE Solar Quote now.
Peak Sun hours | 5-6 Hours | 3.5-4 Hours |
Per Day | 18 kWh | 12.6 kWh |
Per Month | 540 kWh | 378 kWh |
Per Year | 6,480 kWh | 4,536 kWh |
From above it is clear that, if you are living in a state with 5-6 peak sun hours, your 4.5 kW solar system can generate 60% more power than the state with 3.5-4 peak sun hours.
However, if your monthly power consumption is more than, the generating capacity of a 4.5 kW solar system, then you need a higher capacity of the solar power system. Here, we have an in-depth blog on how many solar panels are needed for 2000 kWh monthly power consumption.
To ensure that your solar installation will generate the maximum potential power, you will need a highly professional and experienced solar installation company in your city. Going with a low-quality solar company will be more expensive than a quality solar installation company. >> Get your quote from the Best Local Solar Installers today.
How much power does a 4.5kw solar system cost?
The cost for installation of a 4.5kW solar system in the USA varies from $9,450 to $13,275 after taking into account the federal solar tax credit. Moreover, the average return on investment is 8.7 years. Get a FREE Solar Quote from Best Installers.
However, there are some other factors too that can influence the cost of solar system installation on your property.
1. Rooftop construction: Many solar installation companies charge as per the difficulty of installation and having a complex rooftop construction may increase the cost of solar installation.
The above picture shows how a cheap solar installation looks like
2. Extended warranties: Extended warranting on solar inverters increases the solar cost. Most solar inverters come with 5 years of warranty. However, since the payback period of the solar system is 8 years. Many homeowners ask for extended warranties.
3. Type of solar panels: There are two types of solar panels, monocrystalline and polycrystalline. The cost of monocrystalline solar panels is higher than polycrystalline. However, monocrystalline is highly efficient and smaller in size.
Monocrystalline panels are preferable for rooftops with smaller shadow-free areas.
To find the eject cost of 4.5kW for your rooftop you will need a solar survey from a professional. The bottom line installing solar is a significant investment that requires much research and documentation.
However, having a solar supplier that provides transparency, a courteous customer care team, and a well-established installation procedure makes converting to solar more accessible and approachable.
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