The sun may shine equally on all corners of the earth, but the amount of light received varies depending on location. The greatest amount of light is received at the Earth’s equator, because the angle of the light rays is such that they hit the atmosphere dead-on. As the location moves further north or south, the amount of light lessens. This makes finding the right location for solar power partially dependent on geography. California is uniquely positioned to take advantage of solar power due to its location.
Why California?
In the United States, the amount of light that can be converted to electricity by solar panels is measured in terms of kilowatt-hours per square meter per day or kWh/m2/day. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the amount of solar energy available for conversion to electricity varies from less than 2.2 to more than 6.8 kWh/m2/day. Unsurprisingly, the greatest amount of solar energy received is in the Southwest, especially southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas. The range in this area is between 6.0 and 6.8 kWh/m2/day. (1)
California home solar power can thus provide a goodly amount of electricity, depending on the amount of solar capacity installed. Power consumption varies in the United States from state to state. The average annual amount of power consumption for a typical household in 2010 was 11,496 kWh. (2) Unfortunately, the amount of solar capacity needed to match this amount is too high for most homeowners to consider. The best they can hope for is to meet about 10 to 20 percent of their annual consumption.
Solar Power Benefits
Solar power is a completely passive form of electricity generation, excepting regular maintenance and cleaning of the panels. A solar panel consists of multiple solar cells. These cells convert sunlight into electricity through the photoelectric effect. Basically, when light hits a certain material, the light is absorbed and the material releases electrons. These electrons are collected and channeled to create an electric current.
Generating electricity in this manner produces no greenhouse gas emissions or pollutants. No harvesting, mining or drilling is required. The total environmental impact is minimal. Indeed, the fact that solar panels are very environmentally-friendly is the major reason why they fall into the “green” energy category. The low-maintenance, passive electricity generation is a bonus from the perspective of the environment.
Solar power offers particularly benefits to rural areas that do not have ready access to a grid connection. Solar panels can provide enough power to meet all the electricity demands for an average rural home. Again, this depends on the amount of installed capacity.
Solar Power In California
California’s sunny climate makes it easy to take advantage of solar power. Recently, a new milestone was set for California on August 14, 2012. The state’s solar generation capacity produced a new peak record of over 1,000 megawatts on that day. (3) California holds about half of all solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States. The state is heavily focused on renewable energy, with solar playing a big role. The state expects to generate about 27,700 megawatts by 2020. Homeowners in California can take advantage of the sun in a big way and save money on their electricity bills in the process.
Data Sources
(1) http://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/map_pv_national_lo-res.jpg
(2) http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=97&t=3
(3) http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/utilities-california-solar-idINL1E8KDG4V20120913
