Sunvision Solar

Solar Panel Efficiency: How efficient are solar panels?

Spin your meter backwards and get paid for the power you produce.

There is no better time to take advantage your Arizona solar tax incentives, want to learn more?

Especially in an area of the country that gets as much sun as Arizona, the decision to invest in residential solar panels brings with it a wide range of different benefits that you’d be hard-pressed to get anywhere else.

For starters, they’re not just a viable way to reduce your monthly energy bills – you could potentially eliminate them altogether. This is because even your modest solar panel system will almost always generate more electricity than the average home can use in a day. Once you also consider the fact that you’re doing your part to help protect the environment, it becomes beyond clear that this is one investment that will quickly pay for itself.

Yet at the same time, this demands the question – just how efficient are solar panels in reality? The answer to that question, thankfully, is quite straightforward – it simply requires you to keep a few important points in mind.

Breaking Down the Efficiency of Solar Panels

But first, you need to know what solar panel efficiency really is in this context. Generally speaking, it’s a measurement of your solar panel system’s ability to take sunlight and convert it into usable electricity that will then be employed to power your home.

Typically, most solar panels have efficiency ratings of between 15 and 20% – though higher quality (and more expensive) systems can reach 23% in some cases. This means, in a best case scenario, 23% of the energy absorbed from the sun will be converted into electricity that is then used to power your home.

This may not seem like a lot, but given the sheer amount of sunlight your solar panel systems will be exposed to, it really is quite impressive from every conceivable angle. Again, you need to remember that even at these efficiency ratings, your system is going to be generating more energy that the average home could possibly use in a day. It will be generating so much energy, in fact, that some residential users actually opt to install a battery somewhere on their property.

Solar Battery Storage for Efficiency

This battery stores even more energy, so that in the event that there is a power outage or some other type of disruption, you still have power to draw from rather than relying on the local power grid. At that point, blackouts and other issues are simply not something you have to worry about – which in and of itself is the most important benefit of all. 

If you’d like to find out more information about the efficiency of solar panels, or if you’d just like to discuss the specifics of your own situation with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at SunVision Solar today.