Is Solar Power as effective in the North than in the South?

Question

Lets say you have a big solar panel up in canada. and one in florida... do you get the same power out of them, or more from the florida one because its always hot there, and cold in canada? or does that make a difference? Please explain.

Answer 1

You get maximum solar power closer to the equator (actually you get maximum solar energy between the lines of the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn, over the course of the year the point that receives maximum solar energy drifts between these lines, a result of the earth's tilt on its axis). If you could use all the sunlight it is roughly 1 horse power / square meter at sea level near the equator and slightly lower(if the panels are tilted perpendicular to the light) at the poles. The difference in energy received is best explained by the inverse square law, which states that a physical quantity (radiant energy in this case) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance it has traveled. Keeping in mind the distance from the sun to the equator is almost insignificantly less than the distance from the sun to the north or south pole the total available energy is almost the same (always keeping the panels perpendicular to the light).
Local cloud and dust affects the efficiency of solar panels more than the latitude of the panels for total energy received over the course of a year. Heat, in theory, does not effect the efficiency of the solar panels very much, but in practice wide heat ranges do cut their efficiency.
The seasonal changes of available daylight is what make solar energy less effective at higher latitudes, but not less efficient.

Answer 2

The main factor is the amount of Sun light that reaches the panel. Solar radiation is usually spread over a wider area up North.

I know that PV solar panels are effected by heat. The hotter they get, the lower is the power output. I don't know the effect of this in the varying temperature zones.

There are new techniques being developed, one of which absorbs heat and uses it to create electricity.

Answer 3

Think about it ... What conditions would be best for a solar panel? It's not the air temperature; it's the amount of light that matters.

- Low cloud cover (like desert areas .. the southwest US would be better, for example than Washington or Oregon).

- Higher elevations, because there's less atmosphere for the sun's rays to penetrate ... Utah, for example would be better than Mississippi.

- More direct angle from the sun ... close to the equator would be better than in Canada.

In your example, I wouldn't recommend Florida (cloud cover) or Canada (cloud cover and angle of sun). I would recommend ... Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, west Texas, etc. as the most efficient places in the US.

Answer 4

You get more power from the one in florida, not because it is hotter but because the light hits it with more energy, thus the solar panel is able to generate more electicity

Answer 5

Mostly in the North because the South never faces up, and the Solar Power can actually touch the North, but not the South. The other parts of the Earth that are ontop of the South Pole covers.

My Point: The North Pole

Answer 6

Just take a look at this map. It shows where you will have the most effective solar power system. The darker red the stronger.

http://www.oynot.com/solar-insolation-map.html

Answer 7

It produces electricity from sun light. In Florida the sun may be more intense but in Texas this year it has been very cloudy.

Answer 8

You will get more power in Florida, but not because it is hotter there. It is because the Sun is more directly overhead and there are fewer clouds.