How Many Solar Panels To Power The Us

The exact number changes depending on the specifications of the chosen panel model as well as the sunshine available at the project site.

How many solar panels to power the us.

The current total capacity of 64 2 gw can power 12 3 million homes in the us by 2024 and the pv capacity is expected to grow more than double. American solar power offsets over 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year which is like planting almost 1 2 billion trees. The reasons are below. It would take 3 071 048 000 250 watt sharp nd 250qcs solar panel made in the usa 65 x39 each average solar panel to run the united states of america.

How much are 21 250 square miles. Pv panels on just 0 6 of the nation s total land area could supply enough electricity to power the entire united states. Written by qualified solar engineer aniket on august 17 2019 about 7 86 billion solar panels would be needed to power the u s. In 2018 in the us the solar pv capacity increased by 10 6 gw which was in addition to the previous total of 53 8 gw.

The seia report tallies all types of solar energy and in 2007 the united states installed 342 mw of solar photovoltaic pv electric power 139 thermal megawatts mw th of solar water heating 762 mw th of pool heating and 21 mw th of solar space heating and cooling. This is derived from the fact that every year the u. Consumes around 4000 billion kwh of electricity. Map courtesy of google maps.

Consumes about 4 petawatt hours of electricity per year we d need about 13 600 000 acres or 21 250 square miles of solar panels to meet the total electricity requirements of the united states for a year. Solar s abundance and potential throughout the united states is staggering. The number of panels you need for your house depends on factors like location and panel performance. This means an astounding consumption of 12 000 kwh per year per capita.

All the panels can produce 767 762 000 000 watts of energy enough to run the united states of america in 2012. An average homeowner needs 28 to 34 solar panels to fully offset their electricity bill with solar. After all we don t have dual suns that permit us to soak up solar energy 24 hours a day and there will be inevitable interruptions in power relay due to maintenance or any number of incidents. What are the reasons behind the surge of the solar industry.

The yellow square is approximately 21 000 square miles. 4 pv can also be installed on rooftops with essentially no land use impacts.