How many kWh does a 9kW solar system produce?
On summer days with sunny and mild conditions in the afternoon, the maximum power output that a 9 kW solar system can produce can reach 8 kW or even more in some cases.
However, it must be taken into account that the amount of sunlight falling on solar panels in a particular location changes throughout the day and with the change of seasons and the influence of weather conditions.
Therefore, the solar system cannot always maintain maximum output throughout the day.
So, what really matters at the end of the day, is how many kWh the system will generate.
In this article, you will get all the information that you need to know about 9kW solar system.
What is a 9kW solar system?
To determine how many kWh does a 9 kW solar system will produce, you first need to know what a 9 kW solar system is.
How many solar panels do I need for a 9 kW solar system?
Residential solar panels typically come somewhere between 250 watts (W) to 450 W.Many people prefer to use low wattage panels between 250 watts and 360 watts, because they are the most cost effective (cost per watt).
But in some cases cost per watt is not the only consideration in determining which wattage panels to use. For example, in most home installations, higher wattage panels are used when there is less available space, or to save space on the rooftop to install more solar panels in the future if your power consumption increases.
Here are some common configurations of solar panels with a total wattage achieved 9 kW or close to it:
- 280W (32 x panels to make 8.96kW)
- 300W (30 x panels to make 9.00kW)
- 350W (26 x panels to make 9.10kW)
- 380W (24 x panels to make 9.12kW)
- 410W (22 x panels to make 9.02kW)
- 450W (20 x panels to make 9.00kW)
- 500W (18 x panels to make 9.00kW)
What size inverter you need for a 9kW solar system?
While the nominal capacity of your solar panel array might be 9 kW, the inverter can be less or more of this size. Usually it is between 7.6 kW and 10 kW.
Generally, It is not recommended to install a larger inverter than array size because this may reduce the total power production of your solar system compared to what it will produce when you have a perfectly sized or undersized inverter.
How much space does a 9kW solar system need?
A standard residential solar panel (between 300 - 370 watts) is about 5.4 feet and a width of 3.25 feet (1.6m x 1m), giving it a superficial area of 17.55 sq feet (1.68 m²).
Take into account the required space between the panels, a 9kW solar power system will require between 430 - 500 sq feet (40 - 46 m²).
How much power will a 9kWp solar panels produce?
To calculate the amount of energy that your solar system will generate in your area, perhaps the most important information you will need is the amount of sunlight available in your area, or “solar peak hours,” which is the most used metric in the solar industry. A peak sun hour is equivalent to 1 kWh/m² of solar energy.
You can find this information easily using the Global Solar Atlas website, it also provides accurate information called PVOUT, represented in kWh/kWp per day; Shows how many kWh of electricity a 1 kW solar system can produce in your area.
PVOUT is a mathematical model developed by Global Solar Atlas that takes into account all the variables that affect the daily production of solar panels in an area, including: location (average peak sun hours), temperature, tilt and orientation of solar panels, shading, and DC to AC conversion losses.
Once you have this information, estimating how much power the solar panels will produce in your area is a straightforward process. Simply by multiply the PVOUT by the system size (in kW).
Amount of Power Produced (kWh) = PVOUT (kWh/kWp) * System Size (kW)
For example, if your area has a peak sun hour of 5 hours, a 1 kW solar system can generate 4.9 kWh of energy per day.
Hence, in San Diego a 9 kWp solar panels system will produce approximately:
4.9 kWh/kWp * 9 kWp = 44.1 kWh per day
Alternatively, if your area's PVOUT value is 3.6 kWh per day, your solar panels will produce approximately:
3.6 kWh/kWp * 9 kWp = 32.4 kWh per day
The graph below shows the PVOUT (average number of kWh generated by a 1kW solar system per day) in each U.S. state.
.png "How Many kWh Does A 9kW Solar System Produce?")
If you are outside the U.S. you can extract this information from the Global Solar Atlas, you’ll only need to enter the project location.
In the end, this calculation method can be applied to any solar power system.
How much power does a 9 kW installed system produce?
There is no doubt that the best way to find out accurate information about how much energy a 9 kWp solar panels system produces in your area is to find similar system near you and access to the data related to power production. But the question is, how can you find these systems in your area?
A free community site called pvoutput.org is a very useful resource if you want to get an idea of how much energy your solar system will produce in your area. In addition, it will help you to check the performance of your solar system compared to the performance of other systems located in the same area.
1. Create an account in PVoutput. Once you have an account, go to the “Live Outputs” page, which lists a group of systems registered in the PVoutput database. Click “filter” and search for a 9 kW solar system located in your state or closest to your zip code.
Let's say, for example, that you're interested in having a 9kW solar system in California in the near future.
2. You will see a list of solar PV systems in that area. Click on the capacity of one of the systems (in blue, for example 8.928kW) to get information on the makeup of the system, including the number of panels, the wattage of the individual panel, orientation/tilt of the system, and the brand of the panel and inverter.
For example, I selected a system in zip code 92082. From this view we can see that the name of the system is “jess9kW,” and its capacity is 8.928kW.
3. Once you click on the name of a specific solar system, a page will open displaying the instantaneous production of the system.
Click on “Prev Day” to see how much energy was generated yesterday, for example on 09/25/23 jess9kW produced 43.1 kWh, and on 08/05/23 it produced 51.7 kWh.
.png "How Many kWh Does A 9kW Solar System Produce?")
You can also see how the amount of power produced by a 9 kW system changes with the seasons.
4. To determine how many kWh a 9kWp system produces using this tool is to look at the average annual production and divide it by 365 days to get the average daily production.
In this case, the jess9kW system produces on average 13,700 kWh per year, so the average daily production is 38 kWh per day (13700÷365=38).
Is a 9kW solar power system the best size for me?
Whether or not a 9 kW solar system is the right system size for you depends upon two things: The average peak sun hours in your area, and your average daily electricity consumption.
So, if you live in an area that gets 5-6 hours of peak sun hours (such as California), and your home consumes between 33 to 44 kWh per day, a 9 kW solar system may be a sufficient option to power you house entirely on solar power (with net metering or using batteries).
But if your area gets 3-4 hours of peak sun hours (such as Ohio), and your average daily consumption in the range of 33 to 45 kWh, a 9 kW system may not be enough to provide you with a similar amount of energy for everything you use daily. In this case, a 10 kW system may be the right size for you.
However, a 9 kW system still technically a safe choice and will help you reduce the costs of your energy bill.
What is 9 kW solar power system equivalent to?
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| What is 9 kW Solar Power system Equivalent to? |
Mohamed Bellamine
I'm the blogger behind Goo SolarPower. As a solar engineer, and a strong supporter of renewable energy. I've always been interested in Solar devices. I loves to write articles, guides, and tutorials about solar PV technology. Through goosolarpower.com I want to help people build and understand how solar power systems work.