Factors that Affect the Peak Sun Hours of a Location?

2021/9/22 10:34:14

It is important to note that your PV module has no effect on the Peak Sun Hours, rather, the factors are more environmental.

The 3 major environmental factors that affect the Peak Sun Hours include:

1. Position relative to the Sun:

Regions of the world that are closer to the equator have more intense radiation from the sun compared to those further away from the equator. The Peak Sun Hours is more in those regions closer to the equator.

Therefore, if you’re installing a solar power system in these regions, you’d have more energy produced from the solar PV system and vice versa.

2. Cloudiness

The presence of clouds in the atmosphere diffuse the solar radiation, thereby reducing the Peak Sun Hours. The cloudiness of a location is more of a daily factor; where rainy or cloudy days have less PSH, and clear days have more PSH.

3. Climatic Seasons

During some seasons, PSH is bound to reduce based on the sun’s position on those times. For instance, there’s more Peak Sun hours during summer seasons compared to winter seasons.

Knowing the PSH of your location is very important when installing a solar PV system. This would allow you to estimate the energy the PV system can produce maximally.

To estimate the energy your PV can produce, follow the simple steps below.