Will Solar Work in My Location?

Solar energy is a resource for all parts of the world. Read on to find out more about your specific location.

Solar is universal and will work virtually anywhere, however some locations are better than others. Irradiance is a measure of the sun’s power available at the surface of the earth and it peaks at about 1000 watts per square meter. With typical crystalline solar cell efficiencies around 16-19%, that means we can expect to generate about 160-190W per square meter of solar cells placed in full sun.

Insolation is a measure of the available energy from the sun and is expressed in terms of “full sun hours” (i.e. 4 full sun hours = 4 hours of sunlight at an irradiance level of 1000 watts per square meter). Obviously different parts of the world receive more sunlight than others, so they will have more full sun hours per day.

These solar insolation maps and resources will give you a general idea of the full sun hours per day during the summer for your location:

• Worldwide map of insolation and PV potential
• USA map of insolation and PV potential
• List of solar insolation data for U.S. cities
• Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America map of insolation and PV potential
• South America map of insolation and PV potential