a solar panel is 12% efficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy.on average the sunlight that strikes the earth's surface has an intensity of 250 w/m^2 which of the following is the best estimate for the area of the solar panel needed to provide 1.2Kw of energy to a home?
Effective Intensity = 0.12 * 250W/m^2 =
30W/m^2.
Area=(1200W * 1m^2/30W) = 40 m^2.
To find the area of the solar panel needed to provide 1.2 kW of energy to a home, we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Determine the energy produced by a single solar panel.
Given that a solar panel is 12% efficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy and that the average intensity of sunlight striking the Earth's surface is 250 W/m^2, we can calculate the energy produced per square meter of the solar panel.
Energy produced per square meter = Sunlight intensity (W/m^2) × Panel efficiency
Energy produced per square meter = 250 W/m^2 × 0.12 = 30 W/m^2
Step 2: Calculate the area of the solar panel needed.
Since we have the total power requirement for the home (1.2 kW), we can divide it by the energy produced per square meter to find the area of the solar panel needed.
Area of solar panel = Total power requirement (kW) ÷ Energy produced per square meter (kW/m^2)
Area of solar panel = 1.2 kW ÷ 0.03 kW/m^2 = 40 m^2
Therefore, the best estimate for the area of the solar panel needed to provide 1.2 kW of energy to a home is 40 square meters.