"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...
"JimConlin" wrote:

I'm thinking of a solar panel on my house top which is curved. About
50 watts will be enough.

When it comes to sizing solar panels, it is CYA time.

A reasonable assumption is about 50% output based on location of panel,
clouds, etc, and 50% output/24 hours since it averages 12 hours daylight
per day over a year.

Thus:

(NamePlate Output)*(50%)*(50%)= 25% NamePlate Output

Factor in an additional 20% derate for what I call the "StupidityFactor",
thus:

(25% NamePlate Output)*(100%-20 StupidityFactor) = 20%.

IOW, to practice CYA for solar panel requirements, calculate needs based
on 20% of NamePlate Output.

Lew

We have a system on the house that's rated at 3.4 kwh. The meter typically
shows 2.90 to 3.2 during the peak hours. I've got 26 panels.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com